Making A Baby Laugh, How Can You Do It?
There are very few people who can resist the overwhelming laughter of a child, even less if it is his mother. In fact, all of us have tried at least once to make a newborn laugh. According to some studies, children can laugh on average up to 300 times a day, up to 6 years of age. What is the cause of this behavior?
Why do babies laugh?
An article in the scientific magazine Consensus reports that “laughter is a manifestation of the state of pleasure in newborns, […] produced by play situations such as tickling”. However, even if babies already laugh when they are in the womb, that doesn’t mean they’ve developed their sense of humor.
We know very little about how babies select stimuli to perceive humor. For example, some studies found that infants of all ages surveyed smiled, regardless of the affection their parents showed.
From 5 months of age, however, the affection with the parents affects this effect and this emotion intensifies at the age of 7 months. In other words, when parents are trying to make a newborn laugh, they are more likely to succeed.
The development of humor and laughter in the newborn
Dr. Begoña García gives a brief account of the development of humor in newborns according to age, of which we share the following information:
First month
Babies smile while they sleep. Likewise, they smile in response to stimuli such as touch and soft sounds as they are rocked.
Second month
The baby gives signals in front of external stimuli and smiles in response to human faces.
Third and fourth month
At this stage, the newborn already dominates the art of “talking with laughter”. Laughter appears, whether it is due to stimuli or because we play with him.
Sixth month
Increases the selectivity of babies. Their amount of smiles and laughter will depend on the level of trust they place in each person. According to some specialists, many aspects still remain to be explored regarding rice in babies.
However, we know that it is part of its social development, representing an important means of communication and an indicator of well-being. Now that we are a little more informed about the development of humor and laughter in little ones, it will be easier for us to be able to make a newborn laugh.
How to make a newborn laugh?
If it’s your baby, there’s no reason to worry: his first smile will be dedicated to his mother. But if you need some more advanced techniques to get him a good laugh, in the following lines we present some tips that you might find useful.
1. Tickle
Tickling is one of the simplest techniques we can use to make a newborn laugh. Touch is the baby’s first sensory perception. This natural effect is made possible because certain nerve centers are activated through physical contact.
In addition to this, the baby’s skin is very sensitive and delicate, which is why tickling easily causes a reaction in the baby, making him laugh.
2. A nice bath to make a baby laugh
Babies relax in a comfortable environment. To make a baby laugh, you have to take advantage of these moments, because he is much more likely to do it while he is quiet. A good example is bath time.
You should know that: children like water so much that they don’t want to leave the tub anymore! The fact is that they are used to the aqueous environment in which they were generated. So, play with them: you will see that you will have fun like never before.
3. Toys and soft toys to make a newborn laugh
For babies, everything is new and wonderful, so moving the soft toys as if they were living beings and making them talk is a lot of fun for them. It doesn’t matter if you say nonsense, children are fascinated! So doing silly things is valid, because it earns you a laugh from your little ones.
4. Cuckoo!
That of the “cuckoo” is a very simple game, which, in addition to entertaining the child, promotes cognitive development. Infants who are already 8 months old can participate in this game. You just have to hide your face and your hands and let the baby look for you.
After a few seconds, uncover your face and make a nice gesture, or say: “Cuckoo!”. The little one will be surprised and will start laughing. While it may seem like a silly game, it helps the baby understand the permanence of an object.
Among the various benefits, it allows him to distinguish different emotional expressions and develop fine motor skills. This game also works by hiding objects under pillows and sheets.
5. Funny looks to make a newborn laugh
From birth, the little one learns to read the faces of the parents and turns into their mirror, just like in a game based on mimicry. For this reason, another key trick to make your baby laugh is to give him flirty looks or make funny faces.
This may be a bit of a tough job, but try to get closer to about 20 or 40 centimeters from his face. Give him a big smile and start playing! This exercise will allow the baby to recognize the different meanings of gestures, and will also serve as a means of expressing body language.
In conclusion, the smile and laughter represent the main door to the social and emotional development of a newborn. Thanks to these tricks, we hope that your children can have a lot of fun and that, more importantly, you can strengthen your bond.
