How to Make a Baby Laugh

Baby giggles are among the most delicious sounds known to mankind.

Some of my other favorites include tires driving over wet pavement, toddlers singing Jesus Loves Me, and the sound of a child’s breathing just as he falls asleep.

But the baby giggles—I’m pretty sure—universally make humans smile. Once they start, you just want to keep them going. Am I wrong?

I started a little game when Miryam was a baby.

Now, Miryam was not an easily amused baby. Our go-to adjective to describe her was always “stoic.” Well-meaning strangers, especially in checkout lines, would try to interact with her, and she would just stare them down. We speculated about her thoughts: “Do something that’s actually clever. I’m not impressed.”

The first time I heard Miryam giggle was when Granny came to visit and played “Riding on a horse-y going to town…” I didn’t even know babies that young could laugh. What did I know?

Later when I started this game, though, I discovered that I had discovered a way to bring out her little cheeky smile (and giggles!) on command.

Luke was less stoic. He was absolutely the most photogenic of our children. It was easier to make him smile, and capture it. I played this game with him, too.

Cecily is by far my smiliest baby. She just loves to have someone make eye contact and talk to her. Mom, dad, sister, brother, grandma, rando in the checkout line… She’s probably my giggliest baby, too. And she loves my game.

How To:

This works best when the baby is already calm. I usually do it during and after diaper changes. Cecily likes being put on the changing table for a diaper change. She’s figured out she gets my undivided attention (and eye contact; instead of facing out held up by one arm on my hip) for a few minutes.

“Do you need a diape-y?” *BIG smile*

(How can you not baby-talk to a stinkin cute smiling baby?)

To prolong her gummy smiles and elicit those baby giggles, I start the game:

I look concerned, look around in four or five spots near the baby without looking at her face. Sometimes I’ll ask aloud, “Where’d she go?” to get into character as though I can’t see her.

The punchline is to look at her face/in her eyes, finally, with a little gasp; maybe a “There she is!” Babies love this. I can do it a dozen times in a row and I get giggles every time I make eye contact.

So, it’s really similar to peek-a-boo, but I have found that younger babies respond to this particular version better. Maybe it’s because they don’t have object permanence yet, so it’s better because they can still see Mom the whole time; I don’t know for sure.

If I prolong the “searching” phase, sometimes I get premature giggles out of Cecily as she anticipates what’s coming. She’s only 5 months. Her laughter is so bubbly. Her smile is so melting. I play this game with her daily to hear her sweet giggles. And even Luke (now 3) still finds it funny. I had both of them laughing for a solid five minutes this afternoon. Part of the entertainment for Luke may have been his infatuation with his little sister, and his inability to resist her giggles, too. He is human, after all.

Another way to make a baby laugh is, of course, by tickling. However, with Cecily in particular, I can tell the difference between a delighted giggle and an involuntary reaction giggle. I know laughter doesn’t always equal fun when it comes to tickling, so I try to read her cues and not push it. In the right mood, though, tickling-induced giggling can be just as fun as anticipation games giggling. But it almost never lasts as long.

Let me know if you try this game with a baby in your life! It’s heart medicine for me. Loooooove the baby giggles.