What is hidden behind the gentle smile of a baby during sleep? Is it just a reflex response or does this facial expression have a deeper meaning? Do babies dream while sleeping?
Scientists and pediatricians have been dealing with the question of why babies laugh during sleep for many years. This phenomenon, which fascinates and moves us with its tenderness, is the subject of many studies and researches.
Is this just a coincidence or perhaps something with a deeper scientific explanation?
Newborns do not yet have a sufficiently developed brain to dream in the full sense of the word, sleep and facial expressions play an important role during this period.
Why do babies laugh while they sleep?
Researchers have found that babies' smiling during sleep is probably the result involuntary reflex. However, this is not just a coincidence – this spontaneous expression of joy can reveal more about a child's inner world than we might think.
During sleep, babies go through different stages of sleep.
During the rapid eye movement (REM) stage, also known as the active stage of sleep, babies make a variety of facial movements, including with a smile. These facial expressions are crucial to the development of a child's face and muscles and are linked to their future social skills.
In addition, babies' smiles and cries are basic means of communication, which children use to express their feelings and needs.
From birth, babies respond to positive stimuli such as gentle touches and familiar voices – with spontaneous smiles. This alone shows their ability to experience positive feelings.
Newborn sleep it plays a key role in the development of the brain, information processing and the formation of the first memories that begin to form already in the womb. This process can be seen in how babies recognize their mother's or father's voice a few hours after birth, which indicates the beginning of memory formation and recognition of close people.
Although babies do not yet have a developed memory or ability to think, it is important to understand that smiling during sleep is an important part of their development.
A smiling baby during sleep represents such a gentle transition between an unconscious reflex and the beginnings of feeling positive and soothing stimuli. This facial muscle expression is like a window into the child's inner world, which he explores and develops in his first days of life.
While the baby still dreams of unknown worlds, his smile reveals something extremely magical! His ability to express happiness and joy that awakens from the very beginning.