Why do babies smile in their sleep?

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asked May 28, 2019 in Baby/Newborn by Dwarfer778 (270 points)
Why do babies smile in their sleep?

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answered May 28, 2019 by Cathy21 (85,770 points)
The reason babies sometimes smile in their sleep is Neonatal Smiling which happens from birth to one month of age.

The Neonatal smiles happen during drowsiness or during the stages of REM sleep.

When a baby smiles in their sleep the babies smiles are subcortical in origin and will actually decrease with maturity.

Premature babies actually smile more in their sleep than full term babies do.

It's natural and it's actually cute as well but it soon will stop and you'll actually miss those cute smiles in the babies sleep.
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answered Sep 8, 2022 by Glorybee (14,280 points)
When babies smile in their sleep it's called neonatal smiling or reflex smiles which is a normal reflex that the baby cannot control.

A baby smiling while they are sleeping or sometimes at other times does not always mean the baby is happy or thinking about something happy.

Babies smiles are called “reflex smiles.”

Babies start reflex smiling before birth and continue to do so as newborns.

These smiles happen randomly and reflex smiling usually stops around 2 months after birth, right around the same time you can expect baby's first real smile.

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