Chorevia

Day 59 of 60 · Two months

What's next

Last reviewed · 3 min read · 15 sources · Plain-text version

A 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.

A Korean mother stands in a bedroom doorway calling softly to her two-month-old, who lies on their back on a floor blanket, eyes turning toward her voice, afternoon light.

Tomorrow is two months. Today is a look at what's coming, so the next few weeks feel like a road you can see, plus a game about how far your voice carries.

Heart

What's ahead, from the next guide: long "oooo" and "aahh" coos are a 4-month milestone, so they may still be coming; your baby's eyes are starting to follow moving objects (AAP); and color vision improves by about 4 months (AAP). The whole stretch is covered in the 2-months guide.

Head

The pauses you've been leaving will get answered more. In recordings of 51 mother-baby pairs, babies 8 to 21 weeks old joined in and often started vocal "protoconversations" (Gratier et al., 2015), and in a study of 48 Japanese babies, 3- and 4-month-olds paused after making a sound, as if listening for a reply (Masataka, 1993). Small studies, but the habit they describe is one you already have.

Body

Reacting to loud sounds is on the 2-month list (CDC), and by about one month babies may look or turn toward familiar sounds and voices (AAP). The turn is slow: in a small lab study, most of 21 alert newborns turned toward a sound played to one side, but the turn took a median of 2.5 seconds to start (Muir & Field, 1979). Give today's game that long.

Try today

  1. The same baby on the blanket, head turned toward the doorway, while the father crouches beside them grinning at the mother out of frame.

    Your voice from across the room

    Time: 2 minutes, a few tries · Rattle sound hunt in the guide

    1. Lay your baby on their back on the floor blanket, facing away from the door, with someone beside them.

    2. From the doorway, say their name in your ordinary voice, then wait several seconds (Muir & Field, 1979).

    3. If they go still, or turn their eyes or head, walk in talking so they find you.

    4. Try again from the other side of the room.

    Make it work:

    Keep it gentle; loud sounds startle (AAP). No turn on some tries is normal.

Watch for

  • Normal

    a baby who doesn't turn every time.

    Tell your pediatrician

    if loud sounds never get a reaction, or crying is still the only sound you hear (CDC).

  • Normal

    a passed newborn hearing screen.

    Mention any hearing worries at checkups

    , since hearing loss can show up later; if the screen wasn't passed, the full test is due before 3 months (CDC; CDC).

  • Normal

    crying that's starting to ease.

    Call within a day

    if the crying has worn you out (AAP).

For you

The mother at a kitchen counter on the phone, a wall calendar beside her with a date circled, the baby asleep on their back in a bare bassinet in the background.

Your own deadline is coming. ACOG recommends contact with your obstetric provider within 3 weeks of birth and a full postpartum visit no later than 12 weeks, covering mood, sleep, recovery, contraception, and chronic conditions (ACOG, 2018). The visit usually lands about six weeks after birth (OWH). If it hasn't happened, book it today, and put contraception and sex on the list in writing so you don't skip them in the room.

Some things shouldn't wait for it: if sadness has lasted more than two weeks, go to the doctor now (OWH), and for a persistent headache, vision changes, or swelling of your hands or face, seek care immediately (CDC).

If you're the partner: about 10% of fathers have depression around a birth, with higher rates 3 to 6 months after (Paulson & Bazemore, 2010). Your next few months count too.

Sources

This guide is general education that summarizes published research and guidance from groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the CDC, and the WHO. It isn’t medical advice, and every child develops on their own timeline. Your pediatrician knows your child; if something feels wrong, call them. In an emergency, call 911.

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