A smile is the first foundation of warm, loving and responsive relationships.

These relationships are the foundation for your baby’s development. Through these relationships, infants and young children learn to think, understand, communicate, and express emotions. In fact, giving and receiving a smile is the first step your child takes toward learning how to be sociable and have good relationships.

Smiling at your baby is great for your early relationship with your baby. It helps you bond with your baby and helps him or her feel secure and safe.

Additionally, when your baby smiles a lot, it tells him a lot about the world – that it’s a safe, secure place where people are happy, friendly, and responsive to his needs.

Maybe you can’t help but smile at your child. And of course, seeing your baby smile at you also makes you feel happy!

Smiles are positive experiences that are important right from the start. Smiling teaches your child so much about themselves and their world, when they are too young to understand words.

When you and your baby laugh at each other, your bodies release chemicals that make you both feel happy and safe. On the other hand, if the baby feels insecure or stressed, the amount of stress hormones in the baby’s body will increase.

Different chemicals interact with the baby’s nervous system in different ways and even play a role in how the brain grows and develops. For example, high levels of stress hormones can hinder a child’s learning and affect their development and overall health.+

No smile is wasted
It’s worth remembering that a simple smile is the foundation of your relationship with your child. Your face is where your baby looks for comforting responses, comfort, and attention.

Not every answer you give is important, but the more often you laugh with your baby, the better. So whenever you see your baby watching your face, a smile is a great way to tell them that you notice, appreciate, love and cherish them.

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