Parent guides · 1 month
Your second month, day by day
Days 31 to 60: first smiles, the crying peak, tummy time and head shape, coos, your six-week visit, and the 2-month checkup, with one new thing to try every day.
Every note draws on the 1-month guide and cites its sources. Babies don’t keep calendars: read each day as “around now”, and let your pediatrician’s read of your baby beat any note.
Week 5: month two begins
Smiles on the way, the witching hour, tummy time four ways, hands, and coos.
Day 31Month twoA new month: real smiles are on their way, crying is near its heaviest, and milestones now mean what most babies do by two months, not a test for today.Try: Smile conversations
Day 32The witching hourEvening crying is at its heaviest this month. What colic actually means, how common it is, and a carrier walk for the hour when nothing else works.Try: Babywearing walk at the witching hour
Day 33Tummy time, four waysHeads come up this month. Why tummy time matters now, how common flat spots are and how mild, and four positions so that short sessions add up.Try: Tummy time, four ways
Day 34HandsFists start to open, hands start to catch your baby's attention, and some find the mouth. A short hand game for diaper changes, and a note on your own hands.Try: Hand discovery
Day 35Five weeksFive weeks: how fast babies grow now, how much a bottle holds, why the evenings are all feeding, and a gentle leg-and-tummy game for between feeds.Try: Bicycle legs and tummy rub
Day 36CoosSounds other than crying arrive this month. What the turn-taking research found, how to leave room for your baby's reply, and why you should speak up too.Try: Cooing back and forth
Day 37EyesYour baby's eyes start to follow this month, and faces come into focus by about eight weeks. A slow side-to-side game, and why your own vision changes are urgent.Try: Follow the face, side to side
Week 6: the heavy stretch
Sleep without training, what helps crying, your face, a round head, and your six-week visit.
Day 38Sleep, without trainingHow much sleep a baby this age needs, why night waking is still expected, what the sleep training research actually studied, and a wind-down you can repeat.Try: Bedtime wind-down, month two
Day 39What helps crying, and what doesn'tGas drops, diet changes, probiotics, special formulas: what the reviews found before you spend a dollar, plus one soother that's free and on the AAP's list.Try: Singing and gentle swaying
Day 40Your face, when it stopsThe still-face experiment shows babies from about one month notice when you stop responding. A two-second version to play, and why the return is what matters.Try: The pause-and-return game
Day 41A round headFlat spots are common and mostly mild. Today: the small position changes that keep your baby's head round, and the head tilt worth mentioning at the checkup.Try: The crib-end swap
Day 42Six weeksSix weeks: for many babies the heaviest crying starts to ease soon, and for you it's time for the postpartum visit. Book it today, and bring the whole list.Try: Daylight walk
Day 43WordsYour baby can't follow a story yet, and reading to them still counts. Today: picture talk, why the AAP says to start at birth, and a warm, free place to do it.Try: Picture talk and reading
Day 44SoundsReacting to loud sounds and turning toward a voice: what hearing looks like at six weeks, the follow-up test that can't wait, and why you need a quiet hour too.Try: Rattle sound hunt
Week 7: the world widens
Bath time, faraway family, back to work, toys, and seven weeks.
Day 45Bath timeTub baths are routine by seven weeks: two inches of water, one hand on the baby, three a week is plenty. Plus cradle cap, baby acne, and a long shower for you.Try: Bath-time chat
Day 46Faraway familyVideo chat is the one screen the AAP allows for a baby this young. Today: how to make a call work for a six-week-old, and who else can hold the baby this week.Try: Video chat with family
Day 47Back to work, part oneIf a return date is on the calendar: your pumping rights under the PUMP Act, practicing bottles now, and the paced way to give one so your baby stays in charge.Try: Practice pump and bottle
Day 48Toys and attentionLooking at a toy for several seconds is a 2-month milestone. Today: the floor, one bold toy, the right distance, and why nothing ever goes in the crib.Try: Toy watching on the mat
Day 49Seven weeksCalms when picked up, looks at your face, seems happy to see you, smiles back: the social milestones of month two, and a lap-to-lap tour of everyone's smile.Try: Face tour: everyone smiles
Day 50Tummy time on a lapFor the baby who hates the floor: tummy time across your lap with a back rub, why short sessions add up to the daily total, and a stretch for your own shoulders.Try: Tummy time on a lap
Day 51The milestone lookThe CDC's 2-month list as a gentle look at your baby, not a test: why 'wait and see' is out, and what to write down for the checkup, about you included.Try: A milestone look, month two
Week 8 and two months
Shot day, rolling, watching you move, open hands, and the 2-month checkup.
Day 52Shot day is comingWhat the 2-month visit covers, the vaccines the AAP lists and why to ask which schedule your pediatrician follows, and a soothing routine to practice before the shots.Try: The 5 S's, practiced for shot day
Day 53The safe play spotSome babies start working on rolling at 2 months. Stop swaddling at the first signs, never leave your baby alone on a raised surface, and set up a floor spot today.Try: Floor time: the safe play spot
Day 54Watching you moveYour baby's eyes are starting to follow you across a room. A slow walk to test it today, and why moving more yourself is medicine after birth.Try: Watch you walk
Day 55Open handsFists are loosening. Why hands open briefly now while the grasp reflex still holds on, and a one-minute palm game for diaper changes.Try: Open hands
Day 56Eight weeksBy about eight weeks faces come into focus and some colors stand apart. A slow two-color game for today, and a look at eight weeks of your own recovery.Try: Color looking
Day 57Carrier to cribBabies fall asleep in carriers, swings, and car seats. Why the nap should finish on a firm, flat surface, and a handoff to practice the next time it happens.Try: Carrier to crib
Day 58FootprintsTwo months of growth in numbers, what the 2-month visit measures, and a footprint keepsake to make today while the feet are this small.Try: Footprints for the baby book
Day 59What's nextA look ahead at months two to three: longer coos, steadier tracking, more smiles. A doorway game for today, and the 12-week deadline for your own visit.Try: Your voice from across the room
Day 60Two monthsTwo months in. The CDC list as a 'by about now' celebration, the crying curve bending for most families, and a short video to make today.Try: The first-smile video