They smile at you. The first time your baby gives you a true grin is a magical moment. It's their way of saying "I love you." Most babies will smile back if you smile at them by the time they're two months; by four months, they'll smile to get your attention, which is somehow even more adorable.
Researchers believe that these earliest smiles represent the pleasure of the baby recognizing an object (such as Mommy or Daddy) [2]. By two months, infants begin to develop the smile that communicates their emotional experience of pleasure and contentment.
And, of course, seeing your baby smile at you makes you feel good too! Smiles are very important early positive experiences. Smiles teach your child a lot about themselves and their world, when they're too young to understand words.
It's the smile that your baby gives when you smile at your baby and your baby smiles back at you. It's a sign that the vision and social parts of his brain are developing. Your baby should be smiling by three to four months old. If not, it could be a vision problem or a problem attaching to parent figures.
Even before they're born, your voice is a soothing sound for your little one, and when they turn to face you it is them moving towards a sound they love. Babies can't smile before about 6 weeks but once they can that beaming smile that melts your heart is also their way of expressing the love they have for you.
And there staring is their way to communicate. Babies can't quite interact yet for the first few months, so their staring is their way of communicating with you. A baby looking zoned out may be a way of communicating that they are sleepy. But can't quite give up on staring because of the exciting sights around them.
They talk to you. Your baby's very earliest coos will be directed at you or another trusted caregiver – it's their way of saying, “love you too!” By four months, babies will make sounds in response to your voice and turn their head to try to find you when you're talking.
It is evident your baby trusts you if you are the first one he or she reaches for in times of fear, surprise, or pain. If time after time you have provided comfort to your child during unsettling times, your consistent reassurance has provided the foundation for the trust that babies crave to feel secure.
When a baby grabs your face, it is often a sign of connection and affection. Babies explore the world through touch, and grabbing your face can be a way to bond and feel comforted.
Do Babies Like Hugs, Kisses, and Other Signs of Affection? Clearly, there are many different ways in which babies express their affection for their parents and caregivers. But do they enjoy being on the receiving end? In short, yes.
“It's a social response,” Mireault says. “The requisite ingredient is another person.” Babies typically start smiling at 6 to 12 weeks old. At 3 to 4 months, babies will laugh at actions involving physical stimulation, like tickling, raspberries, or being bounced on their caregiver's knee.
Studies have shown that even newborns, with their eyesight limited to about 12 inches, prefer to look at familiar faces — especially yours. Months 2 to 4: Your baby will start to recognize her primary caregivers' faces, and by the 4-month mark, she'll recognize familiar faces and objects from a distance.
One month to six months
When they are first born, your baby is dependent on you for their every need. They will think that you and them are one and the same .
Based primarily on voice recognition, some researchers believe newborns can recognize their mothers almost immediately after birth. And of course, breastfed newborns quickly become familiar with their mother's unique scent. True visual recognition probably takes a few weeks.
Attachment involves 2 people interacting, sharing, and connecting. As you respond to your baby's needs, your baby will respond to you. You'll notice that it becomes easier to soothe them, that they want to be near you, and that they react to you even from a distance.
We also know that children love to be hugged by their parents. But what surprised us, as scientists, is how little we know about hugging.” The heart rate of an infant as young as 4 months old relaxes when the child a parent or primary caregiver gives them a hug.
Babytalk | A baby's bond with its mother may start with the sense of smell. One of my favorite things to do is show mothers how their baby can smell them from as far away as 1 to 2 feet.
Studies have shown that infants as young as one month-old sense when a parent is depressed or angry and are affected by the parent's mood. Understanding that even infants are affected by adult emotions can help parents do their best in supporting their child's healthy development.
In babies' minds, pretty faces help their brains process information and learn about their environment more easily. "It helps them to recognize familiar faces — particularly that of the mother — and it helps them in learning about the social world,” Dr. Slater explained.
Since babies are often on their backs, fixing their eyes straight ahead to check out the fan, the ceiling texture, or some lights is all normal and completely fascinating to them. Many caregivers say that their baby loves ceiling fans.
Stark contrasts like light versus dark are easier for them to see. If there is a light or a fan on the ceiling, this may attract your baby's attention and garner a smile or reaction due to the different stimulation for them on the ceiling.
Most anecdotal observations suggest that babies show a strong preference for friendly, smiling female faces. And scientific studies that track eye movements and other objective measures confirm this widespread belief, showing that babies do indeed show a strong preference for female faces when compared to male faces.
Newborn. Your baby is born with highly sensitive skin. Some of the areas of their body that are particularly sensitive to touch include their mouth, cheeks, face, hands, abdomen, and the soles of their feet. For a newborn baby, skin-to-skin contact is a vital part of bonding and communication.