Get the
going!
grin
Images: Gallo Images/Getty Images52 | JULY & AUGUST 2019
Is there anything cuter than a baby’s
gummy grin? Kerryn Massyn has
some fun ways for you to encourage
your baby’s first smilesGET UP CLOSE
Your baby loves everything about your
face, and the closer she can see it, the
better. Remember that young babies’
vision hasn’t fully developed yet, so, they
can see things much better when they’re
close up. Use this opportunity to, erm, get
in her face, and show your baby what
a happy expression looks like.TURN ON THE DRAMA
Little ones love exaggeration – blowing
reality up out the norm is really exciting for
them. So, when you’re trying to tease out
a smile, go for all the drama in your facial
expressions. When smiling at her, make it
the biggest smile you can, and widen your
eyes. Soon she’ll be copying your actions.
Try making other facial expressions as well
to show her a range of human emotions.GET GOOFY
Play little games with your baby to grab
her attention and engage her senses.
Classics like peekaboo work really well to
elicit smiles – the surprise of seeing your
familiar face popping out from behind
a cloth or your hands is loads of fun. You
can also play around with some of her
toys that make funny noises or read her
a book while using silly voices for the
different characters.DANCE, BABY, DANCE
Have you ever danced without a smile
on your face? Moving to the groove is
a natural happy-maker. So, put on some
of your favourite jams (at acceptable
volume levels, of course) and dance
around either with your baby or in front
of your baby. If you’re not ready to put
on your dancing shoes, try singing songs
to her – the sillier the better. Nursery
rhymes are popular with children for
a reason, so try something like Old
McDonald, and make all the animal
noises you can remember along with it.IT’S TICKLE TIME
Engaging with your baby physically not
only helps tighten the bonds between
you, but it can also get her smiling. Tickle
her toes gently, or blow raspberries on
her tummy during a nappy change. You
could also hold her up in the air and
spoil her with kisses when you bring her
down to your face.Yes, it’s most definitely the silly things
that are going to get those smiles.
But while you’re doing all you can to
encourage a grin, you’re also doing the
most important thing for your baby –
spending time with her and engaging
with her one on one. YBWHEN IT COMES to the ultimate
parenting moments, your baby’s
smile is right up there with her
first steps.
After a few months of caring for
your baby without much response,
suddenly it’s there – the beginnings
of two-way communication.
You can expect to see a few
smiles from as early as six weeks,
but most experts agree that social
smiles – the ones your baby is
making intentionally as a response to
something – start between two and
three months.
Of course, you want to do anything
you can to make those gummy grins
happen as much as possible.
They’re super cute to see, ultra-
rewarding for you as a parent, and
they’re a major milestone in your
baby’s development.
Intentional smiles show that your
baby’s vision, brain and nervous
system are working hand in hand- and that she’s figuring out how to
communicate with the world around
her. So, now is the time to practise
your comedy skills and keep those
grins coming. Missing a funny bone?
Don’t worry, we’ve got some tips to
help encourage your baby to smile...