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Your Baby's First Giggle

Delighting in Baby's First Laugh

By Shannon McKelden

(Alpha Books/Penguin Group, 2007). "If crying is the baby's first form of communication (and it is), laughter is one of the first forms of interaction. Crying is a baby's attempt to communicate needs to his parents (hunger, wetness, pain or discomfort, loneliness/fear, etc.). But laughter is reactive/responsive. It's a sign that the baby is looking outside of himself and responding with joy and delight to something or someone that shares his world."

Parents and families eagerly look forward to that first sweet sound of laughter from their infant. Once they've heard it, they want to hear it again and again. "Whenever that first laugh comes, it will seem completely out of the blue – totally unexpected and delightful and very different from the cooing, gurgling, crying, squeaking, squealing, raspberrying and bubbling noises that probably preceded it – and then most parents will try to do whatever they can to hear those bursts of full-body laughter again," Osborn says.

There are probably as many ways to encourage baby laughter as there are babies. Whether it takes a funny noise, a goofy hat, a tickle of the toes or an amusing toy to elicit that first giggle depends on the child and the timing. But there's no need to try to force it.

"Of course, parents should try to amuse and entertain their baby because they love her and want to see her happy," Osborn says. "But let the first laughter comes when it comes, rather than putting pressure on yourselves – and yor baby."

Want to see more?

• Every Move You Make: Tracking Baby's Milestones
• The Path to First Milestones: Recognizing Early Motor Delays
• Beyond the Laughter: The Hidden Power of Tickling
• Check out our Article Library.
• Talk about it!

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