What age does a baby start smiling (not just gas smiles)?
Some babies smile the moment they are born. There are no gas smiles. Smiling is instinctive. Even animals smile. Our dog smiles. She curls up her lip in such a way as to display her incisors but keep her canine teeth hidden. It’s as if to say,”Look at my teeth. I’m a healthy specimen for mating. I don’t want you to see my canine teeth though, because I mean you no harm.” In other words, the dog is being simultaneously inviting and submissive. That’s generally what a smile means with humans. The baby is instinctively talking to you when he smiles. He is saying “Please love me.” Anyway, most babies will not smile for a few days at least, because they are unaware of any outer reality. Some humans are precocious at birth though. They will prop themselves up on their elbows, look around and smile at the doctor!
