12 Ways to Make Your Baby Smile
By Kelly Bryant
Seeing your baby smile, particularly for the first time, is one of the most rewarding moments as a parent. Moms share their favorite memories of how they made their newborns start grinning from ear to ear.
You've Got Mail
“The sound of shredding paper would make my son, Lucas, smile, and then eventually laugh, uncontrollably. It amazed me how something as simple as ripping up old mail could bring such joy to the little guy. I found myself constantly looking for more junk mail to strip.” - Chenoa S.
Mirror, Mirror
“Isabella has always loved seeing herself in the mirror and from a very young age started kissing that cute “baby in the mirror.” She still kisses the mirror every time she sees herself. It’s super cute. It also makes me smile!” - Jennifer V.
Chicken Dance
“I’m not sure how my husband came up with this, but he started making chicken noises and ‘pecking’ our son Benjamin”s tummy, which resulted in huge smiles. At first we thought it was a fluke but it became one of his favorite ‘games’ and it works like a charm on his cousin, Jack, who is just a few months younger, as well.” – Brianna K.
Word Scramble
“Both my husband and I were always shameless about getting our daughter, Grace, to smile. We would try absolutely anything. We actually found that putting random words together and repeating them in funny voices would make her just beam. Her favorite combination was when we would say, “Yahooooo sushi!” So weird and so silly, but it was easy and, I would say, nine times out of 10 it worked.” - Amanda G.
Animal House
“When we first brought Avery, our daughter, home from the hospital we were so worried about how our dog, Ruby, would interact with her. It turned out that Ruby is the best form of entertainment for our baby. The puppy doesn’t have to do much to make Avery smile. As soon as Avery catches Ruby in her line of sight she grins. We’re so thrilled that both of our girls get along so well!” - Becky C.
Cake Boss
“The thought of playing Pat-a-Cake with my son, Chase, never really crossed my mind until I saw the way he would smile when his grandma would engage him in a round of it. It quickly became a special bonding activity between the two of them. The only problem is that once my mom starts the ‘game,’ Chase doesn’t let her stop!” - Janelle W.
One Baby to Another
“My little boy loves looking at other babies. That always makes him smile — he even kisses the picture of the baby on his cereal box! I bought him a book that contains pictures of babies laughing and each page makes him smile. It’s unbelievably sweet.” - Catherine G.
Musical Genius
“Mia smiles when I sing her favorite song, ‘Snuggle Puppy,’ from the book of the same name by Sandra Boynton. She loves when we sit in the glider and I read the story to her as well, but the grins really get going once the song starts. She’s the only person in the world who actually appreciates my horrible singing voice.” - Stacy M.
Shadow Me
“At first I couldn’t figure out what was making my son, Liam, stop nursing and smile at the ceiling while we sat in our rocker at feeding time. Then I realized he was smiling at some non-descript shadows up above. If something so simple can make him smile like that I’m happy to sit in the rocker all day!” - Alyson W.
Diaper Duty
“Never in a million years did I think I’d actually look forward to changing a baby’s diaper so much, but my daughter, Olivia, smiles so big during the process that, believe it or not, it makes it fun. Friends and family think I’m crazy when I invite them to help me change her so they can see her smile. They’re sure I’m just luring them over to pawn the diaper duties off on them!” - Melissa B.
Super Baby
“My husband and I hold Leah up in the air and “fly” her around the room while we hum the Superman theme song. We’re not sure if it”s being up high that she gets such a kick out of, or the accompanying music from mommy and daddy, but it never fails to make her smile.” - Georgia C.
Tummy Time
“I remember AJ first truly smiling while I rubbed his tummy and made tickle sounds in his ear. Months later he still loves it and we’ve even developed a tummy rub song to go along with the fun. Knowing that I can do something that results in that much smiling makes me feel like I must be doing something right — and that’s the best feeling in the world!”
- Jillian T.
