It is no secret that young mothers are very tired of the heaped hassle and hormonal changes in the body. But all worries evaporate by themselves at the sight of the first smile of a beloved child.
When does a child start to smile?
It happens that a newborn smiles already in the first days, and even hours of life. But such smiles are not yet conscious and spontaneous. They are just a sign that the baby is comfortable and calm at the moment. Often this smile can be seen during sleep or after feeding a baby.
A real, conscious smile requires a lot of effort from the baby: the work of more than a dozen facial muscles and complex brain activity - recognizing the face, voice and emotions of a loved one. This usually occurs between 4-8 weeks of age. A real smile is easy to recognize: the baby looks closely at the person who is smiling. Here it is important for joy not to scare the baby with a loud exclamation, but simply to smile quietly at him in response. If the baby continues to smile, you can start a dialogue quietly. And this will be just a dialogue, since a smile is a way of communication between a child and you, as well as crying, gurgling and other signals of a baby. This dialogue is the foundation of all social relations.
When does a baby smile?
By the end of the first month, a baby's smile may appear as a reaction to:
• some pleasant event (mother's song, toy, clapping);
• positive emotions of an adult (laughter, smile, benevolent facial expression);
• affectionate touch (massage, stroking);
• recognition (the child can smile at a clear image of the face in a magazine, doll).
How to make a baby smile?
The best condition for the appearance of a baby's smile is to be in a comfortable environment with a loved one, when all his basic needs are satisfied. Children learn by repeating as adults, so your smile can be an invitation to smile. At the same time, you can bring your face closer to the baby by about 20-30 cm. It is interesting that mothers, at the sight of a crumb's smile, produce the hormone of happiness endorphin, so mutual smiles are useful to both of them.
At the same time, you should not persistently try to make a child smile, because all children have different temperaments by nature. If the baby is serious, this does not mean that he is unhappy. The responsiveness of the parents plays an important role. The kid must definitely receive feedback - a smile or an affectionate word from an adult in order to understand that his emotions are recognized. Of course, this does not mean that you need to catch every baby's smile, but when you are around and see her, be sure to respond. There is no clear time frame for when babies start smiling. But if this has not happened by three months, it is worth talking to a pediatrician.
The kid is just learning to maintain eye contact with others, to respond to sounds and touch. Turn on for a while quiet classical music, a mobile mobile with toys over the bed, talk affectionately with the baby and soon he will delight you with his angelic smile.
