The moment a baby laughs for the first time is a magical moment that every parent looks forward to. It’s a sweet turning point that represents happiness and social growth. However, when does this lovely sound actually appear?
Babies typically begin to laugh aloud between the ages of three and four months. Usually, this giggle is a response to something entertaining or humorous, such as a humorous sound or a playful exchange with a parent. It’s an indication that your child is starting to engage with the outside world in novel and fascinating ways.
Parents can better appreciate the minor but important developmental milestones in their child by being aware of this stage. Every chuckle makes you smile and advances your baby’s social and emotional growth at the same time.
Timeframes and norms
It is difficult to say when humanity began to laugh. Scientists suggest that this happened at the earliest stage of the development of civilization. Not only human children can laugh, but also baby monkeys, but only in response to tickling. Human laughter is far from always associated with physical impact. This is a psycho-emotional reaction to a variety of life situations. A newborn baby cannot laugh, because in order to produce laughter, the facial muscles must contract in the right way, breathing must change, and the work of the vocal cords must also change. The only tool for a newborn to communicate with the world is crying. He shows his needs and requirements with it, and up to a certain time this is quite enough for him.
Indeed, babies can smile, but this is an involuntary, physiological smile that results from the nervous system’s intensive development and "debugging" rather than representing a happy feeling.
The first conscious smile can appear in a baby when he learns to distinguish and recognize his mother’s face, that is, not earlier than the baby learns to focus his gaze on close objects. This usually happens by 2 months and a little later. At about 2-3 months, babies begin to coo. They hear their own voice and at first it alarms them, but as the emotional sphere develops, the crumbs begin to perceive their own cooing as rather funny sounds. It is during the period from 3 to 5 months that the long-awaited development of a new skill occurs – the child begins to laugh out loud. The baby will smile and laugh with a sound when he is full, when he is healthy and dry, when he is comfortable and good. At first it will be a quiet and cautious laugh, then the baby will become bolder and begin to laugh loudly. After six months, children begin to accumulate daytime impressions, and this can be expressed by laughter in their sleep. There is no need to be surprised or afraid of this, such laughter is a stage in the formation of the baby"s mental and emotional development. Numerous parental questions will certainly be associated with the first laugh out loud. So, quite often mothers note that the child begins to hiccup after laughing. This is quite normal, there is no need to worry, it is just that the respiratory organs are involved in laughter, rhythmic expulsion of air from the lungs occurs. At the same time, a weak children"s diaphragm may experience unusual and previously unfamiliar cramps, which will be manifested by a rhythmic hiccup after laughter.
A happy developmental milestone, a baby’s first laugh usually occurs between three and four months of age, though each baby is unique. Laughter is a sign of developing emotional intelligence and social awareness and is frequently triggered by simple things like amusing noises or lighthearted conversations. For parents, it’s a unique occasion because it signifies that their child is beginning to take in and react to their environment.
Why the baby doesn"t laugh?
- Lack of readiness of the nervous system. This means that the baby is not physiologically ready to laugh, his nervous system is not strong enough. Most often, this is observed in children who were born prematurely, underweight, with congenital diseases. Their physical and emotional development is somewhat naturally delayed. If you surround the child with attention and love and just wait a little, then the baby will definitely laugh when "his time" comes.
- No visual example. If it is not customary in the family to express their emotions with loud and sincere laughter, if the mother rarely smiles, then the child simply has nowhere to learn such a form of expression of feelings as laughter. Children from 2-3 months begin to listen not only to themselves when it is time to coo and gurgle, but also to those around them. For them they do not matter the word, but emotions, intonations, the tone color of the voice of an adult are important. When mom laughs, the child quickly understands that it is good and begins to imitate out loud.
- Such a character. There are children who are funny, and there are serious and focused. It all depends on the temperament, character, innate characteristics of the baby. If he is a "grouch" and a thinker, then it will be incredibly difficult to make him laugh. At the same time, he will develop quite normally both physically and mentally. In the best case, such a toddler will smile if something delights him.
- Damages of the nervous system, diseases. Absence of laughter can be a sign of emotional immaturity associated with organic damage to the brain. This sometimes occurs in children who were born after a difficult pregnancy, suffered from hypoxia or from a Rh conflict. The cause may be severe birth, cerebral hemorrhage, yoke of the brain, ischemic changes, neurological disorders. Lack of laughter often accompanies autism and congenital mental retardation.
The earlier a baby smiles and laughs, the better the mother-child bond is, both emotionally and physically. The dearth of communication from their earliest days of life and the inhibition of their psycho-emotional domain prevent radiant smiles and genuine, open laughter, which explains why all abandoned children in baby homes have such a depressing appearance. Even so, these abilities are progressively acquired by these kids since learning about their surroundings is a fascinating and instructive experience.
Laughter as a system of signals and signs
Once a baby can laugh aloud, he has another means of interacting with the outside world. He can now laugh, smile, and cry. He can also vocalize himself on his own; he gurgles or coos. From now on, the mother must exercise extreme caution because the child will use all of his newly acquired skills to express his needs precisely and on time.
When a baby laughs in response to words of affection or music from his mother, it suggests a closed relationship and timely psycho-emotional development. A child up to the age of a year old also naturally laughs at random. When a baby sees flying feathers or dust for the first time, they seem very funny, but mom does not find them ridiculous.
It is also common to laugh at your own walking. The infant enjoys learning his first dorech skills. Analyzing the toy and then laughing out loud—a sign of happiness and delight.
Unlike other types of laughter, like mocking, the nervous protective laughter that characterizes neural children does not appear before the age of one year. The type, frequency, and context of laughter in a given situation during infancy cannot be used to diagnose mental illness; laughter only becomes a symptom of specific deviations at the age of three.
Is it possible to teach?
Teach the baby to laugh will be difficult if he is the child of a melancholic and a "beech," but nothing is insurmountable for a mother who is truly loving. That means it’s time to get down to business. Determine which of the aforementioned causes the baby might not be laughing first. It is worthwhile to see a neurologist if they are pathologically associated with neurological disorders. Certain kids receive prescriptions for sedatives and nootropics. Mom is in charge of everything in all other circumstances.
Games like "ku-ku" can make "Nesmeyan" laugh. The mother covers her face with her hands, opens them, and tells the baby "ku-ku" while obligatorily grinning. Even though the baby will initially only peer nervously at the parent’s manipulation, the time will come when a familiar movement paired with a familiar sound will elicit a smile and laughter in return.
Mild vibration usually makes babies very happy. As a result, you can hold the baby’s hands in yours and gently shake its wrists and soles of feet. You can make any amusing noise to go along with these movements, like "br-r-r-r" or "ta-ta-ta." Avoid giving the baby a rough shake as this may have unfavorable effects, such as the baby’s nervous system becoming overexcited and making it difficult for him to behave calmly.
Babies can recognize adult facial expressions as early as three months of age. Develop your sense of humor. Mom can use this as a facial exercise to help with wrinkles, and the child will find it entertaining to watch. To avoid unintentionally frightening the baby, practice making another face on yourself in the mirror before showing it to them.
Children between the ages of 4 and 5 months frequently start laughing at strange words. If you find that a particular word in your vocabulary piques the child’s curiosity, use it more frequently and speak to the infant in particular. This is sure to make people laugh. Long words, like "electrical safety," are the funniest for babies under one year old.
Tickling causes almost all children to react. You don’t want to tickle a depressed toddler until they pass out. However, a gentle brushing of your teeth, without applying pressure, on the baby’s wrist and heel, or on his stomach while making jokes like "Who am I going to eat now?" usually results in the baby laughing. Exhaling air from your own lungs onto certain areas of your baby’s body possesses the same amazing quality.
Examine each and every one of the baby toys available. Pick only vivid ones, like red and yellow ones that ideally make noise. If the baby isn’t amused by them at all and won’t laugh, show him a simple puppet theater with the selected toy and demonstrate how it stomps, makes noises, and will "eat" him.
| Age | Description |
| 0-2 months | Smiles start to appear, but laughing out loud is rare. |
| 3-4 months | The baby begins to laugh out loud, usually in response to funny sounds or faces. |
| 5-6 months | Laughing becomes more frequent as the baby enjoys playing and social interaction. |
| 7-9 months | The baby laughs at more specific things like peek-a-boo or silly movements. |
| 10-12 months | Laughter becomes more varied and the baby starts to share in the fun of games and interactions. |
A child’s ability to laugh is a beautiful developmental milestone. A baby’s ability to laugh aloud is not only a sign of happiness but also a critical stage in their social and emotional development. Your child’s early laughter is a sign that they are starting to notice and react to joy and comedy in their surroundings.
Babies usually begin to laugh between three and four months of age. Often, silly noises, playful exchanges, or familiar faces will cause this early laughter. Their sense of humor changes as they get older, and they get happier in more challenging relationships and circumstances.
Laughing with your child is a wonderful way to strengthen your relationship and promote their growth. Making goofy faces, engaging in lighthearted activities, and simple games can all encourage your baby to laugh. Keep in mind that each child develops at their own rate, so exercise patience and savor these happy times spent with your child.
