The Best 2 Month Old Baby Routine 

Looking for a simple schedule for your two month old baby?

Those early weeks are magical, albeit exhausting, and pass by in a flash. 

Once your baby reaches 8 weeks you may by now have an idea of what a typical day looks like. 

First of all I want to emphasise that two months is very young and I’m not advocating a strict routine at this stage with your baby.

Some parents may find an instant rhythm with their babies from the early weeks, however most parents find its a case of muddling through. If you set time limits and strict deadlines you’ll likely wind up frustrating yourself. 

My first baby was on a great routine by eight weeks and we simply adapted this as she got older and dropped naps, started weaning etc. 

My second baby was very difficult to get into a reliable routine and although she had a very rough schedule I learned early on not to expect her to conform to exact times like her sister had done. 

What this post is intended to do is provide you with rough guidance and a sample routine to illustrate how many feeds a baby may have in a 24 hours period at this age and what their sleep schedule looks like. 

There’s no one-size-fits-all routine for a baby, but I personally found it so useful to have sample routines to look over when my two were little. 

Sample sleep schedule 2 months 

This baby sleep schedule is for guidance only as your baby’s nap length will vary, it’s impossible to guarantee they will sleep for X amount of time. 

Some naps will last 30 minutes or less, whereas others may continue to 2.5 hours with no sign of your baby waking up. 

What this sleep schedule is intended for is to give you an idea of how to split up their naps in the day to hopefully encourage longer bursts of sleep at night. 

Time	What your 2 month old is doing
7am	Wake up and feed
7.30am	Play
8.30am	Nap
10am	Wake and feed
10.30am	Play
11.30am	Nap
1pm	Wake up and feed
1.30pm	Play
2pm	Nap
4pm	Wake up and feed
5pm	Nap
6pm	Wake up and feed
7.30pm	Bedtime including milk feed
10pm	Dream feed
Night	Baby may wake once or more for feeds

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Newborn baby sleep schedules for the first 8 weeks

Should a 2 month old baby be on a routine?

A strict routine for your baby at two months is unrealistic however a routine that follows a certain rhythm can be really helpful. 

When I talk about a routine for a two month old we aren’t talking about setting strict timings, it’s more about following a cycle of sleep, eat, play and sleep again. 

There are a few potential benefits for trying to get your baby into some kind of routine, even if it is a very loose one. 

Those are: 

• Helps to ensure baby is getting enough feeds over a 24 hour period. 
• You’ll have an idea of what comes next in your baby’s routine. 
• Baby cries less because you can anticipate their needs a little easier. 
• This in turn means if your baby is crying it can be easier to narrow down what they need. 

However I think whether or not you want to pursue a routine also comes down to personal choice. You may be someone who just wants to see how the day unfolds. 

If you have older children then much of your day will be built around what their routine is, and the baby will need to fit around that. 

So keep in mind that you don’t have to have a routine, but if you do want to try to find one that works for you this article will give you some tips. 

How much sleep does a 2 month old need?

A two month old baby will sleep for a total of 15.5 to 17 hours in a 24 hour period. 

Daytime sleep will be broken up into roughly four to five naps of varying lengths. 

A nap for a newborn could be anything between 30 minutes and 2.5 hours. For daytime naps try to limit their sleep to three hours maximum, in order to encourage multiple active periods in the day and help them learn the difference between daytime sleep and nighttime sleep. 

They will likely still be waking at least once or twice in the night for feeds. 

How long can a 2 month old stay awake?

Your two month old baby’s wake window is roughly between 45 minutes and 1.5 hours. 

You can determine how long your baby can cope with staying awake by keeping an eye on the the time from the moment they wake until they start to display signs of tiredness. 

Those signs include staring off into space, pulling at their ears, closing fists, yawning, making jerky movements, frowning and being fussy. 

I have a whole article about baby wake windows and how they can change in the first year. 

Feeding schedule for 2 month old

Your baby at two months will be taking around 4 to 5oz at each feed. This will be spaced out roughly every three hours during the day and every four to eight hours at night. 

This guidance is for formula fed babies. With breastfed babies you won’t know exactly how many ounces or millilitres they take at each feed, unless you’re expressing all of their feeds to be bottle fed.

However you can expect them to feed at around the same frequency as a bottle fed baby – every two to three hours in the day and then every four to eight hours at night. 

Feeling confident your baby at two months has had enough milk can be easier when formula feeding because you see exactly how much they have taken at a feed. 

On the other hand with breastfeeding it’s at around 8 to 12 weeks you begin to feel a lot more confident with nursing. You’ll know how long your baby likes to feed for, have a bit more of a routine. 

The key for both breast and formula fed babies is to be able to see they are growing steadily. You will be able to keep track of this with regular weigh ins at health checkups for your baby. 

Plenty of wet and dirty nappies every day is also a good sign you can feel confident your baby is feeding well. 

Cluster feeding at 2 months 

It is very common for a baby of this age to cluster feed, usually in the late afternoon and early evening. 

Cluster feeding is where your baby feeds frequently or constantly for several hours at a time. Your baby will likely be very unsettled during this time.

It is more common in breastfed babies and is thought to be a way to build up a mother’s breast milk supply as well as possibly to do with growth spurts.  

Both of my babies did this and it is totally normal, although quite tiring for you. I have lots of tips for coping with cluster feeding over on this post. 

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What time should a 2 month old go to bed 

I always aimed for bedtime to be between 7pm and 8pm with both of my babies in the first year. 

However you may want to go for a slightly later bedtime if your baby is cluster feeding and so experiencing fussy evenings or they have a longer late afternoon nap. 

If this is the case a 9pm bedtime may suit you better. You can then gradually bring this forward to around 7pm when your baby is a few months older. 

You might also like to read more about baby bedtimes by age.

Play ideas for your 2 month old

Although your baby will only be awake for relatively short bursts of time at two months they will be much more alert and curious to engage with the world around them. 

Their playtime can involve simple activities such as playing on their play mat or in a bouncy chair. 

Try handing them different toys to grip, and talk to them as much as possible during the day. They will love to hear the sound of your voice even if you’re just talking about the weather. 

Some play activities for your baby at two months include: 

• Reading a book – look for short books with lots of pictures. Soft books with pull out features are perfect at this age. 
• Tummy time – this article has lots of tips for tummy time. 
• Looking in the mirror – some toys have mirrors built in for your baby to stare at. Otherwise hold them in front of a mirror and talk about the different parts of your face and their own. 
• Sing nursery rhymes 
• Shake a rattle – make different rhythms with the rattle yourself and then hand it to your baby to have a go
• Play peek-a-boo

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Final thoughts on your 2 month old baby’s schedule 

When it comes to figuring out your baby’s routine remember that you don’t have to follow anyone else’s schedule.

The best routine is the one that works well for your baby and for you.

Some days you may find go exactly to plan – or a very loose one – and others it all seems to be totally chaotic.

If that happens remember to take a deep breath and start fresh tomorrow.