A social smile is all about engagement, and the baby will expect a response. 6 months (Undiscriminating): During this period, the baby just enjoys smiling. It doesn't matter if it's with family or stranger. Everything elicits an approving grin.
Sometimes a smile in the early weeks of life is simply a sign that your little bundle is passing gas. But starting between 6 and 8 weeks of life, babies develop a "social smile" -- an intentional gesture of warmth meant just for you. This is an important milestone.
It may be possible for your baby to smile at 4 weeks but usually only while sleeping, or by chance as he or she tries out new facial expressions. Your little one may not flash a true 'social' smile until about 6 weeks old or even a little later.
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!
According to Californian clinical psychologist Dr. Forrest Talley, babies stare at the faces of strangers as part of a natural adaptive response that helps them learn about emotions and allows them to develop a foundation for future socialization.
Some studies have even shown that babies as young as three months old can show a preference for faces of their own race and may stare more at those faces. Babies are also naturally drawn to and will tend to stare more at attractive faces. For babies, this means symmetrical faces with balanced features.
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.
This means your baby is making many new eye connections, taking in the environment, and understanding many new things. All of this can be very overwhelming and over stimulating for littles that have just spent 9 months in a dark quiet womb.
They often freely smile at everyone around them. At this stage, they have one type of smile. By the time babies are five or six months, they have a variety of smiles depending upon why they are smiling. They also develop stranger anxiety around this time, and no longer smile at everyone including strangers.
Those who may be on the autism spectrum will mostly avoid any type of eye contact and will typically not smile or exhibit many facial expressions. Autistic children will also likely not be reactive to loud sounds and noises as neurotypical children would.
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.
They smile at you.
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.
Yes, it's fairly normal. They'll theory is that they are so comfortable with you that they don't smile at you, and they smile at the new and novel things (like dad!). Some babies smile at everything, like ds, but dd was much harder to get a smile out of and rarely giggled.
Your baby finds comfort in your arms
When an infant can be soothed by your voice or physical comfort, this is another way she shows she trusts you. Infants identify caretakers by sight, smell, and sound, and when any of these provide a level of comfort to a baby it is evidence of an established bond.
Here's how a baby's smile evolves throughout the first year of life: Newborn Reflexive Smile– In the first 4-6 weeks, these grins are reflexive rather than intentional or responsive. Social Smile – Around 2-3 months, their smiles last longer, are more responsive, and act as a big step towards communicating and bonding.
The main reason babies stare is that their brains are developing and growing at an exponential rate. In fact, the more you play with your baby and engage with him/her, the better his/her brain will develop.
According to an old notion, first-born children are genetically predisposed to appear more like their father. It was thought that this was done so that the father would accept the child as his and provide for and care for them. Another argument is that this would prevent him from eating the baby.
When children like some people more than others, it's not really because those people are more trustworthy; it's because like everyone else, children gravitate towards people who are happy and confident. People who believe they are attractive are usually more happy and confident.
Studies suggest that babies do not always prefer female faces, but, in fact, show a strong preference for human faces of the same gender as the primary caregiver. Since most babies are primarily cared for by females, most babies prefer to look at female faces.
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.
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.
The research does show, according to Bloom, that children just a few months old can judge a person's character – siding with the “good” puppet and not with the “bad” puppet.
About fear of strangers
Fear of strangers is very common. It happens as your baby develops a healthy attachment to familiar people – like you. Because babies prefer familiar adults, they might react to strangers by crying or fussing, going very quiet, looking fearful or hiding.
Sense Emotions
Around their first birthday, a child can even sense how other people feel. But your child isn't just aware of your feelings—they actively care about them.