Your baby might stare and smile because they are happy to see a familiar face, such as a parent or caregiver, or because they are trying to engage or communicate with someone. Babies might also stare and smile because they are mirroring someone who is smiling at them.
Somewhere around 2 months of age, baby will look at you and flash a full-on smile that's guaranteed to make your heart swell. Doctors call that kind of smile a “social smile” and describe it as one that's “either a reaction, or trying to elicit a reaction,” Stavinoha says. In other words, baby is interacting with you!
Like children and adults, babies are generally curious beings and tend to stare as they get to know you. They are also naturally drawn to faces and might be attracted to interesting features like glasses or a bushy beard.
Their Little Brains are Developing
Thus, if your baby is staring into space, it's probably because s/he's working overtime on developing his/her mind. Some parents worry if their baby is staring at seemingly nothing. Nonetheless, it may be a sign of their brain working extra hard!
But at the very least, they will be instinctively building a bond with you. The first true social smiles start brightening your days between 6 and 8 weeks. Your baby may smile when they see your face—or another parent or a big sibling's. They're starting to associate your face with feeling good.
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.
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.
What if your baby isn't smiling? As with all things in child development, there's a range of normal when it comes to when babies smile. But if your baby doesn't show a social smile by around 2 months old, talk to your child's doctor. This could be an early sign of a developmental delay that may need attention.
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.
Newborn babies prefer to look at attractive faces, says a UK researcher, suggesting that face recognition is hardwired at birth, rather than … learned.
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.
And research suggests that babies evaluate people in much the same way, preferring people who like the same foods, clothes, and toys that they like. This preference helps us to form social bonds, but it can also have a dark side.
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.
Understanding newborn bonding behaviour
Your newborn baby uses body language to show you when they want to connect with you and strengthen the bond between you. For example, your baby might: smile at you or make eye contact. make little noises, like coos or laughs.
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 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.
As your baby's eyesight, social awareness, and cognitive ability develops, it's normal for them to stare while they take in their surroundings. It's a sign of their growth and exploration in the world of which they are newly aware.
This isn't the spontaneous smile that happens when your baby passes gas. 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.
Your face is where your baby looks for reassuring, comforting responses and attention. Not every single response you give is vital, but the more often you smile at your baby, the better. So whenever you see your baby watching your face, a smile is a great way to tell them you notice, appreciate, love and cherish them.
It's a scenario that plays out with almost all newborns — especially with breastfed ones, but even with those who formula feed right from the start. Given a choice, choosy babies choose Mom. And when you consider the initial biological edge brand-new moms have over brand-new dads, it's no surprise.
Smiles: Babies who are well nourished and tenderly cared for will grin, smile, and light up for their special caregivers. Appetite: If he feels relaxed and comfortable and plays vigorously with crib or floor toys, your baby will nurse and eat with pleasure. Voice: Happy babies vocalize a lot. They squeal.
Rarely shares enjoyment with you
Babies readily share enjoyment with you by smiling or laughing and looking at you. Some children with autism smile to show they're happy but don't share their enjoyment. Others show little facial expression or have flat affect and rarely smile so you may not know when they're happy.
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.
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.
Between 6 and 9 months of age, babies who are cared for in a loving and consistent way form a powerful bond with their parents and other significant people in their lives. As this bond strengthens, babies learn to trust caregivers. They develop a memory and a marked preference for loved ones.