The first time your baby smiles at you, all the sleepless nights, morning sickness and newborn stress will suddenly seem worth it, a million times over. There's just nothing sweeter than an infant's face lighting up with happy recognition or delight.
Smiling is also a welcome sign of baby's growing social skills, now that your newborn is making the transition from sweet sleepy lump to a sociable, irresistible little person.
When do babies smile for the first time?
Babies start smiling quite early on — while they’re still in the womb, in fact. You may have caught baby working on her smile on a second-trimester (or later) ultrasound, or seen it for the first time on her sleeping face soon after she arrived.
But you’ve probably also heard — from your mother-in-law, your pediatrician and all your friends with kids — that a newborn's smiles aren’t “true” smiles. The truth is, they're right in that these reflexive smiles differ from the social smiles yet to come. (But if you prefer not to care, that's just fine!)
Newborns may smile when passing gas, falling asleep, feeling comfy or peeing. Feel free to revel in those sweet first smiles, no matter what their cause. Who could blame you?
Before she launches her first full-fledged social smile, you may see your baby doing lots of smile trial runs, practicing and exploring how her mouth moves.
When do babies social smile?
Your baby’s first true smile will most likely occur sometime between weeks 6 and 8 (and usually not before weeks 4 to 6), and it will most likely be in response to recognizing someone very special, like you! For a social smile, she'll use her whole face, not just her mouth — you'll notice the difference when you see it.
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Her social smile will soon become another way for her to communicate with you and connect with the world around her. And by 3 months, she may even start up a “conversation” with you by gurgling and smiling to catch your attention. You can “answer” by smiling (and cooing or speaking) in response!
How can I encourage my baby to smile?
To help your baby along, smile at her, cuddle her, play with her and talk to her often. You can't spoil a newborn, and numerous studies have shown that babies who receive lots of parental care and affection early on develop faster, have larger brains and are more sociable. So if you can't wait to see those first real smiles, snuggle away, and smile at her like she's the best thing since sliced bread (which, really, she is).
What if my baby isn't smiling yet?
Just as some adults are quicker to smile than others, some babies are too. If your 1-month-old still isn't smiling, don't be alarmed. That first "real" smile can seem frustratingly elusive, because for even some of the happiest babies, it can happen any time between 4 weeks and 4 months of age.
You may have heard that a delay in smiling is considered an early indicator for autism spectrum disorder. And while this is true, a delay in smiling is very rarely the only symptom that a child on the autism spectrum will exhibit. If your child hasn't smiled by 4 months but vocalizes, makes eye contact and responds to verbal and visual cues from you, she just might not be a naturally smiley personality — at least, not at this early stage in her development. Of course, you can always discuss any concerns you may have with your pediatrician.
When do babies start smiling and laughing?
At around the same time your baby first smiles, she’ll likely also practice her first coos — putting her well on her way to another thrilling social development: baby's first laugh. Expect to hear that joyous sound when she’s around 3 or 4 months old, although it may come a little later on too. She’ll love hearing it just as much as you do — and may even laugh “just because.” Enjoy it all!
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