Your baby
Since he was just days old your baby has been able to recognise you but now the recognition of parents will become much more obvious as he reacts differently to you than to other people. You may find that by now your crying baby can sometimes be soothed just by the sound of your voice. A bigger reward for all your hard parenting work and sleepless nights so far though are your baby's first delightful smiles. Not just a generally contented face or grimace when passing wind, these are when your baby looks into your eyes and really smiles, at you. No matter how sleep-deprived and exhausted you are you'd be hard pushed not to return the smile with a big beam of your own.
The smiles are partly due to your baby's improving eyesight.
By the time he is two months old he can maintain focus with both eyes and track moving objects within his field of vision. Not only does he recognise you visually, but he'll enjoy other visual stimulation and is beginning to be interested in more complex designs and shapes and different colours.
Your baby's neck muscles are growing stronger every day. He'll now be able to hold his head looking forward when lying on his back and when lying on his front he should be able to lift his head up 45 degrees for brief periods to look around. If he hasn't done so already, then soon you'll see him deliberately grabbing hold of small objects you give to him, like a rattle, although he won't yet be able to hold things for very long.
What you can do
Your baby learns through play, so try and play with him as much as you can as long as he's engaged and receptive. Try giving him a rattle to play with and shaking it near him so he can practice holding things as well as making the association between sight and sound. He'll enjoy brightly coloured objects now so a baby gym or similar will offer him lots to look at and encourage him as he starts to swipe at objects over the next weeks.
He'll still enjoy being carried around and kept close to you and listening to you describe objects and actions to him. Keep on talking to him as often as you can and don't be afraid of using different words, the more words he hears, the better.
If your baby doesn't yet try to lift his head when he's lying on his stomach then try lying next to him, with your head up above his, and talking to him, he'll be keen to look at you as you talk and so this will encourage him to lift his head.
NB: All babies develop at their own pace and some will reach developmental landmarks more quickly than others. This timeline is meant only as an approximate guide for parents. Premature babies will develop more slowly than full-term babies and can be expected to develop in line with their age calculated from their due date. If you are worried about your child's health or progress consult your doctor.
Swimming with baby - 
I started taking my son swimming at 5 weeks, (before his first set of jabs) and was met with immensley conflicting reactions from other mums! From the over-enthused to the ones who were worriedly telling Health Visitors about my exploits and edging away from me in case i tried to drown their precious darling!! 
Says MummyGoth on the forum. How early would you start your little one off in the pool? Join in the debate!
You can ask your own questions or share advice and experiences in the newborn and baby folders.
Breastfeeding, the real deal - If you're breastfeeding and finding it harder going than expected then Lucy's article on the trials and tribulations of breastfeeding is a must-read.
Back in shape - You're probably getting quite fed up of carrying around all those extra pounds by now, but don't rush to get back in shape, take it easy on yourself - the key to getting back in shape is being realistic and setting achievable goals.
Thinking of being a full-time parent? - Since your baby has arrived and you're experiencing full-time parenting, one or other of you may be reviewing your work commitments and considering taking the plunge as a full-time parent. Here are some of the things you need to consider when
making your decision.
Birth stories - The contractions were fast and furious from the start - every five minutes. I spent about three hours getting in and out of the bath, trying to control the pain, followed by frantic pacing up and down the hallway, with my TENS machine strapped to my bod. Tells Lucy in the story of her second birth, trying for a VBAC.
If you still haven't added your birth story to the site you can do so at any time in the blogs section.
And why not add some pics to the gallery too. It's an easy way of sharing pictures with friends and family, not to mention the other TB members.
Just for Dads - So everything went okay, and now you have a beautiful new baby. Your life has changed, almost certainly for the better, but it might not seem that way at first. Here's what you should know about you life as a new dad.
Newborn |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12
