2 Month Milestones: What Most Babies Do at 8 Weeks in Australia

2 month milestones centre on three things: a smile back at your face, a brief head lift during tummy time, and cooing or gurgling when content. Most babies around 8 weeks also follow a face or slow-moving object with their eyes and startle at a loud sound. Every one of them sits inside a wide normal window.

The checklist below is the same checklist the BabyLog milestone list records, generated from ACECQA's Developmental milestones and the EYLF/NQS(opens in a new window) document. This page sits between newborn development week by week and 3 month milestones, inside the wider guide to baby milestones by age.

What do most babies do around 8 weeks?

Around 8 weeks, most babies smile in response to a face, hold their head up for short moments on their tummy, make small sounds when content, and watch a face or a slow-moving toy for a few seconds. ACECQA lists the whole birth to 4 months band together, so the split below follows the 2 month page from Pregnancy, Birth and Baby(opens in a new window) and the 8 week list in the NSW Blue Book(opens in a new window).

Read each row as a set, not a score.

Is the social smile the big one at 2 months?

Yes. The smile that answers your smile, rather than a passing smile in sleep, is the milestone most parents notice first around 6 to 8 weeks. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby describes a 2 month old who may smile back when you smile at them, make eye contact, copy simple facial expressions, and settle more easily to familiar voices.

The window is wide because a smile needs vision, attention and a little social interest to line up at once, and each matures at its own speed.

A smile that answers yours is the first conversation. It comes when it comes.

What does tummy time look like at 8 weeks?

At 8 weeks, tummy time usually means a few short lifts of the head, a turn from side to side, and a protest after a minute or two. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby notes that a 2 month old may lift their head for short moments during tummy time and turn it from side to side, building strength in the neck and upper body.

The head lift is a strength milestone, so it grows with practice rather than arriving on one day. Our guide to tummy time: when to start covers how much to aim for by age and how to make it less of a battle. One safety point from the same page: a 2 month old usually cannot roll yet, but they can kick and wriggle, so never leave them alone on a change table or any raised surface.

Why is my 2 month old crying so much?

Crying peaks about six to eight weeks and levels off about 12 to 14 weeks, so the 2 month mark is often the loudest point of the first year. The timing comes from the ACECQA milestones. It is a developmental pattern, not a sign that anything has gone wrong.

Pregnancy, Birth and Baby lists the usual reasons a 2 month old cries: hunger, tiredness, a wet nappy, or a need for comfort. Holding and cuddling often helps. The NSW Blue Book puts crying and comforting your baby on the discussion list for the 6 to 8 week visit, so the nurse expects the question.

When to talk to your child health nurse

healthdirect(opens in a new window) puts it simply: all babies grow and develop at their own pace, and missing a milestone beyond the usual age may be a sign that your child needs extra support. For the birth to 4 months band, the ACECQA document and the NSW Blue Book's 8 week page suggest a conversation with your child health nurse or GP if your baby:

• is floppy or stiff
• is not responding to sounds, or does not react to a loud sound
• does not watch things as they move
• does not smile at people or respond to familiar faces
• is not showing interest when played with
• is not feeding as expected
• is not starting to make sounds
• cannot hold their head up when pushing up on their tummy

Most turn out to be nothing, and support works best when it starts early.

What happens at the 6 to 8 week check?

The 6 to 8 week check is the first scheduled child health check after the newborn visits, and it lands right on the 2 month skills above. Using the NSW Blue Book as the example, the nurse, GP or paediatrician records weight, length and head circumference, checks the eyes for fixation and eye movements, tests the hips, and a doctor listens to the heart. Parent questions cover hearing, vision, hips and oral health, and the discussion list runs from feeding and safe sleep to crying, growth and vaccinations. Each state and territory runs its own schedule and record book: our guide to baby health checks in Australia lays them out.

Which immunisations happen at 6 weeks?

The first scheduled vaccines on the National Immunisation Program are listed at 2 months and can be given from 6 weeks of age. The National Immunisation Program schedule(opens in a new window) lists diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), hepatitis B, polio and Haemophilus influenzae type b in one combined vaccine, plus rotavirus and pneumococcal, with a meningococcal B vaccine for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. The rotavirus first dose has an age limit of 14 weeks, which is one reason clinics book this visit at 6 weeks rather than waiting for the 2 month birthday.

NSW Health · My Personal Health Record (Blue Book), 6 to 8 week visit

The first scheduled vaccinations start at 6 weeks of age to protect against serious preventable diseases, including whooping cough (pertussis) and pneumococcal.

Many families pair the immunisation appointment with the 6 to 8 week check. An unsettled day afterwards is common.

Keeping track

The checklist on this page is the birth to 4 months band of the BabyLog milestone checklist, built on the ACECQA framework as a guide, not a diagnosis. When you notice something new, tap the milestone as observed and the moment is stamped with the date and your baby's age, so "when did he start smiling at you?" at the 6 to 8 week check is a look, not a guess. Milestone tracking is part of BabyLog Pro, and editors on a Pro baby can record milestones too.

For the check itself, a checkup report on Pro freezes a chosen period of feeds, sleep, nappies and growth alongside the milestone checklist for the stage you pick, and shares with a nurse or GP as a private link or PDF. Watch the 2 month skills arrive in their own time, and track your baby's development with BabyLog.

Common questions