Babies typically start laughing around 3 to 4 months of age. This milestone usually follows their first social smiles, which begin around 6 to 8 weeks old. Early laughter is often a reaction to surprising, exciting, or joyful stimuli such as funny faces, silly sounds, or playful interactions like peekaboo. Around 4 months, babies' brains develop the ability to recognize and respond to these stimuli with laughter, reflecting social and emotional growth. Laughing is a more advanced skill than smiling because it involves vocalization and social engagement. By 5 to 6 months, babies often start associating laughter with social interaction and use it as a way to communicate joy or engage with others. At around 9 months, babies typically laugh in response to social games like peekaboo. In summary:
- First smiles appear around 6 to 8 weeks.
- First giggles or early laughter typically occur around 3 to 4 months.
- More robust laughter and laughter in response to social games emerge by 5 to 9 months.
This timeline can vary, and individual babies may reach these milestones at slightly different ages, which is normal.
