What Do You Guys Do to Stimulate a 2 Month Old

Sounds perfect so far!!! At 2 months they don't really interact back too much but look for a big change in the next 1-2 months!!!

You are doing great! Just letting him experience daily life is what you need to do. Go outside for a walk so he can feel the different sensations of the sun, shade, wind, etc. Take him to the grocery store, talk to him while you make dinner and tell him what you are doing, etc. You are doing all of the right stuff

I would say that you are doing a great job. My husband looked up what baby's like at that age, ours is 7 months and our first also. Anyway, they like red, black, and white contrasting colors, so he used photoshop and made her a big poster of a fractal in those colors. She LOVED to look at it and it would keep her fascinated for 5-10 minutes at a time. Otherwise, just talk and play with her as social interaction with you is the most important thing at this age. I also took her to the store a lot so that she could see all the people and things. This was one of her favorite activities. Happy mommy-ing.

I haven't read your other advice, but this is the age where my son started to notice mobiles. Not the sort over the bed that spin, but I found some wonderful brightly-colored chimes (sort of like these) http://www.amazon.com/Infantino-Long-Chimes-Elephant-Lion... at a yardsale, and I would wave them over him. He LOVED it. He would freeze and watch them intently. Sooo cute. They were also the first thing that he ever reached for.

looks like u r off to a great start! It may not be age appropriate, but I did it w/ my little one anyway, any time I took her anywhere, I'd point things out, and explain. at the grocery store, look here's a banana, I'd spell it, say the color, grows on trees, monkey's like to eat it, etc. Even if she doesn't get it, it's still soothing to hear my voice, and what if she DOES. She's super smart now, speaks chinese, and english, counts to 50 by herself, know what sound each letter makes, and is sounding out words (she's 3). IS this why? I don't know, but I'd do it again with my next, just in case lol!

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Black and white is good for babies this age too! Sounds like you are already doing a great job with him. Your face and voice are the best things in his whole world right now.

Good luck to you,
M.

what i did with my daughter was moved her arms and legs as i talked to her. i would sit her up and talk and sing to help her gain neck and back strength. lots of tummy time. id lay on the floor with her and point out things and have her touch many types of textures. infant massage is great too.

Sdding Sign Language to your daily activities is very stimulating to your baby's brain! Sign basic needs (MILK, MORE, ALL DONE) when talking to your baby. Sign the main concepts (BIRDS, STARS etc) when you sing songs or read books.

Sign Language stimulates the visual, auditory and motor skills areas of the brain. Communication is a key in social and emotional development. Signing is FUN!

Visit www.WeeCanSign.com/links for links to Free ASL websites.

Hey J.,
Congrats on your baby! You are already doing a lot of GREAT things with your baby. The biggest thing you can do to stimulate your child is interact with him or her. There are some great books out there on the subject. A few I liked were: Baby Brain Games, 365 Games Smart Babies Play, and 125 Brain Games for Baby. All these books help to develop your child's brain so they will ultimately be smarter babies.
Also, I would highly suggest you join a play group of sorts. You can find a number of great ones close to home on Facebook under the Meetups section. With my playgroup I have been able to meet women with children the same age as my son in my area. I have been able to go to free mommy and me yoga classes, My Gym, Kindermusik, Gymboree, baby food tasting and get out to enjoy some stroller walking with other moms.

Soft Music, talking, reading and brightly colored toys help stimulate children. For allergy reasons we avoided fluffy toys.

You've got it! Interaction, play, talk and remember to allow him time to talk as well as they want to fill in the spaces.

And on another note, if I had only known then what I know now is I would have spaced out his vaccines and not given several to my son along with not giving Tylenol before, during, or after his shots.

The Vaccine Book, by Dr. Robert Sears

Healing the New Childhood Epidemics: Autism, ADHD, Asthma, and Allergies: The Groundbreaking Program for the 4-A Disorders, by Dr. Kenneth Bock

You got some great responses. Don't undervalue the receptive part of your relationship. Stimulation is great, but everything is stimulating to a new baby- have you ever watched him look at a tree blowing in the wind? I would encourage you to listen to him- look at him- lie next to him and just gaze.

You've pretty much got it covered...babies that age really just want to watch you, be held by you and hear your voice. They're not playing or interactive with toys yet. In about another two months they'll start being interested in holding things...but other than you and maybe a bouncy seat, that's all they need.

And...be sure not to OVER stimulate a baby...makes for a cranky baby.

-M

I always start the baby Einstein videos now. They don't pay attention, but by three months my boys would watch & loved them. Have fun!

Sounds like you are doing great! Several people have mentioned black and white, and there are actually some board books that are all just images in black and white. We have the ones by Tana Hoban, but it looks like there are some even better ones since I bought mine! The ones we have don't tell a story, but you can make one up, or just let him look at the pictures.

You're doing great! We also got the baby Einstein videos so my son could hear the music and see the great images. We would show him pictures of family members everyday and tell him who they are. We also took our son everywhere (and I mean everywhere) from the time he was 2 weeks old. And we would show him things - everything we passed - we would tell him what everything was and what it does, what color it was, etc. I watched baseball with him when he was a new born and told him the names of the players and what they were doing. I told him how things worked. I showed him maps when we traveled. We took him to the zoo and the aquarium. Our parents thought we were crazy. However, my son understood what we were saying pretty early on and started talking by 8 months old and at a year old he knew what so many things were and he could have a pretty good conversation with you about lots of things. I've learned that babies understand a lot more than we think they do so give them as much info as you can when they're young (even at 2 months old) and it will help stimulate their brains and help them academically when they are older. My son is 7 now and I'm still pumping him with information. Now he likes to quiz me about things like the State Capitals, etc. By quizzing me he's learning too. Hope this helps! Good luck!

outside the box it a cute very helpfull program. being a first time mom. I loved the stuff I learnd there also, Gymboree was really helpfull
http://www.otbee.com/

Sounds like you're doing great!

Something my littles really liked was when I would lay on my back with my knees bent, put them on my shins, and give them gentle rides. They still ask for those now, and they're 3 1/2 and 20 months old! They also really liked to watch me cook. I would try and do all my prep work while they were sleeping, then they would "help" me prepare pasta, make fruit salad, etc.

I found black and white checkered soft blocks for my baby to look at and swat at it. It helps to develop the eyes.

You're doing great. When he's a little older you don't need to spend all kinds of money on things that get them to read early, etc. Just read a lot, get educational toys, and you're all set!

You are doing what he needs, interaction from you and lots of it. At the same time make sure you are feeling happy when you do this as he picks up on your positive vibrations.

The one thing I give my son, now 5.6, is cod liver oil, very high in Omega 3 and DHA, which is very good for the brain (I use Barleans). The thing is, I don't know if it helped him to be as bright as he is because I never expect anything less from him. He is my son and a lot like me and so fish oil or not, he has my genes (and his dad is bright too, but I like to take all the credit)

So my recomendations are: laughter, love and just knowing that he is a budding genius, whether he shows it or not. He will do the rest.

What you are doing is great. My son also loved going out and watching people at that age. His first plane and airport experience were at two months, and he loved watching the people walk by, or looking at all of the things. Going to the park and watching the kids, or just taking a walk and telling him what things are (or not, just having him see things is enough sometimes). I would always use a baby carrier or just hold him on my lap if we were sitting, great cuddle time too.