When the baby smiles. The recovery complex normally appears in three to four weeks. However, the timing of occurrence depends on whether the baby was born full-term or not. Neonatologists note that babies born prematurely begin to smile somewhat

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 in this moment. Often such a smile can be seen during sleep or after feeding the 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– face, voice and emotion recognition loved one. This usually happens at 4-8 weeks of age. A real smile is easy to recognize: the baby looks carefully at the person he smiles at. It is important here not to scare the baby with joy with a loud exclamation, but simply smile quietly at him in response. If the baby continues to smile, you can quietly start a dialogue. And this will be exactly a dialogue, since a smile is a way for a child to communicate with you, as well as crying, cooing and other baby signals. Such dialogue is the basis of all social relations.

When does the baby smile?

By the end of the first month, the baby's smile may appear as a reaction to:
some pleasant event(mother's song, toy, clapping);
positive emotions of an adult (laughter, smile, friendly facial expression);
affectionate touches (massage, stroking);
recognition (the child can smile at a clear image of a face in a magazine, a doll).

How to make a baby smile?

The best condition for the appearance of a smile of a baby is to be in a comfortable environment with a loved one, when all his basic needs are satisfied. Children learn by imitating adults, so your smile can serve as 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 baby’s smile, endorphin, the hormone of happiness, is produced, so mutual smiles are useful for both of them.

At the same time, you should not persistently try to make the child smile, because all children have different temperaments by nature. If the baby is serious, this does not mean that he is unhappy. Important role plays the responsiveness of the parents. The kid must get feedback- a smile or an affectionate word from an adult to understand that his emotions are recognized. Of course, this does not mean that you need to catch every baby smile, but when you are near and see her, be sure to respond. There is no set time frame for when babies begin to smile. But if by three months this has not happened, it is worth talking to the pediatrician.

The baby is still learning to maintain eye contact with others, to respond to sounds and touches. Turn on quiet classical music for a while, a mobile mobile with toys above the crib, talk affectionately with the baby and soon he will delight you with his angelic smile.

First smile native baby gives parents joy and a sense of long-awaited emotional return. Therefore, young mothers often look for an answer to the question at what age they begin to smile. infants?

At what age do babies start smiling?

Of course, all children develop at their own pace. However, it is considered the norm when he began to smile at the age of 6-8 weeks. However, some babies smile as early as 4 weeks, while others start only by the third month. This is absolutely normal, because all people have a different temperament and character: some just want to be called “smiles”, while others are more like a beech, shy or see no reason to smile.

Sometimes mothers proudly tell how their child began to glow with smiles even in the maternity hospital. However, this is only partly true: a smile is only a reflex phenomenon, and it usually does not express any positive emotion, it is still unconscious. At the same time, they will not smile if something bothers them, and the face of a recently born baby blurred in a half smile is a signal that the baby is comfortable and calm, he is full and satisfied.

How to determine that the baby began to smile consciously?

This can be done quite simply. The conscious smile of an infant is usually accompanied by a joyful “jerking” of legs and arms, friendly exclamations, stare in the eyes.

The baby most often gives the very first smile to his mother, who is usually nearby day and night. It is her smell and voice that he already knows how to unmistakably recognize among thousands of others. However, one should not be surprised if at first the child smiles at everyone in a row - both his own and others. It's ok and similar situation will continue for about six months. After six months, children usually stop smiling openly at strangers and are less willing to go into the arms of strangers "uncles and aunts."

Can you help your child learn to smile?

Yes, you can. There are a few simple tips for this. For example, you can take the baby in your arms, start talking to him affectionately, hum a melodic song to him and at the same time smile broadly. At the age of one and a half months, babies already show their desire to be like the people around them, and for sure the baby will begin to imitate an adult, try to smile.

Parents dream of seeing their baby smile from the day he is born. Some mothers enjoy it already in the hospital, others have to wait until the age of one month.

When does a baby start to smile, and what needs to be done for this?

The very first smiles

Immediately after birth, the baby smiles unconsciously. This reflex movement of the facial muscles appears in the baby in response to pleasant sensations.

The child is warm, dry, he is full - and his lips stretch into a smile. It is slightly different from our usual facial expressions, as it is not addressed to anyone in particular.

This facial expression appears after feeding, while bathing. A sleeping baby is completely relaxed and content, which is why newborns smile in their sleep.

When does a baby start to smile “for real”?

In order for the baby to give you the first conscious smile, he must go through several milestones in its development.

A child is born with imperfect vision. He sees well large, large objects at a distance of 20-30 cm. The child sees the mother's face slightly blurry. Normal vision is formed around the age of one month, the child begins to distinguish facial expressions of adults and tries to "copy" it.

Does a great job nervous system baby, his psyche. After all, you need to understand that the appearance of a face in the field of view is associated with pleasant feelings that he experiences, and remember how you can express your pleasure.

To smile, you need to use 17 muscles. Imagine the work your child is doing!

As a rule, babies begin to smile consciously at the age of 6 to 8 weeks. The neurological norm is more blurred - from 5 to 12 weeks.

This new smile is easy to distinguish from a reflex one, as it is intended certain person. When a newborn begins to smile consciously, this cannot be overlooked.

The child learns to communicate

Smiling is the first means of communication available to your baby. With her help, he shows that he is comfortable, good, interesting; expresses joy at seeing beloved faces.

As the child develops, the smile is complemented by a “revitalization complex”: when you enter the room or lean over the cradle, the baby smiles, starts waving his arms and legs, and makes various sounds. >>>

The occurrence of this behavior at the age of one and a half to four months indicates normal development child.

When the baby is 7-8 months old, he goes through crisis period. At this time, he begins to notice the difference between "us" and "strangers", and can smile at his parents and frown in response to the smile of a stranger.

How to behave so that the baby smiles?

The smile of a child is a response to affectionate treatment and care for him. Be attentive to the needs of the crumbs, make sure that the newborn is warm, dry and full.

Talk to your baby in a calm, gentle voice, start singing songs from the first days, carry it on your arms. The child learns facial expressions from adults, so smile when you turn to the baby.

After a month of age, you can start doing special exercise. Show your baby different facial expressions while talking to him. You can build faces.

The baby begins to adopt your facial expressions, and thus learns to control the muscles of the face, and also understands which facial expression is suitable for each of the moods.

How to speed up the appearance of a smile?

If you have a very serious child who is in no hurry to please his parents with his charming smile, you should not worry and start running to the doctors. There is no reason to worry about the lack of a smile if:

the baby is not three months old;
holds the head well;
focuses the eye
can focus on one thing (for example, looking at a toy).

If your baby is over 12 weeks old and still isn't smiling, you should talk to your pediatrician.

If the baby is not smiling, you may need to give him a little more attention. Communicate with him during wakefulness, show toys, wear around the house.

Turn on calm music, sing songs, tell nursery rhymes. And, of course, every time you approach a child or take him in your arms, smile at him.

How to make a newborn smile? Give him a face!

Up to one month old best toy child is the face of his mother. Let the baby look at it from a distance of 30 centimeters, start changing the expression on it.

Don't forget to smile! You will see with what interest the baby will watch you.

At the age of two months, the child is already interested in photographs of people and painted faces. A smile can also arise at the sight of a picture in a magazine.

Until the age of one month, the newborn distinguishes between dark and light well.

You can make black and white images of various facial expressions for him (the size of landscape sheet each) and start showing from a distance of 30 cm. This exercise will also help speed up the development of your baby's facial expressions.

Just remember that no two children are the same!

Although the “average” age of the appearance of a child’s smile is known, this does not mean at all that if the baby pleased his parents at other times, then he has some kind of developmental pathology.

The mimicry of each child is individual and develops at the pace he needs. There is no need to worry if the baby smiles rarely and little, the older he is, the more often he begins to show you a satisfied expression on his face.

If, nevertheless, something in the behavior of the newborn bothers you, do not try to “correct” it yourself. Anything that you think is unusual or strange should be discussed with your pediatrician.

When a child begins to smile, parents forget about all their worries and experience real happiness. Give the baby your tenderness and love, and he will definitely repay you, one day shining with a charming smile that is intended only for you.

Unconsciously, the baby can begin to smile within a few days after birth. But this is a reflex smile, which shows that the baby is calm and comfortable during this period. Many mothers are interested in the question of how many months the baby begins to smile consciously. Estimated time frame is 5-10 weeks.

By two or three months, the baby begins to recognize and distinguish between faces and voices. Some children already master cooing and cooing. Most often, after recognizing native faces, a smile begins to appear consciously. Read more about the development of the baby in two months. And in this article we will find out when the child begins to smile.

When the baby smiles

How many months the baby will smile is an individual question. This phenomenon depends on the characteristics of the development and nature of the newborn, on how much attention is paid to the baby. This usually happens at 6-8 weeks. But for some children, a smile appears as early as the third or fourth week, and some guys do not smile until three or four months.

At first, the baby smiles when he sees talking face person. And he smiles at everyone he sees. A smile indicates that the baby distinguishes between people and inanimate objects.

A baby's smile at first may be a reaction to the following:

Pleasant or interesting event(someone claps their hands, coos with the baby, sings a song, etc.);
Pronounced facial expressions of an adult;
Interesting sounds and intonations;
gentle touch;
Music.

At 7-9 months, the baby begins to see differently, becomes legible and smiles not to everyone in a row. Interestingly, at this age, children already divide people into “bad” and “good”, “ours” and “strangers”.

Many mothers are also interested in how many months the baby will start laughing. This also depends on individual development and temperament of the child. Some children laugh and laugh as early as three months, and some go without laughter until 7-8 months.

Smiling and breast development

Smiling is the beginning of emotional and psychological development, the basis of communication with other people. At two or three months, when the child begins to smile, he begins to pronounce the first sounds. At first it is cooing and cooing. The baby draws out vowel sounds, such as “a”, “o”, “e” or “y”. At 4-5 months, the consonants “g”, “p”, “m” are added. Gradually, he begins to pronounce the first light syllables, like “ma”, “ba”, “pa”, “yes”.

Smile, emotional condition and the speech of the baby are inextricably linked. Therefore, it is important to do complex developmental exercises with the child. To do this, constantly talk with the baby, explain each action, tell fairy tales and stories, nursery rhymes and poems, sing songs. Be sure to use facial expressions and gestures! This contributes to the development of speech, will help to bring a smile to the crumbs and even make them laugh.

The development of the baby is provided by bright and musical toys, games of hide-and-seek and “cook”, the attention of parents. Be sure to use flashcards, pronounce the names of the images with intonation and facial expressions. By the way, children at 6-7 months respond well to the sounds of animals. The baby will quickly remember sounds such as “moo”, “meow” and “woof”.

When the baby gurgles, repeat the sounds and add new ones. Speak softly and calmly! Smile at a baby and he will smile back. It is no secret that children at this age copy the behavior, speech and emotions of their parents.

If the baby does not smile

It is important to provide the baby with comfort and peace of mind. Do not expect the baby to smile if he wants to eat or sleep, if the baby is tormented by colic, if you are screaming, or the family is in an anxious situation. Moving, prolonged separation from mother and other negative phenomena can easily cause stress even for a newborn. Calm and favorable atmosphere, good mood and well-being, regular exercise guarantees proper development child.

Do not forget about special gymnastics, massage and finger games. The points on the fingers and palms are responsible for the emotional and psychological development. Therefore, massage movements of the hands and special gymnastics help the baby quickly adapt to the world, start smiling and gurgling.

Don't be scared if baby long time does not smile or coo. Up to 6-8 months, this phenomenon is considered normal. How many months a smile and laughter, the first sounds and syllables will appear, depends on the characteristics of the child's development.

But if the baby does not smile and does not coo by eight months, contact the pediatrician! This may indicate a hearing problem or a developmental disorder.

A developmental disorder is accompanied by the following factors:

The baby does not know how to focus on an object even for a few seconds;
Feeling unwell, the baby is not interested in the outside world and does not want to communicate;
Doesn't smile or respond external factors, does not know how to coo and roar, does not make sounds;
Cannot raise and hold his head in a prone position on his tummy. Doesn't keep head in vertical position. As a rule, these skills appear after 12 weeks. Read more about this in the article “When the child begins to hold his head”.

If you have any of these symptoms, be sure to consult a doctor. He will select a special development program, appoint therapeutic gymnastics and massage, swimming exercises and relaxing baths, vitamins and if necessary medications. Do not self-medicate!

If the child develops normally, but does not smile yet, you should not worry. Be mindful of the individual pace of development and different temperaments. Some children are more reserved and calm. The kid can explore the world and master new sensations, movements, sounds. Give the baby time, and he will definitely smile!

After the birth of a child, the rhythm of the mother's life is so exhausting that she does not even think about any joys. A helpless baby is given all the grains of energy and strength, taking care of him 24 hours a day. A young mother is looking forward to the reward for her labors - the first smile of her beloved baby. But do not rush things, because the baby's brain develops according to the natural plan. It will only be a few weeks after the birth and the mother will know when the child begins to smile consciously.

Baby's first smile

Many parents claim that their baby began to smile almost immediately after birth. There is a very small amount of truth in this, at the reflex level, the newborn has an unconscious muscle movement. At the same time, it seems to adults that he is smiling, usually this happens in a dream. The older generation even came up with an explanation: an angel kisses the baby in a dream, so he expresses joy with his lips. But the fact is that for a conscious smile, a person needs to use more than 15 facial muscles. A child simply will not be able to make his parents happy with a perky smile at such a young age.

When a child smiles consciously

At the age of 6-8 weeks, the child learns to make eye contact with loved ones and surrounding objects. Mom may notice that the baby is staring hard at her face, trying to remember, to react emotionally. When the baby begins to smile consciously, then the complete identification of the parents takes place in the mind.

The first facial expression of the lips is a reaction to:

familiar faces, their facial expressions;
vocal stimuli (lulling songs, sweet words mothers, clapping their hands);
visual perception of inanimate objects (toys with large faces);
pleasant touches on the body.

The second month of a child's life is decisive for the further development of mental and psychological skills. At this age, he exhibits the so-called revival reflex. The kid recognizes the voice of his parents, shows interest in surrounding events, rejoices at familiar faces.

Along with the first smile, other signs of the “revitalization reflex” appear - chaotic movements of the arms and legs. In pediatrics, this behavior of a newborn means the normal formation of mental activity.

When the baby starts to hoot

The next stage of development is “cooling”. Now the baby has already learned to please mom and dad with his sincere smile, to attract attention to himself with intense twitching of the limbs. And suddenly the parents of a 2-month-old baby hear not the usual crying, but positive sounds - humming. The joyful cry of the baby occurs against the background of some interesting and surprising event for him.

When a child starts cooing and smiling for the first time, parents drop everything they are doing and run to the call to communicate. This best time to establish contact with the baby, now he is only learning to interact with people around him. Through motor activity, facial expressions of the lips, cooing, the baby conveys his attitude to the events he saw and heard. Mom should take him in her arms more often, talk, sing different melodies. Her gentle voice will call positive emotions, on the face of the baby, though toothless, but such a beautiful and sincere smile will shine.

Conscious smile training

IN parental responsibilities included emotional development baby, you should devote enough time to play with him. Some young parents believe that at this age the baby is helpless, does not understand anything, so they leave him in the crib even when awake. This big mistake, because without contact with relatives, the baby will not learn to adequately respond to external phenomena, will not be able to show his bad or good mood.

When children begin to smile consciously, this is a sign for parents to begin teaching feelings. It is necessary to choose the right moment to practice a smile. It is better to leave communication at the very peak of wakefulness, when he is full and colic does not bother him. The kid needs to build funny grimaces, tickle the heels, make funny sounds.

By the behavior of the baby, you can determine the readiness to give relatives a smile:

opens wide eyes;
often makes sounds (gulit);
fidgets on the back;
trying to get the object of interest to him.

Regardless of what time the baby begins to smile, training should be stopped for a while if his mood has deteriorated. This can be expressed in fussy movements, a wrinkled forehead and curvature of the lips for further crying. At the same time, mom should stop grimacing and singing, take the baby in her arms and just be silent. He needs a break from new emotions for him. Often, parents entrust the education of a newborn to older children, and it is they who become the first witnesses of a conscious smirk.

What to do if the child does not smile

Usually, by 2-3 months, children delight all the people around them with their contagious smile. Even the most serious toddler will find something to rejoice at. But if by this age the child does not have the ability to grimace, then this should alert the parents, become the basis for an unscheduled visit to the pediatrician.

Reasons for not smiling:

Deviations in the development of the cervical spine. The child cannot hold his head.
Scattered attention and lack of coordination of movements;
Mental disorders and diseases of the central nervous system.
Genetic diseases.

Early diagnosis of these deviations gives a chance to correct the child's behavior already at an older age. Give him the opportunity to develop emotionally and psychologically in order for social adaptation to be more painless.

Every mother, seeing the first smile of her baby, forgets about fatigue and all unresolved problems. It is such a happiness to watch such a helpless, but dear creature. All problems fade into the background when the child begins to smile consciously. The main thing is to start a dialogue with a still unintelligent creature, to give him protection and confidence.

The moment when the baby begins to respond to communication with him, smiling happily or hooting happily, all young parents are looking forward to. We are upset if the child does not smile, but a clear smile on his face can also turn out to be just a reflex grimace, which does not at all indicate that the baby is really pleased with communication with us. The question of when a child actually begins to smile is what we want to devote this article to.

The smile on a child's face is best thanks parents for sleepless nights.

No matter how difficult the first weeks and even months may seem to parents postpartum period, no matter how tired they are, all this is completely forgotten at the moment when their babies begin to actively respond to the world, smile in response to the appeal to them. But this moment does not come immediately.

The first grimaces on the face of a newborn may begin to appear within a couple of days after his birth. Sometimes these grimaces are perceived by parents as proof that their baby is well, that he is happy with them. But it is not so. In the initial period, the baby's smile has only the nature of a reflex and does not indicate in any way that the baby is reacting to people close to him. Children can smile reflexively while bathing, while feeding, and even while sleeping.

Many parents ask why a newborn smiles in his sleep. And a smile may begin to appear on baby face Literally on the first day - two from the moment of birth. The fact that a newborn smiles at this age only means that he is calm, that he is fine.

In the initial period, the child smiles reflexively.

At what age do babies begin to smile consciously?

In order for the baby to begin to consciously smile, his brain will have to master quite complex activities. This includes:

the ability to literally see beyond your nose - after all, newborn children are short-sighted;
the ability to recognize positive emotions on the mother’s face;
transmission of emerging nerve impulses to a specific area of \u200b\u200bthe brain;
proper relaxation of one muscle group and tension of the other.

Keep in mind that when a person smiles, sometimes about 50 different muscles are involved. At the same time, psychologists have revealed that there are about 20 smiles themselves. different types, and each of them involves its own muscle groups. There is even a type of smile that uses only five facial muscles at a time.

A premature baby will take a little longer to form correct reaction to positive stimuli - after all, his body still needs to get stronger enough, as well as those facial muscles that will be in demand when smiling.

Concerning normal babies and the question at what age do they begin to smile consciously, the answer will be this - for this they must be four to six, and sometimes up to eight weeks old. In other words, the baby's brain will master such a complex emotion by the end of the first month of life or already by the middle of the second. When exactly the first smile appears on the face of the baby depends largely on how many positive emotions he will have all this time, how much time his parents will spend every day communicating with him.

Consciously, the child begins to smile after reaching 4 months of age.

What events make you smile

After the first month, babies begin to smile in response to specific events. Usually this:

reaction to something exciting nearby. For example, a mother can lightly clap her hands in front of the baby, hum to him, shake a rattle or sing a song;
reaction to a similar facial expression of another object. An infant may smile in response to an adult's smile, or respond to a photograph of a stranger smiling. He is also able to amuse an attractive toy with a pronounced joyful emotion on the face. Children respond positively to toys with big eyes, large mouth and nose, mistaking them for an analogue of a smile.

In the first month, the child learns a lot. For this period:

the baby has frequent eye contact with adults who constantly smile at him;
he hears interesting sounds and pleasant melodies - the same lullaby, for example;
he is often hugged, affectionately stroked and kissed.

Pleasant communication with parents is sure to bring a smile to the face of the child.

For full development the brain of a baby, parents need not only to constantly talk to him. It is desirable that at times pleasant music sounds in the house - something calm, better classic. Above his crib should be fixed any funny toys, stationary or rotating carousels, which emit pleasant melodies during their movement.

Gradual development of positive emotions

But getting your little one to smile consciously is just the first step in developing their ability to respond to positive emotions. It is known that Mowgli children, who were raised by animals in infancy, never learned to smile, even after returning to human society. This skill appears precisely in society, and if you do not include the whole complex of "revitalization" from an early age, then the opportunity to teach a child to smile and laugh will be irretrievably lost.

The intensity of the infant's behavior, reacting to any positive emotions, should gradually increase. It is believed that the "revitalization" complex goes through several stages.

At first, the baby simply learns to fix his attention on a sound that is pleasant for him or on his native face. The reaction in this case will be a smile, joyful sounds, more active movements arms and legs. At the same time, the baby's breathing quickens. Such a manifestation of a reaction to a positive stimulus occurs, as we have already said, by the end of the first month.
Further, the baby becomes able to joyfully respond even to the approach of an adult who has not yet begun to show positive emotions towards him. At a certain age, the child may begin to smile first, while making sounds and arching the back. In other words, the baby begins to develop a very important for modern man the ability to call others to fellowship. By his actions, the baby makes an independent attempt to establish contact. Such a complex is formed much later, by the third or even fourth month.

Most often, the child smiles in response to positive emotions directed at him.

You should not take the terms indicated by us as something mandatory and be scared if, for example, your baby has not yet begun to actively smile by the end of the first month, and by the end of the fourth month he has not yet called on others to communicate. All kids are individual, there are active and calm children, choleric and melancholic.

In different children, the main elements of the “revitalization” complex can form successfully, but appear more restrained or absent altogether. In other words, the baby can actively smile in response to the mother's smile, but not walk at the same time.

How to help your baby develop emotions

The recently born baby does not yet understand the words with which we address him, but he perfectly recognizes our emotions, intonations in the voice. According to them, he is already able to judge how close people treat him, whether everything is fine in the house, whether his mother is happy, whether she is calm.

Any communication with the baby should be carried out only in a friendly manner. To help a baby discover the concept of a smile, to teach him to interact with his family, little is required from mom and dad:

take the baby in your arms more often;
pet him when he just lies in the crib;
talk to him, read him poems or sing songs;
always smile at him.

The more you communicate with the child, the faster his psychological development will take place.

But still, you need to try to evoke a reciprocal smile in the crumbs in right time. If the baby is tired and drowsiness rolls over him - this is not the best time for smiles, agree. Here are some signs that you can understand that the baby is ready to communicate:

he obviously does not lie in one place;
his head turns all the time, he looks at the situation in the room;
his eyes are wide open;
the baby is gurgling;
The baby tries to grab everything that comes across with his fingers.

The successful development of the crumbs largely depends on the emotional and physical contact with the mother. The more this contact, the more early age there will come a moment when the baby will begin to open his eyes wide in response to his mother's appeal, and a reciprocal smile will clearly appear on his face.

conclusions

In our article, we tried to explain what time children begin to meaningfully smile in response to an appeal to them, and what is required of their parents so that this process goes as quickly as possible.

How earlier kid will begin to show joy in communicating with you, the better his brain will begin to develop, which means that the joy on the face of a child may well indicate signs of intelligence. In order for the clumsy reflex grimace on the child's face to finally be replaced by a wide and open smile in response to the bowed mother's face, the baby's brain must do a very, very difficult job.

At first, the baby will only respond with a smile to positive external stimuli, then he himself will begin to actively encourage others to communicate. So the child will form a special complex of "revival".