When will my baby laugh out loud?
We take a look at this precious developmental milestone when your little one learns how to laugh out loud for the first time
If there’s one thing that will melt anyone’s heart it’s the pure, innocent sound of a baby giggling and laughing. We take a look at when you can expect to first hear the gorgeous sound of your baby laughing out loud.
You may be surprised to know that your baby is capable of complex expressions when still in the womb and by the time they’re born they already have the facial ability to cry and laugh.
Don’t get too excited though, you won’t hear those super cute giggles probably till they're 3 or 4 months old.
Around 3 to 4 months, you should start to notice that your little one responds with a giggle to physical prompting such as tickling them.
It tends to be later however that babies respond with giggles to external things such as peek-a-boo or you pulling funny faces, this tends to happen around 5 to 6 months old.
What are the benefits of laughing for little ones?
Not only does laughter symbolise happiness in your baby, but it also shows that they are gathering information about the world around them and reacting to what they witness.
It also indicates that your baby grasps social norms as they begin to develop the ability to know when it’s appropriate to laugh.
Babies laugh with others
What makes something funny and worth a giggle is when an adult makes these things appear and disappear for the baby, that’s what gets the laughs. So when you tickle your baby the laugh comes from the fact you are doing it to them rather than the sensation of the tickle.