Your baby changes and grows so much in this first year. Track your baby’s development month by month, encourage your baby’s learning with our suggested activities . Find practical information on health and safety. We can help you with tips on crying, sleeping or even what to look for when choosing a baby sitter. Have questions about basic care? We have the answers !
Baby Smiles
Your baby’s smile might be telling you more than you think.
After several weeks of life, your baby’s smiles provide the fuel that you need to get through a long day—and possibly the previous long night—of parenting. As your infant grows, his smiles begin to reveal his connections to the objects around him and you. Between eight and ten months, your trained eyes will notice that a particular smile from your infant signifies the opening of a new era of communication.
From the first days of life, your baby has loved to look into your eyes. During the first weeks, he placidly looked at you while you talked, sang, and smiled. Soon he began looking at you intentionally and smiling—even giggling. During the first six months of age, you catch your baby’s eyes, smile, and say his name, and then he smiles back. He smiles in reaction to you.
Around eight to ten months, your baby will add a new twist. Start to watch for times when he looks at an object, smiles at it, and continues to smile while looking up at you. It seems so elementary and natural. However, the link that your baby makes between an object and you while smiling shows a new social awareness.
He might be communicating a couple of things. First, he might share his joy or appreciation for the object with you, as if saying “Isn’t this great!” Or, he could be quizzing you, “Isn’t this great?” Either way, he initiates a smile that ties you and a common object together. With a smile, your baby expands your relationship by including the things around you.
Now the door has opened for you to start to meaningfully share the objects that you love. Look at a favorite flower. Smile at it and while still smiling look at him. In doing so, you have affirmed that you know how he is speaking to you and shown him something that is special to you. These communication links happen naturally over and over again. Your awareness of them will nurture your joy in parenting.
By Anne Oxenreider
Reference: Venezia, M., Messinger, D.S., Thorp, D., & Mundy, P. (2004). The development of anticipatory smiling. Infancy, 6 (3), 397-406.
After several weeks of life, your baby’s smiles provide the fuel that you need to get through a long day—and possibly the previous long night—of parenting. As your infant grows, his smiles begin to reveal his connections to the objects around him and you. Between eight and ten months, your trained eyes will notice that a particular smile from your infant signifies the opening of a new era of communication.
From the first days of life, your baby has loved to look into your eyes. During the first weeks, he placidly looked at you while you talked, sang, and smiled. Soon he began looking at you intentionally and smiling—even giggling. During the first six months of age, you catch your baby’s eyes, smile, and say his name, and then he smiles back. He smiles in reaction to you.
Around eight to ten months, your baby will add a new twist. Start to watch for times when he looks at an object, smiles at it, and continues to smile while looking up at you. It seems so elementary and natural. However, the link that your baby makes between an object and you while smiling shows a new social awareness.
He might be communicating a couple of things. First, he might share his joy or appreciation for the object with you, as if saying “Isn’t this great!” Or, he could be quizzing you, “Isn’t this great?” Either way, he initiates a smile that ties you and a common object together. With a smile, your baby expands your relationship by including the things around you.
Now the door has opened for you to start to meaningfully share the objects that you love. Look at a favorite flower. Smile at it and while still smiling look at him. In doing so, you have affirmed that you know how he is speaking to you and shown him something that is special to you. These communication links happen naturally over and over again. Your awareness of them will nurture your joy in parenting.
By Anne Oxenreider
Reference: Venezia, M., Messinger, D.S., Thorp, D., & Mundy, P. (2004). The development of anticipatory smiling. Infancy, 6 (3), 397-406.
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