Here are the major reasons why your little champ or princess is smiling even though they’re not in for the count:
Reflexive behavior
The significant milestone of a baby’s first grin is essentially a reflex action. According to research, these small grins can occur as early as before birth and require no external input. They smile simply because it is a response of the body, similar to sucking, gripping, and kicking. So, even if mommy is kissing the baby and he happens to smile, it’s not because he’s displaying the same tenderness.
releasing gas
Another reason babies may smile is when the gas bubbles in their stomachs eventually disappear. When a newborn passes gas, he or she usually smiles.
Sleep in the REM cycle
When babies are in the REM sleep cycle or active sleep, they may experience physiological changes that cause involuntary movement in the body, and one of them may smile or chuckle.
Social grin
Babies begin to demonstrate responses to interaction between the ages of 6 and 8 weeks, which means you can coax a grin out of them by tickling them or making comical expressions. At this point, their smiles are usually a genuine welcome to your attention.
Emotions
Infants communicate their emotions through facial expressions and voice from birth. Their response rate and behavior increase as their involvement with the world increases. If you find your infant smiling in his sleep, he is most likely processing some pleasurable emotions.
Other medical reasons
In rare situations, medical problems such as seizure disorder, fits, and convulsions can trigger uncontrollable laughter. If your uncontrollable laughter is accompanied by weight loss, an inconsistent sleep routine, and bouts of frequent irritability, you should see a doctor.
Why Do Babies Laugh While They Sleep?
Hypnagogic or dream laughter: Dreams are most vivid during REM, and this regulates the muscles for smiling in babies, resulting in bursts of laughter while sleeping.
Toing and froing with the infant at a level they can understand, as well as building an intentional connection with them, inspires laughing from them. For babies, adult attention is like gold dust. They enjoy adult attention and are compensated with laughing.
Happiness: Babies are happy; they don’t seek it. According to studies, babies wake up in a cheerful mood every day. No one is happier than a milk-drunk infant, dizzy and snoozy after a stomach-full feed with a huge grin from ear to ear.
How do you keep a baby’s sleep cycle consistent?
Sleepless nights are nothing new when you have a newborn kid. There is a lot of literature written about sleep training for babies, but it is easier to set the kid on a good sleep schedule with a few clever sleep training approaches. It is usual for infants to wake up in the middle of the night for a few feeding and nursing sessions, although this is expected to improve over time. Before you begin sleep training, you must first ensure that you have a nighttime schedule in place.
Regular schedule: Put the babies to bed at the same time every night. This will assist their body in associating a’shutting time’ every night and establishing a peaceful and consistent sleep habit.
Shush-pat technique: Because the baby is still adjusting to life outside the womb, prop him up on his side and mimic the baby whispers to gently put him to sleep in a safe setting.
Low-key nighttime care routine: When the baby has to be cared for or fed in the middle of the night, keep the surroundings as quiet as possible in terms of lighting, voice, and movement. This will prevent the infant from becoming overstimulated and will send the message that it is time to sleep.
Be a realistic parent: It’s easy to become overwhelmed by the weariness of your baby’s unplanned and erratic sleep, but remember to be patient and have realistic expectations of your energizer bunny. Snatch some sleep time from the baby’s sleeping cycle for yourself, because it may be the only rest you get for a while.
Conclusion
“Being a person is a person no matter how small you are,” Dr. A sues stated.
A significant developmental milestone is smiling or laughing. It’s an evident sign that the youngster is developing physically and mentally. In most circumstances, there is nothing to worry about; you can adore your little honey bun while they sleep, smiling or laughing.
However, if any other uncommon symptoms appear alongside the laughter, it is usually a red flag to seek medical assistance. When babies are 6-8 weeks old, they respond to external stimuli by smiling, kicking, and wiggling. This allows adults to begin by establishing a social and emotional connection with the babies.
Having said that, it’s equally crucial to realize that every child is unique, as is their developmental growth. There is nothing worthy about a child who is not smiling or laughing.
