Babys smiles- letter in the Times today

[codswallop]

Letters to the Editor

September 19, 2003

Smiles of the newborn
From Dr Joanna Hawthorne

Sir, It is reassuring to see the interest in the foetus smiling in the womb (report and photograph, September 13). But the suggestion that babies normally smile from six weeks old is now considered an old wives? tale, along with the assertion that smiles in young babies are the result of wind.
Psychologists and those who work closely with newborn babies, let alone most parents, know that facial movements at birth can quickly become a social smile if recognised as such. Parents and carers who smile back will have the baby smiling at them long before six weeks. Babies are highly competent social beings from birth, and now we have the scientific knowledge to back this up.

Yours faithfully,
JOANNA HAWTHORNE
(Research psychologist),

All four of mine smiled at around three weeks and to be honest, it was a slightly different facial movment to that from wind. Or maybe it just seeemed different because it was a conscious response to seeing someones face.

Dd2 used to laugh in her sleep, almost from birth! It was actually quite scary and unearthly because I've never heard of babies doing that and I didn't know why she was doing it - surely not a funny dream at 10 days old??

My third was def earlier - prob because I was happier!

BTW did anybody see the photo this week of the actual baby who was the first to have the 3D smiling foetal picture taken? Can't remember where I saw it but she is absolutely gorgeous (about 12 months now) and you could recognise her from the image - she has a slightly crooked smile.
Lovely!

I saw the pic but it just looked like the baby was pulling a face, to me, rather than actually smiling, iykwim. I didn't see the photo of the baby at 12mths, though, so maybe that comparison makes a different.

I am sure my DD smiled very early on, and it wa =s definietly a different expression from when she had wind - that certainly didn't look like a smile, more a grimace. I was convinced DD was smiling as a result of everyone else smiling at her.

mine was smiling at 1 mo at faces but particulary at me bit later

My DS smiled bang on 6 weeks ... but not at me... but then I didn't smile much at him in those days

mine did a proper smile bang on 6 weeks too (it was my birthday - who could ask for a better pressy!)