The baby is born, not yet able to control all the muscles. His facial expressions are often reflexive. But from this it is no less valuable.
Not so long ago, the entire Internet was discussing a photo of mom taken immediately after a cesarean section. There are three smiles in this picture: the mother herself, the happy dad and the equally happy baby.
“What nonsense. Children begin to smile at six months, not earlier, ”- dissatisfied comments immediately appeared.
We asked ourselves the question: is it true, at what age does the child begin to smile at you? After all, this is the sweetest thing he can do for his parents.
Experts say that (believe it or not), you most likely did not see the first smile of a baby. Unless it coincided with the time of your visit for the ultrasound. The fact is that the baby begins to smile long before birth, even in the womb. These first smiles are not a reaction to something, they are an unconscious act. According to MD, pediatrician Mark Gettman, this is a reflex smile, the nature of which is akin to twitching of the arms and legs. In this way, the kid tests his body, trying to understand what it is capable of.
Reflexively, the baby will stop smiling by two months. And the first conscious smile on his face will appear in the period from one and a half to three months. These smiles will vary in duration: reflex smiles are shorter and usually appear when the infant is tired or even asleep. A real smile is usually the answer to something. For example, a toddler smiles at the sight of his mother or hearing his brother’s voice. You can also distinguish it by the emotions that begin to shine in the eyes of the baby.
A smile can be provoked. Talk to your baby more often, smile at him. Let it look stupid, you should not worry about it in any case. Make funny faces, make different sounds that mimic animal behavior, gurgle your lips and play hide and seek when you hide your face behind a diaper and reappear – everything will do. But don’t overdo it.
“Children develop the ability to regulate emotions. When there are too many pathogens, they turn away, ”says child psychologist David Elkind, author of parenting books.
A child’s first real smile says a lot about his development. This is a sign that his eyesight is gradually improving, that he is able to recognize family members. His brain and nervous system are mature enough to make a reflex smile a thing of the past.
But the maturity of the nervous system is not everything. Smiling has not only emotional value, but also social one. From infancy, the kid begins to understand that in this way he can interact with other people. And the child also learns to be aware of his feelings and the fact that he can influence others. This is his way of expressing satisfaction, joy, excitement and happiness. Each deliberate smile addressed to you is a declaration of love.
As soon as the child learns to smile, he will do it more and more often. All because he sees how your eyes begin to shine with happiness. Don’t underestimate a baby’s intelligence! At first, he will react with a smile to a combination of auditory and visual stimulation – for example, when you sing a lullaby to him or just coo. When your baby’s eyesight improves, he will laugh at the sight of your faces. At the sight of strangers, he will also smile, but until about six months. Later, other people’s faces may start to instill anxiety in the child, and this is normal.
Then the child begins to add sound effects to his smile – first cooing, at about five months, and then laughing out loud and even screaming with excitement.
Keep in mind that if the child is not smiling, this does not mean that the child is unhappy. It’s just that some babies need more time to start smiling. But if he is already four months old, and you never saw the first smile, this may be a reason to see a doctor.