The first little smile and the heaven-sent gurgles of laughter that baby shares with us are truly magic moments in the early days of parenthood. But when does a baby chuckle start to develop into a true sense of humour?

"A baby is socially very complex from the moment they're born," says Dr Paul Hutchins, Head of the Child Development Unit at The Children's Hospital at Westmead in Sydney. 

"Babies smile in response to another person's smile within weeks of birth. In the early months babies are responding to physical fun, like a tickle or a raspberry on the tummy, with a smile and a laugh." And baby's sense of humour simply starts to flourish from here, just as crawling leads to walking and babbling leads to a little one speaking in a complete sentence.

"Do funny parents have funny kids?"
Strictly speaking, there's no funny gene. A sense of humour is not inherited, but we've all met families that share similar characteristics - the laid-back family, the highly-strung family, the never-crack-a-smile family or the laugh-a-lot family. "All human qualities tend to be traits that exist in families, and that applies to emotional responses, like happiness, feeling anxious and displaying humour," says Dr Hutchins. When it comes down to it, babies are fine mimics. If you're having a laugh, chances are baby is trying to enjoy the joke too.

Valerie and Carrington, mummy and daddy to two-and-a-half year old Billy, fall into the 'funny family' category: "Without wanting to sound like an idiot?we're funny people," says Valerie. "We like laughing, and spend quite a bit of time and effort making each other laugh. So I guess Billy has always been immersed in that. We couldn't help but make stupid faces and voices when we were bathing him and changing nappies. Billy's always loved tickling games too, and loves when unexpected tickling occurs. In our house, Incy-Wincy Spider turns into a tickle spider at the end of the song. To Billy, that's hilarious."

"But what if I'm not a funny mummy?"
Baby's developing humour is not all about watching parents cracking jokes and acting the twit. As Dr Hutchins says, "The most important thing is to encourage fun and playfulness from the earliest of days. Some parents are inherently more playful than others and find it easier to talk and play with their children. All parents have to be themselves and we know the most effective style of parenting is to give love, clarity, encouragement and confidence."

A sense of humour can be passed on to your children in subtle ways that you're not necessarily aware of. Alexandra Diamond, an Early Childhood Lecturer at the University of South Australia, talks about the particular brand of humour that can develop in your household. Just like there is an Aussie sense of humour that sets us apart from other countries, "Many families have their own family words and family jokes, which can provide a bond," Alexandra says. For instance, in our house, we call the local park the Uppy-down Park. When my twins were worn out from playing, they'd demand "Uppy-down! Uppy-down!" to be picked up and carried. We have no idea what the real name of the park is. Similarly, I coined the term 'bum noise' because I couldn't deal with my angel toddlers saying the word 'fart'. Household humour.

Laughter Class: An Introduction to Baby Humour

"Are funny kids more intelligent?"
"If you're talking IQ, yes," says Dr Hutchins. "Developmental stages of humour, like most developmental skills, happen more quickly in children of higher ability, particularly in the area of language. Meaning children with a higher IQ (i.e. verbal/visual/mathematical ability) not only develop language quicker, but they also have heightened emotional awareness and understanding of subtle language differences." Dr Hutchins tells a joke: "What do you get when you cross a kangaroo with an elephant? ?Holes all over Australia!" Think about it, your child has to grasp an abstract use of language to get the punch line. (Sadly for me, I had to get the doctor to repeat the punch line.)

Before you start worrying about your childs' IQ, remember that there are other forms of intelligence too. Alexandra points out that a child with a talent for deliberate silly walks and silly dances could excel in what is called 'kinetic intelligence' (a remarkable ability to move in an accurate, fluid, controlled way). And what about the kid at the bottom of the class who builds his popularity on being the class clown? This is a skill. It's a sure bet that many a stand-up comic was born this way!

"Should I worry if my child doesn't have a sense of humour?"
This is what our expert Sharon Donaldson has to say:
"Research has shown that parents are usually correct about noticing developmental problems, although they may not realise the specific nature or degree of the problem. By 3 years of age, your child's sense of humour should be obvious. And you, as the parent, will understand what makes your child laugh and what doesn't. A child who shows signs of being withdrawn, is silent most of the time, and is not laughing, would require a developmental assessment by a paediatrician. Discuss any concerns you have with your Early Childhood Health Nurse or Family Doctor first."
 
"A spoonful of sugar?"
Why is a sense of humour such a useful tool for children anyway? "It's been very clearly demonstrated that humour, a sense of optimism, belief in one's self and approval from others are very important for long-term well being, emotionally and physically," says Dr Hutchins.

And then there are the social advantages when it's time for pre-school and big school. As Alexandra puts it, "Humour allows children to communicate with each other in enjoyable ways. We all enjoy being around people who can make us laugh, and children are the same. Children who can make others laugh can be less physically powerful, less physically attractive or less successful at school (all things that can make a child less popular) and still be part of the group."

Billy's mum Valerie sums it up nicely: "Humour diffuses conflict and puts things in perspective. Being a child is quite hard stuff sometimes, and we hope that humour is a big part of giving Billy a positive foundation for his relationships with others. Most importantly, though, having a sense of humour is all about feeling good about yourself, and your life, and in my mind, it's never too early to encourage that in your child. Laughing is good - it feels good, it keeps you smiling, and if I want Billy to have any memory of his early childhood, then I'd like it to be that he laughed a lot with his Mum and Dad."

Article supplied by Mother & Baby magazine