{"id":10719,"date":"2021-02-17T12:14:47","date_gmt":"2021-02-17T17:14:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.oviahealth.com\/guide\/10719\/when-do-babies-start-smiling\/"},"modified":"2021-12-01T21:25:21","modified_gmt":"2021-12-02T02:25:21","slug":"when-do-babies-start-smiling","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/www.oviahealth.com\/guide\/10719\/when-do-babies-start-smiling\/","title":{"rendered":"Smiling and newborns"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Seeing a baby smile is one of the greatest joys in life, but it may seem like forever until Baby<\/span> starts smiling.<\/p>\n

When do newborns start smiling?<\/h2>\n

You might be wondering when they will<\/span> begin smiling back at you when you talk to them<\/span>, or you might have noticed a reflex smile in their<\/span> sleep. Most newborns begin to smile between 6 and 12 weeks<\/a>, but everyone is different, so you might notice Baby<\/span> smiling before or after that. A smile is a sign that Baby<\/span>\u2019s vision is developing and their<\/span> cognitive awareness is improving. It’s also a sign that they wants<\/span> to start communicating with you.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Why babies smile<\/h3>\n

Babies use smiling to communicate with you<\/a>, and begin making facial expressions both in the womb and after birth. Smiling at Baby<\/span> allows them<\/span> to start to learn and mimic your facial expressions, and you can start to encourage them<\/span> with your expressions as early as their<\/span> first few weeks. You will be able to tell the difference between a reflex and learned smile by Baby<\/span>\u2019s reaction to outside stimuli – as Baby<\/span> gets older and more aware of the world around them<\/span>, if a smile seems like a response to something, it probably is. Often during a \u201creal\u201d smile, their<\/span> entire face will light up and you will see the smile in their<\/span> eyes.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s next?<\/h3>\n

Once Baby<\/span> begins smiling, they will<\/span> repeat this behavior as long as you encourage it. To encourage smiling, try talking to them<\/span> often, making funny faces, starting a tickle war, or, as they gets<\/span> a little older, maybe between 5 and 7 months, playing peek-a-boo. Pretty soon, you might notice those first adorable newborn giggles, so get excited!<\/p>\n

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Sources<\/h5>\n
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  • Ioana Patringenaru. \u201cBabies smile to make their moms smile back.\u201d <\/span>University of California<\/span><\/em>. Regents of the University of California, September 23 2015. Web.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • \u201cDevelopmental Milestones: 3 Months.\u201d Healthy Children<\/span><\/em>. American Academy of Pediatrics, June 1 2009. Web.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    You’d think that after months and months (and months) curled up in a ball in a cozy little cave, newborns would have more to smile about, but it’s actually very unlikely to notice real smiles that early. So, when does smiling start?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":234808,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ovia_author_name":"","ovia_author_prefix":"","ovia_author_image":"","ovia_content_type_id":"177","ovia_product_mode":"13","ovia_days_from_signup":"","ovia_days_from_lmp":"","ovia_days_from_baby_birth":"30","ovia_days_from_enroll":"","ovia_health_module_days_from":"","ovia_article_for_email_days_from":"30","ovia_health_module":"","ovia_legacy_id2":"","ovia_ttc":"","ovia_article_subtype":"","ovia_health_symptom":"","ovia_partner_id":"","ovia_partner_custom_group":"","ovia_legacy_category":"1","ovia_legacy_category2":"190","ovia_content_url_id":"10719","ovia_include_share_buttons":"","ovia_fertility_goal":"","ovia_secondary_module":"","ovia_trimester":"","ovia_child_age":"","ovia_share_image":"","ovia_more_menu_image":"","ovia_button1_url":"","ovia_days_from_postpartum":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"fert-category":[],"preg-category":[],"parent-category":[94,113,112,93,105,115,116],"fert-tag":[],"preg-tag":[],"parent-tag":[346,347,348,430,425,422],"class_list":["post-10719","article","type-article","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","parent-category-baby-growth-month-by-month","parent-category-baby-milestones","parent-category-babys-development-and-growth","parent-category-babys-first-year","parent-category-babys-health-and-wellness","parent-category-language-and-communication-development","parent-category-social-and-emotional-development","parent-tag-1-month-old-baby","parent-tag-2-month-old-baby","parent-tag-3-month-old-baby","parent-tag-baby-cognitive-development","parent-tag-baby-motor-skills","parent-tag-development-delays"],"yoast_head":"\nWhen do newborns start smiling? 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