What Would You Do for A Baby's Laugh?
Anything to hear that giggle.
The first time I heard my baby laugh, it was unexpected. We were doing our usual field trip around the house and we stopped in front of a mirror and I smiled at him. He looked back at my reflection and started giggling loudly. It was the most wonderful music I’ve ever heard. I’m not sure what made him laugh (was it my face? I’ll take it!), but after that I wanted to hear his giggles constantly. For days I repeated the mirror trick, but got no reaction, and from there progressed to all sorts of shenanigans to incite those baby chuckles.
Trying to get the baby to laugh brought with it a sense of liberation. In front of the baby, I had carte blanche to make any sound, face, or move I wanted to make him happy. My husband joined in on the fun and our house was suddenly full of unexpected dance parties and silly walks. Outside the house, we could be in front of a group of adults and make extreme faces and all would be forgiven as long we had the baby with us.
I often think about that as I twirl around my kitchen cooking and loudly reciting the recipe in different accents to get baby to giggle in his high chair, or watch my husband contort himself to do the same. We probably look so silly, but we’re truly having fun in those moments. We don’t care what we look like because our end goal is joy.
When did we start to inhibit ourselves from acting silly and making moments of pure joy as adults? Nowadays, to make each other laugh, we have to do it in a way that is appropriate for our age and company. In the corporate world, it might be through a bland joke at the beginning of a meeting; with our partner it might be showing them a funny TikTok.
And heaven forbid we get up and dance it out to let off some steam during the work day, everyone will start staring and whispering. But with young kids, that’s just normal parenting behavior and it results in true belly laughs and lit up smiles, for both the baby and the parent. So let’s try and bring some of that fun and joy to our adult life. Can we get extra excited about cooking a new recipe this week? How about walking the aisles in wonder at the grocery store, marveling at all the amazing items we have available to us? Try that mid-day dance party between meetings. Let’s let a little bit of our silliness sneak through in our everyday tasks and maybe our adult lives will also get a bit more fun.
So when do babies start laughing?
My son’s first laugh took me by surprise, but for you milestone trackers out there, babies tend to start laughing between 4 and 6 months of age. They will likely start smiling and cooing before then, and that will eventually lead to belly laughs. Experts believe that the first laughter tends to be as a result of physical stimulation, like being bounced on a knee. Don’t stress though, your baby will laugh when they’re ready. In the meantime, enjoy playing with them to try and coax out the giggles! It turns out that duck quack sounds and toys that shake are what does it for our little one.
A weekly roundup of personal tips and helpful finds
50 Self care ideas for your me time. I know it’s hard to indulge in daily self care, but I thought many of these ideas would be easy to implement and improve your routine. Some of my favorites include throw open your curtains for some natural light, and treat yourself to a nice hand cream, like the one I use. (Good Housekeeping)
You don’t need to decant everything. I enjoyed reading this article that made the case against decanting all your groceries into shiny, organized containers. It’s also not helping the environment, as influencers might make you think. So moms, stock your groceries as you wish! We don’t have time to worry about decanting too. (Eater).
Baby Book Rec: Mother Bruce. I love this story about a grumpy bear who becomes an unexpected dad to a few little ducklings. It’s also a longer story, which I enjoy as the reader.
Watching: Queens on Disney Plus. This new National Geographic documentary is all about the power of moms in nature and the lengths they will go to protect their families. It’s an inspiring watch, but I must warn you to expect genuine anxiety over some of the dangerous situations mommas and cubs get into.
Cook: One pot stove-top broccoli mac and cheese. I’ve made this recipe more times than I can count, and it is truly a one-pot tasty comfort meal. I’ve used all sorts of cheese and noodles with it, just make sure the cheese you use will melt well. (Half-baked Harvest)
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