Welcoming a newborn home means entering into a phase of life that involves experiencing many emotions.
One of the emotions is the need to see your baby constantly happy and giggling.
It’s only when the baby grows a little and becomes more aware of their surroundings that he starts smiling and giving bouts of laughter.
It’s a fantastic feeling to see your baby happy, so you might want to tickle it. Ever thought about what happens in the baby’s brain when they get tickled?
When Do Babies Get Ticklish?
As parents, you will only want to tickle your baby a little because you want to see them laugh and play.
You barely think about what they are actually feeling.
Many researchers and child experts concluded that nobody knows precisely what brain action is prompted by tickling inside the baby.
Babies do not generally laugh until around six months.
They do not even respond very much to the action of tickling until they reach six months of age.
After that, they feel the tickles but don’t really associate with the tickler or the person laughing, and they will instead feel the sensation and laugh/respond.
How a baby will respond to a tickle is different for all babies.
Evoking a response from a baby after a tickle can be challenging because we never know what they feel unless they have grown up a little bit.
Not all infants need to like or dislike being tickled absolutely. Some babies might display a very neutral reaction to the act of tickling, and it’s natural.
However, that tepid reaction may be a result of instead developing or no sensory awareness whatsoever.
It is only when the infants grow that their responses change because of increased awareness.
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1. Basic Issues with Tickling
Ticking is definitely a sure shot way to get anybody laughing, but it isn’t always true in the case of babies.
They may not have a pleasant experience and can’t even tell that. As new parents, you have to identify when that happens.
Babies can cry the most to tell they don’t like it and instead feel all the discomfort that comes with it. That’s a sign you should stop.
Experts suggest that ticking shouldn’t be done until your baby is old enough to tell if he likes the experience.
Until your baby can communicate clearly, you should stick to light touch on the belly and feet.
2. Tickling as Per Science
Science suggests that someone’s response to laughter to tickling may be somewhat automated.
It’s as natural as coughing or sneezing that you can’t even control without significant effort.
Not all babies will have a pleasant experience. It totally depends on what size they are in the current moment and whether they can understand enough to respond.
The sad part is that your kid couldn’t tell about his discomfort because of the uncontrollable bouts of laughter.
We must understand we might hurt the baby in the process of tickling aggressively. Therefore, one must be extremely watchful when it’s with your babies.
3. What Should You Do Instead?
If you are looking to have a good time with your babies that involves playful contact and great laughter, skip tickling and play little games that will help the purpose.
Parents start with tickling because it’s convenient, and they think it will help bond with the child, but this is not the case as it might only make them uncomfortable.
You can get imaginative in your techniques, nibble the toes and blow raspberries in the tummy that will cause them the tickle and a more light and lovable form.
Ensure their laughter is short and between intervals, so they can breathe nicely, and nothing causes them to feel restless.
Summary
When Do Babies Get Ticklish? If you are friends with your parents, you will know how to identify when the babies get ticklish.
The experience is different for all infants, and it may not be a pleasant one for all of them; some might enjoy it; for others, it may be discomforting, and one needs to identify that for their baby.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is It Okay to Tickle A Three-Month-Old Baby?
Some gentle tickling for your baby will work wonders for his mood.
That kind of physical connection between parents and the baby is essential for their physical development.
Hugs and playful tickling will be great if your child likes them.
Is My Two-Month-Old Ticklish?
It doesn’t make a difference even when you tickle the toes of a newborn because the reaction that they give that of wiggling the feet is natural to all babies.
They don’t relate the sensation to the tickler.
Why Is Tickling Not Good for Babies?
Tickling a helpless baby is not a nice thing to do. But, because they can’t precisely tell or communicate what they are feeling, it will be plain cruelty to tickle them to our mood.
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Iesha is a loving mother of 2 beautiful children. She’s an active parent who enjoys indoor and outdoor adventures with her family. Her mission is to share practical and realistic parenting advice to help the parenting community becoming stronger.
