Do you ever wonder when babies start giggling? Do you have a little one and maybe, he or she hasn’t laughed or giggled yet? Well, you’ll be glad to know that babies start giggling at different ages. I remember my little sister started to giggle at a few days old but my mom said it wasn’t giggling; it was gas, so there you go!

I requested of my family stories of when their babies started to giggle. It surprised me to know that the first giggle was on the same level of the first smile, the first goo-goo, the first da-da or ma-ma and was remembered almost as clearly as the first step or the first potty success.

Image by Alicakes* via Flickr

Babies start giggling at the weirdest things

Per one of my relatives, her child was in a baby carrier, maybe three months old, when her father started to play with a laser type light, causing the dog to chase around in circles to catch an uncatchable red beam. The little girl began a funny chuckle but not quite then a little squeal and she then began to giggle so hard she lost her breath and as small as she was, it turned into a laughing that surprised them all. Then it was months before she ever giggled again and that was playing with her feet.

Another story. Barely able to sit up, my brother’s daughter was listening to a song, I think it was Tequila, She started to rhythm around and she started to giggle along with the music. As she got to be an older child, she still would sing that song and dance around giggling.

My nephew started to giggle at the dog licking his face when he was in his baby carrier. My sister wasn’t so pleased with the dog spit in his face but she was surprised at how he seemed to enjoy it. One of my nieces was watching the movie of the Three Stooges and we didn’t even notice she was looking at the TV. She was only about two months old when she began to ‘Ya, Ya’ watching the guys throw pies and do that funny noise Curly made and my niece began to giggle.

I remember my younger brother never did giggle. He was somewhat ahead of his time. Literally, he began to talk at eight months and sounded like a boy eight or so years old. People use to take his bottle away from him so that they could hear that voice coming from a baby. ‘Give me back my bottle’. Some people didn’t believe it until they heard it for themselves but he laughed out loud and never giggled.

I don’t know if there is some scientific cause or reason that determines when babies start giggling or if a baby is giggling. I don’t know if there is a factor where the baby is confused between a giggle and a cry, between what is funny and what is scary. I have seen a baby start to giggle and then in the next breath, start to cry. What causes that to happen? It seems that the baby gets its voluntary system mixed up and it can’t decide if it is happy or upset.

When babies start giggling during their sleep…

Watching a baby sleep can be a fascinating thing to do. I have seen very young babies smiling in their sleep and then even seen them giggle and wake themselves up. So was that really a giggle or back to my mom’s statement that it was gas?

Then there was my sister (I have seven sisters and two brothers all younger than me so I have lots of baby watching experience), who seemed to be giggling around three months old. She seemed to giggle at everything, even just looking at her crib rails. Come to find out she wasn’t really giggling, it was the onset of the whooping cough and that was one of the strangest non-giggle giggles I’d ever seen and even to this day.

Then my other sister, who as a baby found out she was a big fan of country music. We were in the living room and her bedroom door was open to the living room and we heard her making noise. We looked in and she was bouncing her hands and feet to the music of My Heart Skips a Beat and all of a sudden, looking through the rails, she just started to giggle. Her obsession continued until she was almost a year old and could stand up in the crib and hold on to the headboard and sing along. Well, at least jabber along.

My second niece also went from no jabbering, no ‘ya,ya’ or anything to full laughter. A giggle was never heard and neither was anything else, barely crying, until she was almost nine months old. We wondered if there was something wrong with her hearing or voice but the doctor said there was no problem. This niece also talked early and when she did begin to talk at around nine months, she did full TV commercials. So she had been hearing, she just decided when she wanted to react. She also had a deep voice. She was not as articulate as my brother but the words she did speak and the way she laughed sounded like an older person. She finally did giggle when she got her first kitten at around three.

I have seen first giggles from babies at all ages, even first giggles as toddlers so I am not sure that there can be an age of when babies giggle or should giggle. I’m not sure if a baby has to giggle to be a healthy baby. All the giggling sisters, nieces, nephews and friends babies seemed to grow into healthy articulate children whether they giggled or did not giggle as babies.

I know from my mom’s own memory, I never giggled but smiled a lot. I also did not talk or walk until I was almost two but today I laugh a lot, write for a living so don’t have to giggle or talk too much out loud. Sitting at my desk alone, giggling, might cause someone in hearing distance to think I’m abnormal.

So is it abnormal for babies not to giggle at a certain age? I think there is no certain age for a good giggle to bubble up. Babies start giggling when they have to – I don’t think there are rules for that.

Just for fun, why not share your story here? When did your babies start giggling?

I believe that babies really start laughing at around the age of three to five months. Some will laugh sooner than others, however the range should still be about the same. Every baby develops their personalities at different ages, some sooner than others. The most important is to know the difference between a true laugh from your baby and not just an involuntary reflex your baby has no control over. I know that many parents see their babies laughing and smiling earlier than the age of three months, however, surprisingly this is usually due to gas or some kind of discomfort the baby is feeling in their bodies. I assume that babies have less control and understanding over their facial muscles so they can make extreme faces when they are gassy, hungry, or feeling some sort of discomfort. This can come across as a giggle, smile or even a laugh.

Image via Wikipedia

Babies are triggered by laughing in many different ways. The most common way to make a baby laugh would be to play the game peek-a-boo. When you play this game, a baby does not understand where your face disappears to and that becomes funny to a baby and sometimes can create a hysterical laughing fit. Sometimes, babies can laugh at the oddest of things, such as a sneeze or a cough. The sound that you make can really send a baby into a laughing spell. Another great way is to blow what are called raspberries on your baby’s tummy. This gives them a ticklish feeling and then it could trigger them to laugh as well.

I have even heard of pets making babies laugh. The sight of some pets are even funny to adults, so I could definitely see where a baby may find them interesting enough to laugh at because of their odd appearance. Either the sight of a dog, the touch of a cat or anything that moves and is unfamiliar to a baby could make them turn over with joy. Lighting and musical sound is another great way to get a baby to laugh. The sound of sweet melodies and silly tunes can send a baby into a frantic laughing fit, and of course, this is a good thing. Babies see life in a different light than adults. They have no worries other than feeling hungry and wanting to be changed when needed. Their laughter comes more frequently than it would in an adult, so the simplest of things can get them going.

People say laughter is the best medicine and it is a known fact that it is good for a baby to experience these feelings. Some babies laugh more than others; however, I do not believe that this is due to the parents but rather to what they see and feel around them. Parents who think there is something wrong with their baby because they do not laugh at their jokes or the silly faces they make should not worry. A baby may not find the same things as funny as you may. I know of many babies who can sit and swing all day while keeping themselves occupied and laugh like they are watching the funniest comedian in the world. What I have observed with babies and why they laugh is that they are always in motion, whether it’s their eyes, bodies, or hands. This is why I believe the feel, sight and overall misunderstanding of something is what triggers a baby to laugh.

Even though I have given many suggestions on how to make or why a baby laughs does not mean that every baby will laugh at these same things. Parents should know their baby best and they will know what he or she likes and finds amusing. I know many parents who say that bath time creates a very inviting and friendly environment and this triggers their babies to laugh while splashing in the water. Other babies may not like bath time and they may be fearful of the water and have a negative response when getting wet. Again, there is no specific age, only an average age of an expected true laugh. One that is not induced by other feelings a baby may have but one that tickles their fancies in a way that we may not understand. On the other hand, it could be clear as day to us and we should continue to try and make our babies laugh if we know the trick.

I would like to add in general, babies should really start laughing between the ages of three and five months. If this does not happen, do not force your baby to try and laugh. It will only harm them and possibly hurt your ego. Do not mistake the early signs of discomfort from your baby as laughing because this is not a true laugh, which many people misunderstand. Always remember that light from a toy or even a simple lighted fan can be amusing to a baby. Sound from a silly song or a noise that you make from your body such as a sneeze or raspberry and feeling something that is different and unique like petting a dog or cat. Bath time while your baby is splashing water and even a baby who sees something that may look peculiar could trigger them to laugh.

I would like to say, in closing and, of course, last but not least, the pure and simple joy of a baby seeing a familiar person could trigger them to laugh. Unlike laughter from seeing or hearing something that is unfamiliar to them, they could respond the same way to seeing or hearing something that is familiar, such as their parents, grandparents and or siblings. Over all, there is no exact time or reason why a baby laughs but the one thing I do know is that when it happens, it is a pure joy which can light up any room and change a person’s mood with one simple laugh from a baby.

Sometimes, as parents, we forget to enjoy our children. We juggle busy lives and rush from one task to the next, rarely stopping to smile and laugh.

This video has become famous with nearly 100,000,000 views. Why? Because it is a wonderful, cheerful and encouraging celebration of family life. We can look at it every day and it makes us feel better. Yes. A baby can teach us to appreciate life.