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2-4 Weeks
| Development: |
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Startles to sudden movements or noises. Follows objects short distance with eyes. Lifts head at intervals. Begins to coo and make sounds. Holds hands in fists. |
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| Nutrition: |
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Breast milk or iron fortified formula are all that the baby needs. |
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| Breast- |
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Feed the baby on demand, usually every 2-4 hours. If not awakening after five hours then wake up your baby to feed him. |
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| Formula- |
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20-24 oz/day meets nutritional requirements. By 2 months of age this increases to 28-32 oz/day. Babies are not able to tell that they are full so be careful not to overfeed them. Stop after 4 oz, burp well and wait 15 minutes or so to see if the baby is satisfied.
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| Supplements- |
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Cereals and solids are not usually necessary until 4 - 6 months of age. Vitamins are not needed if the baby is receiving iron fortified formula or if you are breast feeding and continue to take prenatal vitamins. |
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| Behavior: |
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During the first several months of life an infant spends most of his time sleeping and is only awake for a few hours. The infant is actively learning, especially during their ‘quiet alert’ periods. Babies enjoy looking at bright, moving objects and lights so provide pictures, mobiles and toys. Babies also enjoy soft music and the sound of voices.
Babies especially love being held and cuddled and sucking on things. Sucking on hands, thumbs or pacifiers will not lead to any problems. You cannot “spoil” your baby by holding him too much.
Every baby has fussy periods, hours or days long, starting around 2-3 weeks of age. When fussy, check to make sure they are not cold, hot, wet, hungry, or are experiencing discomfort from another source such as clothing. If they don’t quiet with holding, rocking or other soothing actions, allow them to be fussy. Fussy periods will not harm an infant and multiple actions to quiet the infant will frustrate you and your infant. If your infant has repeated episodes of persistent crying for 4-6 hours at a time, please contact the office. These long crying episodes may indicate colic, in which the infant may not be consoled by your usual methods to calm them. |
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| Health Concerns: |
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The greatest threat to your baby is the risk of injury or death in an automobile accident. 90% of these deaths and injuries could be prevented with the proper use of a car seat.
Please use a car seat at all times.
Suffocation is another potential accident. The bars on the infant crib should be no more than 3 inches apart. Use a firm crib mattress, keeping toys and pillows away from the infant’s face. Place the infant on the side or back for sleeping. Toys should be larger than the infant’s mouth, washable, nontoxic and without sharp edges. Never put infants on a waterbed because he could suffocate if face down.
Prevent burns by reducing the temperature of the water in the house to below 120°. Bath water should be warm, not hot.
Never leave children unattended with a pet.
If your baby develops a fever, please call our office immediately. It is best if you take the baby’s temperature rectally. 100.4° F or greater is considered a fever. |
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| Next visit at 2 months: Vaccines - diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough (pertussis) (DTaP), haemophilus influenzae type B (HIB), polio (IPV), hepatitis B (HBV) and invasive pneumococcal disease (Prevnar). |
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| Please call your insurance company before your next visit to find out if they cover vaccines. If they do not, it will be much less expensive for you to have the vaccines done at the Health Department. We can give you more information about this if you call us at 492-1999. |
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