Best Way to Help a 1-to-2-Month-Old Baby Learn and Develop Skills
By the end of the second month, your newborn will have developed into a baby with a keen interest in what’s going on around him, as well as more control over his body. At about six weeks old, he will also start to reward your affection with spontaneous smiles, and his personality will really begin to shine through.
Physical development
Your baby is rapidly growing in size and strength. His muscles are getting stronger, his movements are becoming more definite, and, by eight weeks, he is already far less vulnerable than he was at birth. He will also lose many of his newborn reflexes at this stage.
Uncurling
Your baby will now begin to stretch out and uncurl from his foetal position. His knees and hips will be stronger, and they won’t be as flexed as before. And the tightly clenched fingers of your newborn will unfold one by one into an open hand, ready for clasping objects.
By the end of this month, if you put a rattle into his palm, he will probably be able to grasp it automatically and to hold on to it for a little while.
Head control
He will now make more attempts to lift his head, and may be able to raise it to an angle of as much as 45 degrees for a second or two when lying on his tummy. This ability is a sign that his neck muscles are becoming stronger.
He will also turn his head when he wants to – for example, if his interest is attracted by a sudden or new sound or image, or simply when he hears the sound of your voice.
Movement
Those funny jerky kicks of the first few weeks will now become smoother, like pedaling actions. He will spend more time awake now, and a lot of his alert periods will be taken up by exercising his limbs and punching out with his arms, which are also gaining in strength. He will probably take more interest in his mobile. You could also try putting him under a baby gym on the floor, so that he has something to swipe at. He will miss most of the time to begin with, because, even though his arm movements are becoming more purposeful, his coordination and his ability to judge the distance between objects is still quite poor at this age.
Activities to develop skills
You are still your baby’s number-one favourite play thing. Talk to him, rock him, sing to him, or put on some music or sing a lullabye and dance around the room with him – all these activities will bring him pleasure and stimulate him, with positive results. Sing to him as you bathe him: gently splash water over his toes and tummy as you support his body in the water.
Sensory stimulation
- Prop him up in a car seat or a bouncy chair, so that he gets a good view of what’s going on around him. Talk to him from different places in the room and watch how he tries to locate the sound. Games like this help him to coordinate sight and sound.
- Play “Round and Round the Garden” or “This Little Piggy” to encourage his fingers and toes to relax. Open out his fingers or toes as you say the rhyme. This will also reinforce your baby’s ideas about enjoyment and interaction.
- Repeat the same song a few times, and see how long it takes before he learns to anticipate the tickle at the end.
- Your baby will also love it if you tickle the palm of his hand and his fingertips with anything soft or furry in texture.
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