Red flags — seek medical review if:
- No social smile at all by around three months of age.
- The baby does not seem to track faces or objects with their eyes, or does not react to loud sounds.
- Very stiff or very floppy muscle tone, or a strong preference to only ever turn the head one way.
- Loss of a skill the baby previously had (any regression at any age deserves review).
- Concerns about vision, hearing, or general responsiveness that do not settle with reassurance.
If your baby has a fever, remember: fever of 38°C or more in a baby under 3 months is an emergency — do not give paracetamol and wait; seek urgent medical care.
Why milestones are checked at this age
By around two months, a baby's nervous system has had time to move past the reflex-dominated behaviour of the newborn period and start showing the first signs of voluntary control, social awareness, and coordinated movement. Developmental checks at this age are not a test to "pass" but a way of confirming that a broad range of brain and body systems — vision, hearing, muscle tone, and early social connection — are progressing along an expected path. Every baby develops at a slightly different pace, and there is a wide range of entirely normal timing; the milestones below describe what many babies are beginning to show around this age, not a strict deadline.
What many babies are beginning to do
Movement: Lifting the head briefly during tummy time, and moving arms and legs more smoothly and less jerkily than in the newborn weeks. Muscle tone is becoming a little more relaxed compared with the more flexed newborn posture.
Vision and hearing: Following a face or a bright object with the eyes as it moves across the field of view, and beginning to turn toward familiar sounds, including a parent's voice.
Social and communication: The first real social smile — a smile that responds to a face or voice rather than appearing at random — often emerges around this time, along with early cooing sounds distinct from crying. Many babies also begin to calm briefly when spoken to or picked up by a familiar caregiver.
Self-regulation: Slightly longer stretches of settled wakefulness between feeds and sleep, though this varies enormously between babies.
What to do with this information
Use these as a loose guide for conversation at the routine check-up around this age, rather than a checklist to work through anxiously at home. If your baby is not yet doing one or two of these things, that is common and often simply reflects the wide normal range — babies born early, for example, are usually assessed against their adjusted age rather than their birth date. Mention any concerns to your health visitor, midwife, or doctor at the routine check, since they will look at the whole pattern together rather than any single skill in isolation.
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Message us on WhatsAppClinical thresholds in this page were reviewed and signed off by Dr Didier Decamps on 17 August 2026. This is general information and does not replace an individual assessment by a qualified clinician.
Written with AI assistance. Reviewed, corrected and signed by Dr Didier Decamps, paediatrician.
Last reviewed: 17 August 2026