The Playbook

Your Baby at 2 Months: Smiles, Crying Peaks and a Dad's To-Do List

By the Guide to Fatherhood editorial team. Last reviewed . 2 min read.

Checked against guidance from organizations like the AAP, CDC, ACOG and NHS (linked below). This is general information, not medical advice. Read our medical disclaimer.

Your to-do list this month

  • Get face-to-face time every day: talk, sing, make faces, and copy your baby's sounds back to them.
  • Learn the PURPLE crying idea: crying peaks around this age and often has no fixable cause. Have a plan for when it gets to you.
  • Go to the 2-month checkup. Bring your feeding and sleep questions written down.
  • Do tummy time a few times a day while the baby is awake and you're watching.
A conversation to have this month

"When the crying gets to us, what's our tap-out signal?" Agree that either of you can hand off the baby and step outside for a few minutes, no questions asked.

What your baby is doing

Two months in, your baby is more awake and more there. The CDC’s 2-month milestones include:

  • Calming down when spoken to or picked up.
  • Looking at your face, and smiling when you talk or smile.
  • Making sounds other than crying, like cooing.
  • Holding their head up during tummy time, and moving both arms and legs.
  • Opening their hands briefly.

The first real smile at you is one of the great moments of the year. Have your phone ready, and then put it down and smile back.

The crying peak

For many babies, crying increases in the first weeks and peaks around 6 to 8 weeks, often in the late afternoon or evening, then improves by 3 or 4 months. Sometimes there’s nothing to fix. The AAP suggests checking the basics, then trying:

  • Swaddling (until the baby shows signs of rolling), gentle rocking or swaying, walking with the baby in a carrier.
  • White noise or shushing.
  • A pacifier, if the baby takes one.
  • A change of scene, or a warm bath.

See how to soothe a crying baby for the full toolkit.

When it gets to you

Inconsolable crying is one of the hardest things a new parent faces, and frustration is normal. What matters is what you do with it. The AAP is clear: never shake a baby. If you’re losing your cool, put the baby down on their back in the crib, close the door, and step away for a few minutes. Breathe. Call someone. Come back when you’re calm. A crying baby in a safe crib is okay.

The 2-month checkup

Expect weight and length checks, a physical exam, questions about feeding, sleep and development, and recommended vaccines. Write your questions down beforehand. Bring the feeding and diaper log if you’ve kept one.

Tummy time

The AAP recommends supervised tummy time from the first days home, working up to 15 to 30 minutes a day total by about 7 weeks. Lie on the floor face-to-face with your baby: you’re the best toy in the house.

Frequently asked questions

When do babies start smiling?

Social smiles, in response to your face or voice, usually appear by about 2 months. The CDC lists smiling when you talk to or smile at them as a 2-month milestone.

Why does my 2-month-old cry so much?

Crying commonly increases in the first weeks and peaks around 6 to 8 weeks before improving by 3 to 4 months. Check the basics (hunger, diaper, temperature, tiredness), try soothing, and call the pediatrician if the crying seems different, comes with fever, poor feeding or vomiting, or you're worried.

Sources

  1. Milestones by 2 Months, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  2. Calming a Fussy Baby, American Academy of Pediatrics (HealthyChildren.org)
  3. Abusive Head Trauma: How to Protect Your Baby, AAP (HealthyChildren.org)
  4. Back to Sleep, Tummy to Play, AAP (HealthyChildren.org)

We link to the original source for every medical and safety claim. Guidance changes; if a source has been updated since our last review, the source wins. How we research.