Our daughter is 5 weeks old and we've seen a few smiles but I can't tell if they're real or just gas. My mom keeps calling them real smiles but what does she know. The pediatrician said to expect genuine smiles around 6-8 weeks. Anyone else have this confusion? What was your experience? I want to know I'm not missing some major milestone here.
Five weeks is still pretty much all gas smiles honestly. You'll know the real ones when they start happening around 8-10 weeks. It's amazing when it clicks and they smile at you because they recognize you. Enjoy the wait because it's coming soon.
Those gas smiles are real smiles too in my book. Every goofy grin from my kid made me smile back like an idiot. Social smiles come soon enough but honestly the random ones are just as sweet.
We had the same question at 5 weeks. Honestly it doesn't really matter if they're gas or real at that point, just soak it all in. Those early weeks go so fast.
At 5 weeks you could definitely be seeing both! My daughter did the same thing. The real smiles are usually paired with eye contact and happen when you talk to her or make faces. Either way it's magical even if it's just gas.
Those early smiles are the best mystery! Around 6-8 weeks they usually start doing the real social smiles, so you're probably seeing a mix right now. The gas smiles are real too though haha, just not directed at you. Keep watching for the ones that happen when she sees your face.
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The gas smiles are hilarious though. My daughter had these little grins at that age and I was convinced she was just the happiest baby ever until I realized what was actually happening. The real smiles will come soon and they're different, I promise.