Why Is Your Baby Blowing Raspberries?

When do babies start blowing raspberries?

Your baby keeps giving you different cues to let you know he/she is growing, and raspberry-blowing is one such stage. By the time a baby turns about 4 or 5 months old, he/she understands that joining the lips together can form sounds. This is when drooling and blowing raspberries happen.

Some babies may start by the time they turn 3 months old. You can expect this stage to continue until they are about 9 months old. At this stage, they outgrow blowing saliva-filled bubbles to making babbling and gurgling sounds by then.

Why do babies blow raspberries?

• Blowing raspberries is the foundation for your baby’s communication and language skills.

• Babies love making different sounds with their lips, as it’s a new trick they have learned.

• Blowing bubbles helps babies experiment with the quality and intonation of their speech; they keep making different sounds to copy the tones of their parents.

• They use these saliva-filled bubbles as a mode of communication with their parents and family members. They love your reaction to their raspberries and want to elicit similar emotions from you. So they blow more and more bubbles in an attempt to let you know what they think.

• Sometimes, a baby blowing raspberries could just be for fun. Babies love the slightly tickly feeling they feel when their lips join to produce a bubble. It triggers a giggling reaction in them, and they love to do more of this action frequently.

• By blowing raspberries, your baby makes his/her facial muscles work a lot. Hence, when a baby turns about 7 to 9 months old, he/she may slowly start to show dabbling skills as the little one starts to utter simple words like mama, papa, ball, car, cat, dog, etc. Babies also slowly begin to understand when you talk to them, as they greatly focus on your tone and pronunciation.

What should you do when your baby begins blowing raspberries?

You can do the following things to encourage your little munchkin and help him/her develop linguistic skills.

• Blow bubbles right back at your baby; this will make him/her understand that you enjoy the activity, and it will set a strong foundation for the two of you to communicate.

• Focus on your baby entirely, and don’t lose eye contact with him/her. This is to help your baby focus on your words, voice quality, and other signs to understand you better.

• While blowing raspberries, your baby may make other sounds like gurgling, babbling, etc. Repeat those sounds as well to develop his/her communication and language skills.

• Your baby blows bubbles to copy your words and communicate with you. It is time for you to be a copycat now and give all his/her sounds back to stimulate a healthy conversation with your baby.

Are raspberries ever a cause of concern?

The cognitive milestones may not be similar to all babies. Some babies may skip blowing raspberries altogether and directly start to make babbling or gurgling sounds once they complete 9 months. So, not blowing raspberries is not a cause of concern.

However, if your baby doesn’t blow raspberries and shows one or more of these symptoms, it might indicate problems in his/her speech and hearing. Check with your doctor if you see these signs:

• No eye contact from your baby

• Shows extrusion reflex (spitting out) even when fed soft foods

• Isn’t steady enough to sit on his/her own

• Doesn’t make any babbling sounds even after completing 9 months

• Doesn’t smile or communicate at all

• Shows body weakness (especially on one side)