Baby Laughs And Smiles: A Big Step Forward In Emotional Development
Did you know that baby’s laughter and smiles mean a breakthrough in your emotional development?
baby’s first smiles
A baby’s first month is not an emotionless stage as some people may think.
From this stage onwards, the child can feel the affection and attachment received on the skin, thus developing a powerful connection with an adult who is usually the mother.
In addition to crying, the main emotional reflex of a baby
There are other emotions a newborn can feel: well-being, relaxation, satiety, etc. Emotions are externalized even when they are quiet, watching, listening, knowing the world while they are calm.
A newborn can also smile. But, contrary to what it may seem, this smile is not the result of emotional well-being or happiness.
This happens through the activity of the central nervous system and is a reflex that usually appears when the baby is sleeping.
laughs and smiles after the first month
From the first or second month after birth, a baby’s awake smiles are known as social smiles.
Therefore, they are the result of your interaction with the world and response to various stimuli.
In the experimentation phase, the baby starts to understand that the mother smiles when she talks to her because she is happy and that other adults also smile when they see her, play with her and carry her.
Therefore, he will also smile when he feels good, when he is attended to and whenever he hears something he likes or catches his attention.
At this point, the baby will already have understood that, in addition to crying, his smile captures the attention of adults.
Some children let out their first laugh at 4 months of age. It may be a little before or a little later, but it usually happens around this time.
At this stage, the child starts to laugh when stimulated, just like other human beings.
She starts laughing at something that is really funny: a doll that moves, when it gets tickled, etc.
After 4 months, the child will not laugh or smile at all, only to the closest people and maybe to a stranger that he/she feels an affinity with.
That’s when she will have understood that the smile is related to attachment.
So, he laughs and smiles only for those who feel affinity. This phase is known as the differential smile.
Baby laughs and smiles: a big step forward in emotional development
As the child gets to know the world, he imitates the human beings he lives with and learns to respond to stimuli.
In this way, she progresses in her affective and psychosocial development.
Children under one year of age learn that affection and social contact are reinforced with smiles and that a smile is worth more than a tantrum or a heartbroken cry.
She knows how to get what she wants through smiles and joy, whether material or emotional.
The smiles of those around you also reinforce your emotions. If someone smiles around her, she will feel more secure.
Say, for example, if a dog passes by her side and she is afraid, her mother’s smile can comfort her and show that there is no danger.
So: laughs and smiles to grow!
The laugh of a child under the age of 2 is no longer just a reflection or a response to their happiness.
It is a powerful tool she uses to achieve her goals and make adults give in to her desires.
At this stage, we can see an intelligent child, who challenges those around him and acts to see how people react.
Whenever a joke goes wrong, she knows that a smile can avoid punishment.
Laughter is also a stimulus for emotional and cognitive development.
The child, therefore, will laugh at absurd situations. For example, when she sees other children fall, or laugh at herself when she sees herself in a video filmed by her mother that shows her falling.
Laughter and smiles serve to grow, improve the well-being and behavior of little ones as human beings. In addition, it also serves to be more friendly, make friends and feel happy.
