General News
11 October, 2025
Smiles with Sally: Baby smiles
Sally Pymer brings us another intriguing look at the power of a smile this week, marvelling that even a baby who cannot see will smile in response to you because we are hardwired to smile. Enjoy!
Look, look, they’re smiling!!
Have you ever noticed how quickly we start looking for a baby’s first smile?
It’s like this little milestone that suggests you are seen, and are liked.
We wait for it, wondering if it is a genuine smile or just wind.
Those first smiles provide an amazing sense of connection and melt so many hearts.
What you may not know, and is absolutely beautiful, is that even blind babies smile.
They can’t see your face, but they still respond.
It’s hardwired, and from infancy, smiling becomes one of the first tools we use to form bonds with others.
Research shows when you smile at a child, you’re not just sharing joy; you’re building trust, helping shape their brain, and laying the foundation for how they will connect with the world.
That tells us something very significant; in that smiling isn’t something we’re taught.
It’s something we’re wired for and one of the first ways we know how to connect before words ever arrive.
When a baby doesn’t smile back straight away, we don’t panic or take it personally.
We just keep smiling, keep showing up, and keep believing the connection will come, and eventually it does.
The sad thing is often when it comes to adults, we’re a bit quicker to give up.
We smile at a stranger in the supermarket or at school pick up, and if they don’t return it, we might feel awkward or invisible.
We may look away or stop trying, but it’s worth considering that maybe that person is like the baby who isn’t quite ready yet.
We don’t know what people are carrying.
Maybe they’re deep in thought or have had a tough morning.
Maybe they’ve spent years being overlooked and don’t know what to do with kindness when it shows up.
Just because someone doesn’t smile back doesn’t mean they didn’t feel yours.
Your presence might have spoken to them in a way they weren’t expecting.
A smile can say, I see you, without a single word.
Here’s what I’ve learned. A smile is never wasted. It doesn’t need to be big or perfect. It doesn’t need to be returned to be meaningful.
Smiling is a quiet act of courage. It’s choosing connection in a world that often teaches us to stay guarded.
And yes, sometimes smiling is hard; especially when you feel unseen yourself, but I promise, it matters. It’s the simplest way to remind someone that they’re not alone in the world and they still belong.
So if you ever wonder whether your smile made a difference, remember the baby who needed time, and remember that connection doesn't always look like instant feedback.
Sometimes, it’s a slow unfolding. Sometimes, it’s planting a seed you won’t get to see grow.
We don’t give up smiling at babies. So maybe we shouldn’t give up on each other either.