Why Do Babies Cry When They Are Born?

Have you ever wondered why a newborn baby’s very first action is to cry rather than laugh? When a baby enters the world, instead of giggles we hear loud wails.

This might seem strange—wouldn’t it be nice if babies came out laughing? In this article, we’ll explore in a fun and simple way why crying is a newborn’s first instinct.

We’ll look at what’s happening in the baby’s body and brain, why crying is super important for survival, and when babies finally start to laugh later on. Parents can use this guide to explain it all to kids (around 6–12 years old) in an easy-to-understand way.

So let’s dive into the world of babies, crying, and laughing!

What Happens Inside the Baby’s Body?

A Big Surprise at Birth: From Comfy to Cold

Imagine you are cozy and warm in a little bubble bath, and suddenly you have to jump out into the cold air – you’d probably yelp or cry out, right? Being born is a big surprise for a baby. 

Inside their mother’s womb (tummy), the baby is floating in warm fluid, it’s dark, and everything is gentle and quiet.

Then, boom! – they come out into a world with bright lights, loud sounds, and cooler air. This sudden change startles the baby. In fact, a newborn’s brain and body react automatically to the sudden change in temperature and environment. The baby takes a big gasp of air and cries out.

Importantly, this first cry is not because the baby is sad or in pain. Scientists say babies cry at birth mostly due to the shock of being born and a reflex (automatic action) to get oxygen​.

A reflex means the baby isn’t deciding to cry—it just happens naturally, like a knee-jerk reaction. So, the baby isn’t choosing to cry instead of laugh; their body is making sure they do what’s needed to survive in that first moment.

Laughing is associated with feeling happy or seeing something funny, but a brand-new baby hasn’t experienced those feelings yet. Right now, their body is focused on one big job: taking the first breath.

Why Crying Is a Survival Reflex

The very first cry a baby makes is actually the beginning of their breathing on their own. When the baby was inside mom, they didn’t use their lungs to breathe. Instead, they got oxygen through the umbilical cord, which connected them to their mom.

As soon as they are born, that oxygen supply from mom stops, and the baby’s body says, “Quick, start breathing air!” The easiest way for a newborn to do this is by crying. Crying at birth helps open up the baby’s lungs.It’s like the body’s natural way of inflating an air balloon for the first time.

Doctors and nurses actually love to hear a strong cry in the delivery room. The baby’s first cry signals that the newborn can breathe on their own​.

“It’s music to our ears,” says Dr. Myra Wyckoff, a pediatrician who specializes in newborns. According to Dr. Wyckoff, “It’s absolutely vital for the infant to take that first breath. Crying is synonymous with breathing.”​

In other words, when a baby cries, it means they are breathing well. The cry forces air into the baby’s lungs, filling them up and helping clear out any fluid. The first minute of a baby’s life is critical because the baby must switch from getting oxygen from mom to getting oxygen by breathing air.

The cry is the sound of that switch happening. In fact, most of a baby’s first breaths right after birth are in the form of cries​. One research study found that about 80% of a newborn’s initial breaths are crying breaths!

So, that big “WAAAH!” is actually a sign that the baby’s lungs are working for the very first time.

What’s going on inside the baby’s body when this happens? When the baby cries and inhales that first gulp of air, millions of tiny air sacs in the lungs open up for the first time​.

Before birth, those air sacs were collapsed and filled with fluid. As the baby cries, the air pushes the fluid out or absorbs it, and the sacs stay open. This gets oxygen flowing into the baby’s blood.

The baby’s blood circulation also changes at this moment. While in the womb, the baby’s blood was routed through the placenta (mom’s organ) to get oxygen. After the first cry, the blood starts flowing to the lungs to pick up oxygen from the air.

The first cry kicks off this amazing change from living inside the womb to living outside.

Doctors are so aware of how important the first cry is that if a newborn doesn’t cry right away, they will gently help the baby. Sometimes they rub the baby’s back or feet with a warm towel to encourage a cry​.

This usually does the trick to get the baby breathing. (In old movies you might see doctors holding babies upside down or patting their bottoms to make them cry; they don’t really do that anymore.)

The bottom line is that crying at birth is a healthy, crucial reflex. It’s the baby’s first breath, first workout for the lungs, and first sign of life all in one.

Crying: A Baby’s Built-in Survival Tool

After that initial “welcome to the world” cry, babies will continue to cry frequently in their first days and weeks of life. This is completely normal.

In fact, **crying is a newborn baby’s main method of communication. Babies can’t talk, so how do they tell us they need something? By crying! “Babies are born with the ability to cry, which is how they communicate for a while,” notes Nemours KidsHealth, a trusted child health resource.

If you think about it, a baby is totally dependent on parents or caregivers for everything. Crying is the baby’s way of saying: “I need something, please help!” It’s like a built-in alarm system that gets parents’ attention fast.

What do different cries mean? Parents quickly learn to tell some differences. A hungry cry might be short and low, while an uncomfortable or upset cry might sound loud or frantic.

But even without knowing exactly what each cry means at first, the key point is that the baby’s cries make sure someone will come check on them. This is super important for survival. Imagine if babies didn’t cry at all – a newborn could be hungry or cold and no one would know right away.

So, nature made sure that babies cry to alert their parents. In evolutionary terms, this behavior helped human babies survive. One scientific review calls an infant’s cry an “adaptive signal of distress” that prompts caregivers to respond with help​.

In simple words, crying is meant to make adults pay attention and take care of the baby.

As one child development expert, Dr. Lajina Sharmin, explains, “crying is a baby’s first language.”

It’s the first way babies talk to the world. When a baby cries, they could be saying “I’m hungry,” “I’m tired,” “I need my diaper changed,” or “I just want a cuddle.” And guess what? It usually works – loving parents come over to feed, comfort, or cuddle the baby.

The baby learns that their cries bring help, and the parents are instinctively tuned in to respond. This crying-and-comfort cycle is actually important for baby’s emotional development and bonding with caregivers, too.

Why Newborns Don’t Laugh (Yet!)

So if crying is so useful, what about laughing? Why don’t babies come out laughing? 

The simple answer is that laughing is not something babies need to do to survive – at least not in those first moments. Laughter is a response to things like joy, fun, or surprise in a safe way.

A brand-new baby is too busy adjusting to life outside and signaling basic needs. Newborns haven’t developed the understanding or emotions for humor yet. Think about it: to laugh at something, you usually need to find it funny or enjoyable.

A newborn’s brain is still very immature – they don’t yet recognize faces well, can’t understand games, and have no idea what a “joke” is! In the first weeks of life, babies are mostly focused on eating, sleeping, and crying when they need something. They are not yet looking to play or interact for fun.

Another reason is physical: to laugh, you need to have a bit of control over your voice and breath.

Laughing is actually a special kind of sound we make when we’re happy. A newborn’s body and brain haven’t practiced that yet. Crying, on the other hand, is a reflex that even tiny babies can do from day one.

Remember, babies even practice breathing movements (and maybe crying motions) before they are born​. But they definitely don’t practice laughing in the womb because laughter comes from social cues and feelings that develop later.

You can also think of it this way: Crying is an immediate need, while laughing is a later joy. 

Right at birth, the baby needs to breathe and get attention—that’s what crying achieves. Laughing has no use in those first moments because if a baby laughed instead of crying, the doctors might worry something was wrong (since no cry could mean the baby isn’t breathing properly!).

There’s a funny thought experiment: What would it look like if a baby did laugh at birth? It might actually be harder for the baby to take that deep first breath, and everyone in the room would probably be very surprised! Babies are wired to cry first for good reasons.

When Do Babies Start to Smile and Laugh?

Crying comes first, but don’t worry – laughing comes later and brings lots of joy. The first hint of a baby’s laugh is actually a smile.

Babies usually start to smile socially at around 6 to 8 weeks old (about 1½ to 2 months)​. This isn’t the gassy or reflex smile they might do in their sleep earlier; this is a real smile in response to something, like seeing a parent’s face or hearing a gentle voice. That first smile is a sign that the baby is beginning to enjoy interactions and is feeling content in that moment.

After smiles come little happy sounds like cooing. Have you heard a baby make soft “oooh” and giggle-like noises? Those are coos, and they usually start by 2 to 3 months. 

Laughing out loud comes a bit later, typically around 3 to 4 months of age for the first small giggles​. Every baby is different, so some might laugh a little earlier and some a little later.

Often, the first laugh happens when you do something gentle and funny, like blowing raspberries on the baby’s belly, playing peek-a-boo, or making a silly face. At around 5 to 6 months, many babies can laugh in a more hearty, belly-laugh way​, especially when they’re really excited or find something hilarious (like a playful puppy or a favorite toy).

Why does laughter come only after a few months? By that time, babies’ brains and senses have developed enough to appreciate playful things.

They have been in the world long enough to start recognizing patterns – for example, they know what your face normally looks like and then you do something goofy, and that surprise can seem funny to them. Early on, a baby doesn’t have a sense of humor because they’re still learning what “normal” is​. By 4 to 6 months, they are beginning to understand and enjoy silly and pleasant surprises.

Pediatricians describe the build-up to laughter like a progression: first smiles, then coos, then giggles, then full laughter. Dr. Mark Gettleman, a pediatrician, explains that once babies learn that smiling gets positive reactions from everyone around, they start adding little sounds. 

“Cooing will turn into small giggles, and eventually, your baby will begin laughing out loud,” Dr. Gettleman notes​. So laughing is a developmental milestone, one that signals the baby is not only healthy but also starting to engage socially. It’s a wonderful moment for parents because a baby’s laugh is one of the most delightful sounds in the world!

Crying leads, but smiling and laughing aren’t far behind.

• 6–8 weeks: Babies begin smiling socially.
• 2–3 months: Soft coos and giggle-like sounds.
• 3–4 months: The first real laughs.
• 5–6 months: Big, hearty belly laughs!

These happy sounds show that the baby is bonding, recognizing faces, and enjoying the world around them.

Dr. Mark Gettleman explains it beautifully:

“Cooing will turn into small giggles, and eventually, your baby will begin laughing out loud.”

Final Thoughts: Crying First, Laughing Later

To sum it up, babies cry when they are born instead of laughing because crying is what they need for survival right away. That first cry helps them breathe, makes sure their lungs start working, and gets everyone’s attention to care for them.

Crying remains a baby’s first language in the early weeks, letting parents know the baby needs something. Laughing, on the other hand, is something that comes a bit later when the baby’s brain and interactions have developed enough for fun and joy.

It’s amazing to realize that both crying and laughing have their own special roles.

The crying at birth is like a powerful “Hello, I’m here and I need help!” Nature made it that way so that babies get a safe start.

Later, when a baby laughs for the first time, it’s a sign that they are comfortable in this world and building relationships. Parents often feel relief and happiness at a baby’s first cry, and then months later, pure joy at the baby’s first laugh. Both are magical moments in their own time.

So, the next time a child asks, “Why do babies cry and not laugh when they’re born?”, you can explain: Babies cry to make sure they can breathe and get taken care of right away. 

They’ll laugh when they’re ready and when they actually find things funny – and that will happen after they’ve grown a little and feel secure in their new world. It’s all part of the wonderful journey of growing up.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Do babies cry because they’re in pain at birth?
No. Babies cry as a reflex to help their lungs expand and adapt to the outside world. It’s not a sign of pain.

Why don’t babies laugh when they are born?
Laughter comes later, when babies develop the ability to feel joy and engage socially — usually around 3 to 4 months old.

When do babies start smiling?
Social smiles typically begin at 6 to 8 weeks of age, showing that the baby is starting to connect with people and feel happiness.

Is it okay if a newborn doesn’t cry right away?
Doctors check this carefully. If needed, they gently stimulate the baby to help trigger that important first cry.

Sources

• Parkland Health – Baby’s first cry: critical moment in delivery room (Dr. Myra Wyckoff interview)​ parklandhealth.org​
• MedlinePlus – Changes in the newborn at birth (Neil K. Kaneshiro, MD) medlineplus.gov
• MadeForMums – Babies are born to laugh but learn to cry, says study (New Scientist report) madeformums.com
• Medical Xpress – First detailed insight into newborn babies’ lungs at birth (Study by A/Prof David Tingay)​ medicalxpress.com
• KidsHealth (Nemours) – Communicating with Your Newborn​ pitterpatter.com
• Imam’s Diary – How to Realize if Your Child is Growing Properly (Dr. Lajina Sharmin quote)​ buymeacoffee.com
• Parents.com – When Do Babies Start Laughing? (Medically reviewed by David Hill, MD) ​parents.com​
• Adaptive significance of infant crying – Review in Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health (2023)​ pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov