Your baby's a month old, and your life has already changed in ways you never imagined. Now your baby's every moment is life-altering for you, and you can't wait to see what she'll do next. While every baby develops differently, it's possible to get an idea of what you can expect your baby to learn during each week of her second month.
Week Five
Your baby is beginning to understand basic things about himself and the world around him. The biggest discovery he's making is that his hands and feet belong to him and that he can control them. Placing your baby on a play mat with items hung all around him can help to develop his hand-eye coordination. His initial attempts to swipe at these items will become far more refined in later months.
Week Six
In your baby's sixth week, she may greet you with a big toothless smile. This is proof of her development in two areas: She can contort her face to express happiness, and she is showing that she recognizes you and is happy to see you. She's also learning how to lift her own head up and support it, which she'll practice every time she's on her stomach.
Week Seven
Your baby is starting to stay up for longer stretches during the day. He's probably not able to stick to any kind of nap schedule yet, but he's able to keep himself from nodding off. He's also learning how to expand on his newfound smiling abilities and is working on a whole new palette of facial expressions. He might not know what these expressions symbolize, but he's having fun experimenting.
Week Eight
Your baby's eighth week includes two huge milestones. First, she's now able to use her eyes to follow a moving object. You can encourage her to work on this skill by passing objects in front of her, giving her the opportunity to practice. Her other major developmental accomplishment is that she's now able to keep her hands open, which means she's now open to a whole new world of sensory stimulation. She's also able to keep an iron-clad grip on anything you place in her hands.
What's Next
In the coming weeks, your baby will start to show off his own unique personality. He'll start cooing and smiling at anyone who gives him attention. He may also begin to realize and utilize the power of crying to get what he wants. Lastly, he'll begin to sleep longer after you put him down at night, allowing you to get a little extra sleep between his feedings.
