Worried about baby not smiling yet..

[Lacrymosa]

I'm from the August DDC, but my baby asia was actually born on July 15th.

Anyways, she will be 8 weeks old on wednesday and I'm a little worried because she doesn't seem to be smiling yet. Maybe 2-3 times a day I can get her to smile and I can't tell if it's completely random or in response to me. I interact with her a lot and don't seem to be making much progress. I'm worried she could be having a developmental problem since everyone keeps telling me she should be smiling by now, and maybe even laughing!

So I'm just wondering if anyone elses babies aren't smiling yet at 8 weeks, or if you think I should be worried?

[stik]

Babies all hit milestones at their own speed. People don't always appreciate that when interacting with a specific baby. She may just be taking a slightly different path. Honestly, 8 weeks sounds early to me for laughing.

That said, if you're worried about it and you're in the US, it would be a great idea to call your state's early intervention program.

[melamama]

I think you're within the range. I don't have a baby book handy (thinking like the Sears' Baby Book), but I'm pretty sure that most of the developmental milestones have a range of a few weeks.

My dd was born a week after yours and she's really only starting to smile this week, and she gets tons of interactions from her siblings. So I don't think 8 weeks is too "late".

Also for many of the milestones there is no sign, then suddenly they do it. I would definitely give your pede a call if you're worried though.

My first just wasn't a smiler though (and it's sort of nerve wracking and exhausting for a new parent) but now she's a pretty regular 9yo (who still only smiles when she feels like it)

[bananababies]

I swear my first didn't smile til she was 4 months. She's 3 now, and has absolutely no developmental delays. She was just a very serious baby! My son was born a few days after yours and he's just starting to smile and coo. No laughing yet at all. I think you babe is in the range of normal.

[askew]

My dd was born on the 5th and just recently started really smiling often. As in more than once a day. Maybe in the last week she has really picked up. But, she is a crabby baby and when she is screaming in my ear she isn't likely to smile. Even now she has maybe 3-4 times a day that she gets smiley and then will crack one smile after another for a few minutes. She just laughed for the first time Sunday. At herself in the mirror of all things! Not at the silly faces or noises I make.

FWIW- I read 12 weeks is the outside limit for the smiling milestone, and at that point they start to look for a problem with vision.