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continued from page 31should take great pleasure in this happy emotion.%u201cYour child%u2019s first laugh means he%u2019s started to develop a sense of humor,%u201d says Dr. Acredolo. %u201cThis is a huge emotional milestone. It signifies that your baby is happy and feels secure.%u201dIn the beginning, touch is most likely to bring about laughter, so try lightly tickling your baby %u2013 especially at the end of songs and rhymes.As your baby gets older, he%u2019ll be able to tell when you%u2019re actually trying to be funny, whether it%u2019s by making wacky faces, blowing raspberries or playing games like peekaboo.Feeling silly doing this stuff? Don%u2019t! %u201cSharing a sense of humor with your baby is key to a healthy bond,%u201d says Dr. Acredolo. %u201cAfter all, babies fall in love not just with the people who feed and change them, but also with the people who make them laugh.%u201dYour 6-month-old babbles up a storm.You think: She%u2019s trying to tell me something.What%u2019s actually going on: Babbling is just that: babble. %u201cBabies play with their vocal cords like they play with their fingers and toes,%u201d says Dr. Acredolo.There are two areas of the brain that control language, one primitive and one more mature.%u201cAt this age, the primitive skills are in full swing as your baby begins to make a range of sounds and tries out a variety of intonations that mimic adult conversation,%u201d explains Dr. Brown.When she%u2019s closer to a year old, her mature language skills will kick in and she%u2019ll be able to associate words with objects. And even though her early chatter isn%u2019t code for %u201cGive me more milk,%u201d it%u2019s still an important part of language development.%u201cAnswer your baby%u2019s babble, and encourage her to keep making sounds,%u201d says Dr. Brown.%u201cYou%u2019re laying the groundwork for healthy verbal give-and-take as your child gets older.%u201dYour 9-month-old tosses his food or plate onto the floor.You think: He doesn%u2019t like what I%u2019m feeding him.What%u2019s actually going on: Unless your little one also sticks out his lower lip and tongue and spits out his food (both are ways a baby displays disgust), your meal is probably fine. Your baby is just curious and exploring. %u201cBabies throw things to see what happens to them,%u201d explains Dr. Brown. %u201cIt%u2019s that simple.%u201dSome parents misread this action, along with the throw-toys-out-of-the-crib game, as testing limits. But that%u2019s not it. %u201cBabies throw because it%u2019s fun, not because they%u2019re being manipulative,%u201d says Dr. Acredolo.If you need a break from the flinging, try filling a tissue box with old washcloths and hankies, then let your baby pull and throw to his heart%u2019s delight.When babies drop utensils, plates or food from their highchair to thefloor, they are just curious and trying to discover what happens. %u201cBabies throw because it%u2019s fun%u201d %u2013 plain and simple. 32 alaska parent winter 2025/26 AlaskaParent.com