Ok, my nephew who is 5years old and his 6 friends were in the garden and I told a joke as requested.

"Why did the banana go to the toilet?"

"Because he wanted to have a poo"

This brought the 5 years olds into howls of laughter, and requested more jokes. This meant I was telling infantile jokes for about 30 mins.

HOWEVER, the strange thing was.............the 18 month old baby, who was also playing with the boys......... was also laughing at every joke. How can a baby understand jokes, and surely at that age an 18 month old doesn't even know what a toilet is :confused: or know pretty much what anything is.

Or am I wrong, can 18 month olds understand what you say?

Hmmmm im not sure cause every babys different.

Maybe he was simply laughing cause everyone else was - laughter is infectious
My daughter will giggle away of me and/or her dad are laughing and shes two months.

He could very well understand what you was meaning though every child advances differently :)

i'm guessing he was just copying. My 10 month old will laugh if i laugh and smile if i smile....

Chicky my 13 month old daughter does that too. She will laugh if she hurts you as well the little monster she is lol. But she has such a cute laugh that you can't not laugh back at her x

I remember laughing on Christmas Day in 2005 and one of my girls, who would have been a few days shy of 2 months old began gummily grinning and it happened pretty much everytime I laughed all day, or at least when she was conscious anyway!
I'd have to agree with the laughter is infectious side, sometimes you just have to laugh :)

I think the little one will just be associating you telling a joke (well not knowing it is a joke but recognising the same tone in your voice) with laughing.

I have had a similar experience with my 16 month old but it isn't quite as 'nice' :hihi:

He passed wind really loudly which made me and my oh laugh as I thought it was oh and vice versa. After a few occasions of my lo 'tooting' loudly and us laughing he now laughs himself when he toots loudly (oh no!!!!!! - he'll be lifting his leg up next :help:)