Well-Baby Checkup: 2 Months

At the 2-month checkup, the health care provider will examine your baby. This sheet tells you some of what you can expect.

Development and milestones

The health care provider will ask questions about your baby. They will watch the baby to get an idea of the infant’s development. By the time of this visit, your baby is likely doing some of the following:

• Smiling on purpose, such as in response to another person (called a social smile)

• Moving both arms and legs

• Following you with their eyes as you move around a room

• Holding their head up when on their tummy

• Making sounds other than crying, like cooing

Feeding tips

Continue to feed your baby either breast milk or formula. To help your baby eat well:

• During the day, feed at least every 2 to 3 hours. You may need to wake the baby for daytime feedings.

• At night, feed when your baby wakes, often every 3 to 4 hours. It’s okay if your baby sleeps longer than this. Ask the health care provider if you need to wake your baby for nighttime feedings.

• Breastfeeding sessions should last around 10 to 15 minutes. With a bottle, give your baby 4 to 6 ounces of breast milk or formula.

• If you’re concerned about how much or how often your baby eats, discuss this with the provider.

• Ask the provider if your baby should take vitamin D.

• Don’t give your baby anything to eat besides breast milk or formula. Your baby is too young for solid foods (solids) or other liquids. A young infant should not be given plain water.

• Be aware that many babies of 2 months spit up after feeding. In most cases, this is normal. Call the provider right away if your baby spits up often and forcefully, or if they spit up anything besides milk or formula. 

Hygiene tips

• Some babies poop (have bowel movements) a few times a day. Others poop as little as once every 2 to 3 days. Anything in this range is normal.

• It’s fine if your baby poops even less often than every 2 to 3 days if the baby is otherwise healthy. But if the baby also becomes fussy, spits up more than normal, eats less than normal, or has very hard stool, tell the health care provider. The baby may be constipated (unable to have a bowel movement).

• Poop may range in color from mustard yellow to brown to green. If it’s some other color, tell the provider.

• Bathe your baby a few times a week. You may give baths more often if the baby seems to like it. But because you’re cleaning the baby during diaper changes, a daily bath often isn’t needed.

• It’s okay to use mild (hypoallergenic) creams or lotions on the baby’s skin. Don't put lotion on the baby’s hands.

Sleeping tips

At 2 months, most babies sleep around 15 to 18 hours each day. It’s common to sleep for short spurts throughout the day, rather than for hours at a time. The baby may be fussy before going to bed for the night, around 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. This is normal. To help your baby sleep safely and soundly, follow these tips:

• Put your baby on their back for naps and sleeping until they are 1 year old. This can lower the risk for SIDS, aspiration, and choking. Never put your baby on their side or stomach for sleep or naps. When your baby is awake, let them spend time on their tummy as long as you are watching them. This helps your baby build strong tummy and neck muscles. This will also help keep your baby's head from flattening. This problem can happen when babies spend so much time on their back.

• Ask the health care provider if you should let your baby sleep with a pacifier. Sleeping with a pacifier has been shown to decrease the risk for SIDS. But don't offer it until after breastfeeding has been established. If your baby doesn’t want the pacifier, don’t try to force them to take it.

• Don’t put a crib bumper, pillow, loose blankets, or stuffed animals in the crib. These could suffocate the baby.

• Stop swaddling your baby as soon as they show signs of trying to roll over. Babies usually start rolling over at around 3 to 4 months of age, but some babies may start as early as 2 months. Each baby is different. Swaddling may raise the risk for SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) if the swaddled baby rolls onto their stomach. Your baby's legs should be able to move up and out at the hips. Don’t place your baby’s legs so that they are held together and straight down. This raises the risk that the hip joints won’t grow and develop correctly. This can cause a problem called hip dysplasia and dislocation. Also be careful of swaddling your baby if the weather is warm or hot. Using a thick blanket in warm weather can make your baby overheat. Instead, use a lighter blanket or sheet to swaddle the baby. 

• Don't put your baby on a couch or armchair for sleep. Sleeping on a couch or armchair puts the baby at a much higher risk for death, including SIDS.

• Don't use infant seats, car seats, strollers, infant carriers, or infant swings for routine sleep and daily naps. These may cause a baby's airway to become blocked or the baby to suffocate.

• It’s OK to put the baby to bed awake. It’s also OK to let the baby cry in bed for a short time, but no longer than a few minutes. At this age babies aren’t ready to cry themselves to sleep.

• If you have trouble getting your baby to sleep, ask the provider for tips.

• Don't share a bed (co-sleep) with your baby. Bed-sharing has been shown to increase the risk for SIDS. The American Academy of Pediatrics says that babies should sleep in the same room as their parents. They should be close to their parents' bed, but in a separate bed or crib. This sleeping setup should be done for the baby's first year, if possible. But you should do it for at least the first 6 months.

• Always put cribs, bassinets, and play yards in areas with no hazards. This means no dangling cords, wires, or window coverings. This will lower the risk for strangulation.

• Don't use baby heart rate and monitors or special devices that claim to help lower the risk for SIDS. These devices include wedges, positioners, and special mattresses. They have not been shown to prevent SIDS. In rare cases, they have caused the death of a baby.

• Talk with your baby's provider about these and other health and safety issues.

Safety tips

• To prevent burns, don’t carry or drink hot liquids, such as coffee or tea, near the baby. Turn the water heater down to a temperature of 120.0°F (49.0°C) or below.

• Don’t smoke or allow others to smoke near the baby. If you or other family members smoke, do so outdoors while wearing a jacket, and then remove the jacket before holding the baby.

• It’s fine to bring your baby out of the house. But stay away from confined, crowded places where germs can spread.

• When you take the baby outside, don't stay too long in direct sunlight. Keep the baby covered or seek out the shade.

• In the car, always put the baby in a rear-facing car seat. This should be secured in the back seat according to the car seat’s directions. Never leave the baby alone in the car.

• Don’t leave the baby on a high surface, such as a table, bed, or couch. They could fall and get hurt. Also, don’t place the baby in a bouncy seat on a high surface.

• Never leave your baby alone in or around the bath tub or other water.

• Older siblings can hold and play with the baby as long as an adult supervises. 

• Never shake, hit or throw your baby. This can cause serious damage to your baby's brain. There may be times when your baby is crying and you are feeling tired, frustrated, or even angry. The best thing to do is to put your baby in the crib and take a break for yourself or ask for help from family or friends.

• Call the provider right away if the baby is under 3 months of age and has a rectal temperature of 100.4° F (38° C) or higher.

Vaccines

Based on recommendations from the CDC, at this visit your baby may get the following vaccines:

• Diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis

• Haemophilus influenzae type b

• Hepatitis B

• Pneumococcus

• Polio

• Rotavirus

• Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) monoclonal antibody

Ask your baby's health care provider which shots are advised at this visit.

Vaccines help keep your baby healthy

Vaccines (also called immunizations) help a baby’s body build up defenses against serious diseases. Having your baby fully vaccinated will also help lower your baby's risk for SIDS. Many are given in a series of doses. To be protected, your baby needs each dose at the right time. Many combination vaccines are available. They can help reduce the number of times your baby gets poked with a needle to vaccinate against all of these important diseases. Talk with your child's health care provider about the benefits of vaccines and any risks they may have. Also ask what to do if your baby misses a dose. If this happens, your baby will need catch-up vaccines to be fully protected. After vaccines are given, some babies have mild side effects, such as redness and swelling where the shot was given, fever, fussiness, or sleepiness. Talk with the provider about how to manage these symptoms.