When did your baby/child begin actually giving real hugs or kisses?

[Anonymous]

Just curious about this. DD is going on a year and while we have our cuddle times and are very affectionate with her, she hasn't seen fit to initiate a "hug" and doesn't give kisses back. I'm not worried--she seems to enjoy affection, just curious about when she might start initiating. I want to get a bunch in before she's a teenager and I don't get them again!

[Anonymous]

DS doesn't do either yet, and he's 20 mos. Instead if a kiss, he'll tilt his head towards you and sniff. He will rarely come for a hug and if he does it's not an arm embrace. He's decent at blowing air kisses though. He is an affectionate guy, however, simply hasn't mastered been interested in the whole pucker the lips thing.

[Anonymous]

I think my guy was closer to two before he initiated hugs and kisses. But you can't stop him now.

[Anonymous]

My 6mos old brings his face to mine and opens his mouth and attempts a kiss, but only when I prompt him to by bringing my face close.

I can't remeber when my 4yr old did it, but know he showed me affection prior to being a year. I remember I was nursing him in the rocking chair and he gently raised his hand and placed it on my cheek. He still does this, touches my face in a sign of affection.

[Anonymous]

My 11 month old will occasionally (very occasionally) do the open mouth thing with his dad, but it ends up being a "I am eating your nose" action more than a kiss.

He doesn't hug or kiss me the way you're describing, but when he's playing, he will always circle back to me, wherever I am, and grab onto my leg/lap and kind of cuddle there for a minute before going on and doing whatever it is he wants to do.

The 18 month old across the street can blow kisses -- I can't wait!

[Anonymous]

About a month ago - he's 23 months now.

[Anonymous]

I guess it depends on how you define a kiss. My 10-month-old has been giving "baby kisses" for a few months now, or the open mouth thing and gentle nose biting.

[Anonymous]

I think DS started giving "real" kisses at 20 months ("real" as in affectionate versus giving a kiss just to do it). Sometimes I'll lay in bed with him before I put him in his crib, and he'll roll around in the bed. He would sometimes crawl over to me, pull my face so I'm facing him and give me a long kiss on my cheek, saying "uuuuummmm mmmaaa" (kissing sound). Sometimes he'll do it a couple times and then lay back down.

[Anonymous]

Both of mine did about 10 months with a mwa! type sound. No kissing motion but open mouth and mwa rather than the real authentic kiss sound. Cute. Love this stage.

[Anonymous]

"My 11 month old will occasionally (very occasionally) do the open mouth thing with his dad, but it ends up being a "I am eating your nose" action more than a kiss."

Totally this. Plus slobber. If it wasn't my own kid, it'd be gross. But, because it's my own kid, it's awesome.

[Anonymous]

My son was probably about 4 before he started coming to me and giving me a hug or kiss. Before that, it was always me giving him hugs and kisses. All kids are different.

[Anonymous]

My five month old likes to suck on my face. Does that count? I choose to call it love, but it may be that she is expecting milk to come out.

[Anonymous]

DD at around 2. And for the PPs, the question was "real hug or kiss". I think the point was to exclude comments like "My DS gave me an inadvertent head butt at 4 weeks."

[Anonymous]

My 15 month old DD does it all the time and has for the past two months. It's pretty awesome/wonderful/life-affirming.... By contrast, I can't remember when my son started, but I am sure it was much later. It will come. I think it is just another thing that kids pick up on at different rates. My son now 5 is a big hugger and kisser, so maybe she learned early from watching him.

[Anonymous]

For DD, about 19 months with kisses, real smacking ones. For hugs about 20 months, I ask her for a hug and she comes running and gives me a big one. It's just great .