From the Guidelines
At 2 months old, a typical infant should be able to lift their head and chest in a prone position, as this is a key gross motor milestone 1.
Developmental Milestones
Some of the key developmental milestones for a 2-month-old infant include:
- Lifting head and chest in prone position 1
- Beginning to develop finer motor skills, although specific fine motor milestones are not typically expected at this age 1
Supporting Development
To support the development of a 2-month-old infant:
- Engage in face-to-face interaction to promote social awareness and smiling
- Talk and sing to the baby frequently to encourage early language development
- Provide supervised tummy time daily to help build core strength and improve head control
- Use high-contrast toys and mirrors for visual stimulation to promote eye coordination and tracking
Monitoring Development
It is essential to monitor the infant's development and consult a pediatrician if there are concerns about missed milestones. The pediatrician may use standardized developmental tests and surveillance to identify any potential developmental delays or disorders 1. Key elements of motor history to discuss with the pediatrician include:
- Delayed acquisition of skills
- Involuntary movements or coordination impairments
- Regression of skills
- Strength, coordination, and endurance issues 1
From the Research
Developmental Milestones for 2-Month-Old Infants
- At 2 months old, infants typically exhibit certain developmental milestones, including fine motor, gross motor, social, and language development 2
- However, the provided studies do not specifically outline the typical developmental milestones for a 2-month-old infant
- A study on establishing new norms for developmental milestones found that lower developmental status was associated with child age, social determinants of health, Medicaid, male sex, and child race 3
- Another study on the acquisition of cognitive and communication milestones in infants with Down syndrome found that understanding the timing of developmental milestones facilitates intervention planning and the early detection of risk for co-occurring conditions 4
- A population-based study on very preterm infants compared to term infants found that very preterm infants had significantly lower weight, length, and head circumference at the corrected age of 24 months, and were reported to eat with a spoon, drink from a cup, and walk independently later than term infants 5
- A study on predictors of motor developmental milestones during the first year of life found that variables within the domain of Pregnancy and delivery, especially gestational age and birth weight, explained the largest proportion of variance in milestone attainment 6
Key Findings
- Developmental milestones are important for tracking fine motor, gross motor, social, and language development in infants 2
- Normative data on individual developmental milestones can help clinicians guide caregivers' expectations for milestone attainment 3
- Understanding the timing of developmental milestones is crucial for intervention planning and the early detection of risk for co-occurring conditions 4
- Very preterm infants may experience developmental delays and health problems compared to term infants 5
- Pregnancy and delivery factors, such as gestational age and birth weight, are significant predictors of milestone attainment 6