Your baby’s social development at 2 months old. Follow your baby’s milestones step-by-step.
Social development allows children to build harmonious, positive relationships with others. As kids develop socially, they learn how to communicate and manage their emotions, consider other points of view before acting, resolve conflicts, cooperate, and participate in society. A child’s temperament, primarily determined by genetics, influences how they interact with others from an early age. However, they continue to develop social skills as they grow, learning from personal experiences and the people around them—namely, their parents and family members.
Social development: 2 months old
At this age:
Remember that not all children develop the same skills at the same speed. The material on this website is for general information purposes only. If you’re concerned about your child’s development, speak with a doctor.
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Your baby carefully studies faces by looking at them directly, then reacts.
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They spend more time taking in their surroundings and react to what they see by making sounds and moving their arms and legs.
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They smile at the people they see.
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They listen to voices and babble.
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They actively watch people’s movements.
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They’re able to recognize the voices of people they know.
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They express emotions such as joy, anger, pain, and disgust by crying or making sounds.
Over the next few weeks, your baby will begin to do the following:
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Remain alert for longer when they’re being spoken to.
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Try to communicate more using their face, body, and voice.
How can you help your baby progress?
Every child is different and develops at their own pace. That said, you can help foster your baby’s development by adopting the Comfort, Play, and Teach parenting approach, which can easily be integrated into your daily routine. The table below outlines small, age-specific actions you can take that will benefit your baby’s social development.
Comfort
When you talk to your baby as you feed them or change their diaper, | | they become familiar with the voices of their primary caretakers. |
When you sing to your baby, | | they’re surrounded by familiar songs and sounds, which can be very soothing for them. |
Teach
When you gradually increase the pitch of your voice while talking to your baby, | | it makes them want to “communicate ” with you more. |
When you show your teeth when you smile and open your eyes wide, | | your baby is excited to look at your face. |
Play
When you talk to your baby about anything, such as what you’ll be doing today or the photos on your walls, | | they have fun joining in on the conversation. |
Photo: GettyImages/~UserGI15613517
SourcesPlease note that hyperlinks to other websites are not updated regularly, and some may have changed since publication. If a link is no longer valid, use search engines to find the relevant information. - Doré, Nicole, and Danielle Le Hénaff. From Tiny Tot to Toddler: A practical guide for parents from pregnancy to age two. “Your child’s development.” Quebec City, Institut national de santé publique du Québec. www.inspq.qc.ca
- Ferland, Francine. Le développement de l’enfant au quotidien : de 0 à 6 ans. 2nd ed., Éditions du CHU Sainte-Justine, 2018, 264 pp.
- Passeport Santé. “Développement de bébé à 2 mois : ce qui change.” 2017. www.passeportsante.net
- Canadian Paediatric Society. Caring for Kids. “Your child’s development: What to expect.” www.caringforkids.cps.ca
- Université de Montréal. “Portail enfance et familles : Les étapes de développement de l’enfant de la naissance à l’adolescence.” www.portailenfance.ca
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