When you bring your newborn home from the hospital, you may feel like you’ll never stop looking longingly at the perfection that is your newborn baby. Whether they’re feeding, snoozing, or even pooping, there’s no such thing as over-appreciating their chubby cheeks and delectable dimples.
But wait—was that a smile you just saw as they were sleeping?
It’s true, babies do treat us to the occasional grin while they’re dozing. But why do newborns smile in their sleep?
There are a few potential causes, depending on a baby’s age and the stage of sleep they're in. From where these snoozing smiles come from to when babies start to share authentic grins, here’s everything you need to know about baby smiles.
Understanding baby reflexes
During periods of sleep, you might catch your little one's first smile. It's not necessarily because they're dreaming of rainbows and snuggles. Rather, it’s likely due to automatic reflexes that activate the muscles responsible for smiling. These spontaneous smiles play a crucial role in developing those muscles, making it easier for your sweet pea to smile and communicate their emotions as they grow.
There are a few reflexes that manifest while your little one is awake, and even when they’re snoozing, such as:
- The Moro reflex. The Moro reflex is a startle response that occurs when your baby is, you guessed it, startled. When an infant hears a loud noise or feels an unexpected movement, like being passed too quickly from one person to the next, they may flail their arms or arch their back, producing the Moro reflex response. This reflex can also happen when your baby is sleeping, especially if they hear a sudden noise or jostle themselves awake.
- The Rooting Reflex. Many parents learn about the rooting reflex as they’re learning about breastfeeding. This is an automatic response that causes newborns to turn their heads toward whatever is touching their cheek or mouth, in search of a nipple. They’ll then begin making sucking motions with their mouth. The rooting reflex can happen when an infant is asleep or awake. For example, if a baby turns their head during sleep and touches the swaddle or crib blanket, it may trigger the rooting reflex.
And both of these reflexes may be the cause of why your newborn smiles as they snooze comfortably in their bassinet.
How Nanit monitors your baby’s sleep and smiles
It’s understandable that you want to witness your baby’s every intentional (or not-so-intentional) smile, grunt, and movement. And during the day, you can! (Usually.)
But how do you keep your eye on your little one at night when everyone’s sleeping?
Introducing Nanit, the suite of monitoring tools that offer so much more than a baby monitor. Our Nanit Pro Camera allows you to see your little one from anywhere, whether you’re in the same room together or on a business trip. Capture every precious moment, from tiny smiles to restful sleep, in real-time or via your baby's sleep history.
But the Nanit Pro Camera doesn’t stop at capturing your baby’s milestones on HD video. When used in tandem with one of our Breathing Wear pieces, Nanit also tracks your child’s sleep patterns using sensor-free breathing motion monitoring. You can sleep easy knowing they’re breathing normally, with immediate alerts being sent to the Nanit app if any changes are detected.
With one of our yearly subscription plans, there are several other noteworthy features you can look forward to as well, including:
- Being notified when your little one is crying or standing in their crib (because they’ll be there before you know it!)
- Tracking the temperature and humidity in the room for optimal sleep
- Receiving personalized sleep tips based on your baby’s sleep analytics
When do babies start smiling—and mean it?
Your baby might begin smiling shortly after birth, but it’s probably not for the same reasons our adult faces light up. Rather, their newborn grins or giggles are often reflexive responses, related to physical sensations like gas or hunger, rather than due to emotions.
So, when do babies start smiling for real?
Many babies begin smiling for genuine reasons around 2 months old. This is known as a social smile. Babies use this to interact with their caregivers as they’re learning other emotional facial expressions. However, the timeline for social smiles is different for every baby. Some babies might start smiling a little later and that’s perfectly fine, too!
How to encourage your baby to smile
Your baby’s first real smile is a beautiful thing. And once your little one can add smiles into their growing list of emotional expressions, they have one more way to communicate their feelings and needs with you. It’s also an excellent way to deepen the bond between you and your child.
Looking for ideas to elicit a few grins from your baby? Give these tried-and-true methods a go:
- Play with your child face to face. From making silly faces to simply smiling at them yourself, getting up close and personal with your baby is a great way to elicit a smile.
- Make playful sounds. Experiment with silly noises, such as blowing raspberries or cooing, to determine which ones bring out that award-winning gummy smile.
- Play peek-a-boo. As your little one grows, this game is sure to bring grins a plenty.
- Try a song and dance routine. Hold your baby in your arms, turn on your favorite tunes, and dance the afternoon (or morning or evening) away.
- Tickle them. Babies love social interactions, especially with their caregivers. Gently tickle their arms and legs and watch them transform into a happy—and smiley—baby.
Monitor your baby’s smiles and sleep with Nanit
As a new parent, you want to soak up every magical moment with your baby from the time they’re born. That’s why at Nanit, we want to help capture all the exciting moments, whether you’re experiencing them live or watching them over and over on the Nanit app.
Our suite of baby monitoring tools is designed to support families who want to be well-informed about their baby’s sleep and breathing habits and to stay connected to those little everyday moments, like capturing your baby’s smile on camera.
With several monitors and baby accessories to choose from, you can create the bundle that’s right for your family. Rest assured that you’ll never miss a milestone with Nanit at your side.
Key takeaways
- Why babies smile in their sleep. Babies smile due to reflexive responses.
- The scoop about baby reflexes. Automatic reflexes, such as the Moro reflex and the rooting reflex, may contribute to occasional smiles during sleep. While cute, those smiles are not technically genuine just yet.
- When babies begin to truly smile. Around 2 months old, many babies start genuinely smiling, known as social smiles, as they interact with caregivers during various developmental stages.
Sources:
Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. The Visual Scoring of Sleep in Infants 0 to 2 Months of Age. https://jcsm.aasm.org/doi/10.5664/jcsm.5600
NIH. Moro Reflex. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK542173/
Mount Sinai. Infant Reflexes. https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/symptoms/infant-reflexes
Sleep Foundation. Why Do Babies Smile in Their Sleep? https://www.sleepfoundation.org/baby-sleep/why-do-babies-smile-in-their-sleep#references-171211
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CONTRIBUTORS
Natalie Barnett, PhD serves as VP of Clinical Research at Nanit. Natalie initiated sleep research collaborations at Nanit and in her current role, Natalie oversees collaborations with researchers at hospitals and universities around the world who use the Nanit camera to better understand pediatric sleep and leads the internal sleep and development research programs at Nanit. Natalie holds a Ph.D. in Genetics from the University of New England in Australia and a Postgraduate Certificate in Pediatric Sleep Science from the University of Western Australia. Natalie was an Assistant Professor in the Neurogenetics Unit at NYU School of Medicine prior to joining Nanit. Natalie is also the voice of Nanit's science-backed, personalized sleep tips delivered to users throughout their baby's first few years.
Kristy Ojala is Nanit’s Digital Content Director. She spends way too much time looking at maps and weather forecasts and pictures of Devon Rex cats and no-cook dinners. A former sleep champion, she strives to share trustworthy somnabulism tips with other parents—praying for that one fine day when no tiny humans wake her up while it’s still dark out. Her kids highly recommend 3 books, approximately 600 stuffies, Chopin’s “Nocturnes,” and the Nanit Sound + Light for bedtime success.
Mackenzie Sangster is on the Brand and Community team at Nanit. She supports content development and editing for Nanit’s Parent Confidently blog as well as other marketing initiatives. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her friends, cooking, being active, and using the Pro + Flex Duo to keep an eye on her fur-baby, Poppy!
Holly Hays is a contributor and writer for Nanit, channeling her years as a mama and former magazine editor to create fun, useful content for fellow busy, trying-to-do-their-best parents and caregivers. Holly has written for a wide range of brands and media outlets (Ergobaby, HGTV, Manhattan Toy Company, OXO), loves to cook and read mystery novels, and leans heavily on her two daughters to keep her up to date on all the latest slang.
