Average Age of a Baby's First Smile

What Reflexive and Social Smiles are and When to Expect Each

Jul 23, 2009

A baby's first smile is an eagerly awaited moment by parents and caretakers, but caregivers do not have to wait too long: a baby's first smile occurs around one month.

Parents and caretakers eagerly await their baby's first smile and look forward to these bits of joy throughout the day, but just when do babies begin to smile? "That's not a real smile," is commonly heard, but just what does that mean and what exactly is it if it's not "real?" One type of smile is a result of internal stimuli within the baby, while the other is a result of external stimuli or a baby's surroundings.

Reflexive Smiles in Newborns

Reflexive smiles in infants are a result of internal stimuli. These "smiles" are most often seen while babies are sleeping during their first month after birth. These smiles can result from a number of things, most commonly gas or digestion.

Social Smiles as a Result of Outside Stimulation

Social smiles occur as a result of any external stimuli. Young infants most commonly smile when presented with a person's face as opposed to toys or television. Social smiles or "real smiles" can happen as early as four weeks of age, and a baby usually first smiles as a result of a caregiver's voice, face, or care.

When and Why Babies Smile

By the time a baby has reached six months of age, he or she becomes more selective in smiling. Six-month-old babies typically smile more for familiar caregivers than for strangers. Studies have shown that babies rarely smiled when interacting with toys, games, or when subjected to electronic sights or sounds, but smiled instead as a response to attentive caretakers.

How Smiles Develop and Change as the Baby Grows

From six months of age to one year of age babies begin developing different types of smiles based on their comfort level and entertainment level with the people they interact with. When babies interact with close caretakers, their smiles are more likely to be unreserved, fuller, and longer lasting whereas when babies interact with newer, unfamiliar caretakers or strangers, they might smile, but these smiles will be reserved.

Whether it be a reflexive smile or a social smile, a smiling baby is hard not to make a fuss over. A baby's first smile is an eagerly awaited moment by parents and caretakers, but caregivers do not have to wait too long to receive a baby's smile. Smiling begins at an early age and continues developing as the baby grows and develops different bonds and perceptions about the people around him or her.

The copyright of the article Average Age of a Baby's First Smile in Infant Toddler Development is owned by Megan B. Wyatt. Permission to republish Average Age of a Baby's First Smile in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.