Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

How do you make your baby laugh?

50 replies

snowleopard · 15/03/2006 22:53

We want to make DS laugh! He's 9 months and has been laughing since about 3 months but proper bellylaughs are few and far between - he grins a lot instead. He seems to become jaded at things - he likes peekaboo and it made him laugh at first, now he just smiles - and yesterday he laughed his head off at the cat leaping at a cat toy, but having seen it again today he's a bit "yeah whatever".

Cue me and DP leaping around like loons, puttin gobjects on our heads, making daft noises etc. and DS just giving us indulgent smiles. We never know what will really set him off. So please tell me what makes your baby laugh?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

cab · 16/03/2006 00:39

round and round the garden crept a ,,,, and tickle uner there
tummy kisses
peek a boo with blankets in cots
kisses through blankets
big sis

wabbitintheheadlamps · 16/03/2006 00:46

I think some babies don't do the belly laughing that much - ds (6 months) isn't one for loud displays of mirth - but he's a real smiler and greets everyone with an open expectancy that his smile will be returned... dd on the other hand was always a performer for reactions that she'd laugh at.
They're just all different, we're quite a quiet family (compared to dd's friends households) so I guess he's reflecting this.
The one thing he did just loose himself in laughter at was my friends pet dogs bouncing around and barking - he just found it hilarious

threebob · 16/03/2006 02:03

How much do you laugh yourselves - a really big belly laugh? Him belly laughing is surprise, his smile is showing you that he knows what comes next. Take it as a sign of intelligence.

Dinker · 16/03/2006 08:32

Jumping. Quick and easy

Original poster

snowleopard · 16/03/2006 09:18

Interesting threebob - it's true he laughs most when surprised. He smiles all the time. We do laugh and smile a lot - my HV predicted DS would smile early because I was "smiley" and she was right - but although we laugh a lot, he doesn't. He is one of those babies with a real "seen it all before" look on his face which was remarked on from birth.

It does mean that when he does laugh we are thrilled and really treasure it... we caught it on video one time and I love that video (when he watches it, of course, he just smiles...)

OP posts:

Lio · 16/03/2006 09:36

Repetition, like looking away from him then suddenly towards him grinning. Then looking away again...

2Happy · 16/03/2006 09:37

Tickles, raspberries etc But also saying "cheeky monkey" in a Jonny Vegas style - why I have no idea, but he finds it hilarious. But only if I don't overuse it, because then he does the same as your lo and just has this "yeah, yeah, seen it before" look on his face. He also likes it when I put one of his socks on my hand and pretend he's "Mr Sock" and nibble his nose (with the sock)(he's only 9mo BTW). The things we do to get a laugh....

bumbleweed · 16/03/2006 09:47

juggling with oranges, especially when I drop them

bubbles - especially if we prance around pouncing on them

kitbit · 16/03/2006 09:54

we used to swing ds up and down: put one hand behind his shoulders and the other under his bum and bend over forwards with him dangling between your knees, then swing up and down (but not just after lunch obviously!)
also anything throwing him (carefully!) about, tumbling, tickling, lying on the floor with him on my tummy and rolling side to side, holding him horizontally about 6 inches over the bed and dropping him onto the duvet (a big build up is good..."here we go...here we go...woooooooOOOOOOOO WHEEEE!!!") as he was really getting the hang of anticipation at that age too

have fun!!

kipper22 · 16/03/2006 12:16

ds is similar snowleopard - will often look at us like we're mad for being silly.
usually reacts most to more boisterous behaviour - being held in the air or upside down or being nuzzled in the belly by a head! also really love peek-a-boo but only when we do it by throwing a muslin square on his head for him to pull of and grin about (generally he's off his rocker )

BibBabBob · 16/03/2006 19:12

snowleopard - your ds sounds just like ours! We've spent the last week trying to make him smile for a photo for my dad's 60th with very little results. A friend of mine casually mentioned that her son laughed his head off when dp pretended to headbut a lampshade so may be worth a go.

BettySpaghetti · 16/03/2006 19:24

DS would laugh at anything his big sister did. One of his favourites was when she blew up a balloon and let it go so it flew round the room noisily. DS responded with real belly laughs and poor DD was dizzy from constantly blowing the balloon up!

BettySpaghetti · 16/03/2006 19:25

Lauraa83 · 16/03/2006 20:28

When ds was about 9 or 10m, I got him on camcorder totally and I mean totally cracking up laughing! I do keep meaning to send it to you've been framed..........I was trying to throw a rolled up jumper into the top shelf of the airing cupboard and it just kept rolling back out! His laugh was so brilliant so I did it about 50times:o

Also the noise of sellotape being peeled off the roll - ripping cardboard up and looking shocked! - and rubbing a sheet of paper over the carpet like mad?!

Original poster

snowleopard · 16/03/2006 23:08

Oooh I like these - we've got some special balloons that squeak when you blow them up and let them go... will dig them out.

Well results for today dear MNers - I made DS laugh a bit by falling over. But it was a lot of effort and just a desultory chuckle so stopped after 3 stunt falls. When DP got home, he had more success when DS was on the changing mat, by hitting himself in the face with a (clean!) nappy then yelling "ow!" I continued the theme by whacking him on the head with another nappy. DS fell about and then we realised we weren't setting him a very good example!

Had fun though :)

OP posts:

Miaou · 16/03/2006 23:14

heavy breathing. Dd1 did it today and ds did huge belly laughs (as did I!)

Kids are just soooo ace...[fuzzy warm feeling emoticon]

m4ya · 16/03/2006 23:59

hey everyone my ds laughs hysterically if you laugh really loud like a crazy person or shuffle our faces on his belly. He also loves it when we play peek-a-boo, laughs so much he has to stop and take a deep breath! Its well sweet!

KVG · 17/03/2006 12:40

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

prettyfly1 · 17/03/2006 13:58

running round and round my kitchen shouting zzzzzzzzoooommmmm, prancing round him and hopping from toe to toe and hanging him upside down on my back and running around shouting "ahhhh, theres a monkey on my back theres a monkey on my back" also anything his grandad does and my knitted socks with cows on make him cry with laughter. he is only 10 half months and he has this huge booming belly laugh - makes me die :) :)

fransmom · 18/03/2006 11:31

me and dd watched a pre-schoolers thing called jojo's circus yesterday, it was the one with the giggle popcorn where they dance to make the popcorn pop. i did a silly dance to a shake and pop rhythm and she laughed her socks off. loud-ish boo noises and tickling under her chin when she's leaning backwards seems to work

charliemouse2 · 18/03/2006 20:40

My 7 month old loves it if you pretend to 'eat' his fingers and toes. He also likes it if you smack your lips close to his ear and around his mouth. He always laughs at that! Also, he laughs at this: I say 1,2,3 in a 'building up the tension' kind of way, then do a big gesture and loud noise (of any kind, animals, whizzes, pops...whatever comes to mind!). He loves it even more if you change it each time. Good Luck and may the laughter commence! :)

kipper22 · 19/03/2006 11:46

7 month ds found it very funny to turn my cream carpet brown last night when he was having 'naked time'. not sure i'd reccommend this approach though!

tigermoth · 19/03/2006 11:54

a fake 'ah...ah...ah...TISHO' sneeze always made my baby sons laugh, especially when I built up suspense by spacing the 'ahs' at irregular intervals, so the 'TISHO' bit came as a big
surprise.

kipper22 · 20/03/2006 15:43

have you seen this thread?
www.mumsnet.com/Talk?reverse=1&topicid=9&threadid=156829&rnd=9502578087479394

lunarx · 21/03/2006 10:15

besides tickling, i make animal sounds, stand like a crane (one leg in the air), balance one leg on the counter top (and he walks under the balance leg, great fun!), i brush my hair down in front of my face and shake my head, i chase him around the kitchen (which usually results in shrieking and laughter)...

sure there are more things we do, just cant think of 'em right now!! (ds is 21 months :))

Flip

1 2