Looking at the baby smiling or even a little chuckle while they’re sleeping is the most heartwarming and lovely thing to witness at the same time it tickles our brain to question, why do babies laugh in their sleep?
Babies often smile in their sleep because their brains are rapidly developing and processing new sensations, which can trigger reflexive expressions. These early smiles are usually involuntary and a normal part of healthy infant sleep cycles. Following are the stages of Infant sleep
Stages Of Sleep In Newborns
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The sleep cycle for newborns comprises three stages of sleep:
Quiet Sleep
In newborns, quiet sleep is the first and most restful stage of their sleep cycle. It’s similar to deep sleep in adults. Quiet sleep (also called ‘deep sleep’ or ‘non-REM sleep’) is a stage where the baby is very still, breathing slowly and evenly, with almost no movement. Their face stays relaxed, and they usually don’t make sounds or expressions. This stage helps with growth, brain development, and physical recovery.
Indeterminate Sleep
Indeterminate sleep in newborns is a stage where their sleep doesn’t clearly fit into either quiet sleep (deep sleep) or active sleep (light, dream-like sleep). It’s basically a transition phase between the two.
In this stage, a baby may show mixed or unpredictable signs – their breathing pattern may change slightly, they might twitch a little, move their arms or legs briefly, or shift facial expressions. Because their nervous system is still developing. In simple terms, indeterminate sleep is the in-between stage where newborns move from one sleep state to another, showing a blend of both calm and active behaviours. It’s normal, short, and part of healthy infant sleep development.
Active Sleep
Active sleep, which is considered the third stage of a newborn’s sleep cycle, is a light and lively phase where babies show a lot more movement and expression compared to other stages, a sign that their brain is growing fast and working hard even while they rest. It closely resembles REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep in adults.
Is It Usual For Babies To Laugh And Smile In Sleep?
Children often smile in their sleep for a mix of simple, heartwarming reasons.
In the early months, these smiles are mostly reflexive tiny, automatic expressions that appear as their nervous system develops. But as they grow, their brains stay actively busy even at rest, processing new sights, sounds and experiences from the day, which can spark those gentle sleep-time grins.
Some smiles may come from the comfort and security they feel while resting, while others appear when they enter deeper sleep stages where dreaming begins. Whether it’s a soothing sensation, a pleasant dream, or just natural reflexes at work, a child’s sleepy smile is often a small reminder of their rapid growth and the peaceful world they experience while asleep.
What To Remember
Most babies smile or even let out soft giggles in their sleep, and it’s usually nothing more than a natural reflex linked to their early development. These sleepy expressions often appear long before their first intentional smile at around two months or their first proper laugh closer to six months.
During active sleep, when their brains are buzzing with dream-like activity, infants may smile, twitch, or mimic familiar facial expressions without being fully aware of it. For the vast majority of newborns, these nighttime smiles are a completely normal part of growing up.
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