Why Is It Good To Teach Babies To Smile?
The smile is the reflection of happiness and satisfaction. In addition, laughing has myriad health benefits. It is important to teach babies to smile, because thanks to this will improve relations with the others and be more happy.
From birth to around the first month of life, smiling is just a reflex action to get attention. From the second month, babies begin to express emotions with laughter.
Now, how do you get that beautiful smile? What are the benefits? You will find the answers below.
How to teach babies to smile?
Since they are in the womb, babies show a smile; they also continue to do so after birth. However, they do it for you to see and attend, so they do not make a difference between smiling and crying.
However, little by little you can teach babies to smile. Actually, it is not difficult to achieve it; it is especially important not to overdo it.
It’s so easy to get little ones to smile that you could get excited and make them laugh so hard that they will cry in a matter of seconds. This happens because, not knowing how to control their laughter, they can despair.
Having commented on the special peculiarities of this reaction, we will list some ways to generate it in the little ones:
Make physical contact
There are nerve points in the body that cause laughter. These are activated through touch, with the famous tickling. So if you want to make your baby laugh, this is a very simple way to do it.
Surprise!
Who hasn’t been provoked by hiding behind their hands by seeing a baby and then yelling ‘surprise!’ ? Seeing their reaction to this simple act causes a lot of happiness. This is something you can do as many times as you want, as they will never get bored.
Make sounds with a toy
When your little one hears strange but funny noises, such as when moving a toy like rattles, a feeling is generated that he does not understand, but that makes him laugh a lot.
In front of the mirror
If you place your baby in front of the mirror, you will immediately see a smile form on his face. The explanation for this is that the little one simply rejoices to observe that someone on the other side is doing the same movements that he is doing.
Set the example
The best way to teach babies to smile is to smile yourself first; When children see that you are happy, they are too.
To achieve this, you can smile while saying loving words to them. You can immediately see how their faces light up and they give you that long-awaited smile.
What are the benefits of smiling in babies?
The results of this reaction are good for both you and the little ones in the house. Such benefits are as follows:
- Improves self-esteem and self-confidence. This is because, many times, the cause of the smile is that it has achieved something.
- Strengthens the immune system. The endorphins – happiness hormones – released with laughter regulate the immune system; this prevents the little ones from getting sick easily.
- Laughter also has calming qualities. This can ease a headache and, in the case of your baby, can make him forget the scare of a fall.
- It favors retention, improves concentration and helps children have good behavior.
- Laughter helps to maintain good social relationships; nobody likes to spend time with a bitter person.
- Reduces daily stress and tension; it also helps to tolerate embarrassing moments.
- Babies also use laughter so you don’t get mad at them when they do something wrong.
- The brain is oxygenated, which encourages imagination and learning.
- To smile you need to put into action 12 facial muscles, in addition to those of the abdomen. I mean, it’s almost like exercising; By teaching babies to smile you are helping them to be healthy children.
Smiling is a way of communication, because by doing so you transmit your emotions to others, in addition to bringing joy to those around you. For this and for all the reasons mentioned above, it is important to teach babies to smile. Take these suggestions into account and enjoy the beautiful smile of your little ones!
