WHEN SHOULD A BABY START SMILING

I came across a dad some days back who told me his 1 month old son does not smile at all. But slightly frowns? Why and when will he start smiling he asked? Okay anxious daddy, hope you read this post to find out why

Your baby’s first real smile says a lot about his development. It’s a sign his vision has improved and he is able to recognize your face. His brain and nervous system have matured enough to eliminate reflex smiles, and he’s now aware that smiling is a way for him to connect with others. Your little one is also beginning to realize his feelings matter and have a direct effect on the people around him. He’ll smile to express pleasure, excitement, contentment, and happiness. Consider it his way of saying, “Hey, Mom, you’re doing a good job!” or “this milk rocks! Please give me more.”

Simply seeing the face of his two favourite people (you and your partner!) will be enough to make him crack a smile

When to Expect your cutie to begin Smiling

Your baby’s reflex smile will disappear by time she’s 2 months old, and her first real one will make an appearance somewhere between one and a half to 3 months (or 6 and 12 weeks) of life. You can tell the difference between a reflex and real smile by the timing and duration. Generally, reflex smiles tend to be shorter and occur randomly, when the baby is sleeping or tired. Real smiles, on the other hand, occur in response to something, like seeing her mama’s face or hearing a familiar voice, and they are consistent. Basically, when it’s the real deal, you will see the emotion expressed in your baby’s eyes.

If you’re still waiting to see your baby’s lips curl, there are some things you can do that may encourage her. Talk to her often (make sure you give her time to “respond”), make eye contact frequently, and smile at her throughout the day. Get silly, too. Making funny faces or noises, imitating animal sounds and behaviours, blowing raspberries on your baby’s belly, or playing a game of peek-a-boo may push her smiley button on. Just don’t overdo it. “Babies are developing the ability to regulate their emotions and may look away if they are getting too much stimulation,” says renowned child psychologists. Give your baby a little breather and try again later.

What Smiling Milestones Parents Should Expect

Once your baby does grin, she’ll do it again and again. Why shouldn’t she? When he graces you with a smile, your eyes brighten, you ooh and ahh, and you reciprocate with a beaming smile of your own. He digs that! At first, your little one’s happy face will be in response to a mix of vocal and visual stimulation. Therefore, he may light up from watching you sing a favourite lullaby or talk him through a particularly yucky diaper change. Later, when his vision improves, simply seeing the face of his two favourite people (you and your partner!) will be enough to make him crack a smile. You’ll be the recipient of most of your baby’s smiles, but he’ll also exchange grins with others (that is, until stranger anxiety kicks in at around 6 months). As your baby gets more smiling practice and enjoyment from seeing people’s reactions, he’ll start adding sound effects, It will start with cooing at first, and then lead to small giggles and waves of giggling. By 5 months, your babe may surprise you with full-out belly laughs and squeals of excitement.