We all need a good stretch in the morning. Aside from feeling pretty amazing, stretching when we wake up actually has a scientific purpose: to boost circulation, relieve tension, and kickstart our energy levels.
Stretching is an instinctive thing that we do without really thinking. Consider your own situation in the morning. After snoozing your alarm three times in a row, you decide that it’s probably unwise to leave it any later, and proceed to open your eyes, yawn 50 times, stare at the ceiling, and stretch it out.
Animals stretch during sleep and when they wake up, and so do babies. And, as in all situations in life, babies do stretching so much cuter than anyone else.
One video that has captured the hearts of the internet shows a baby, who only looks a few months old, having the most adorable “hump day” stretch in the world.
The tiny boy is lying on mom and dad’s bed, swaddled like a burrito in a soft blanket. Dad gently peels the blanket away, and the baby begins to stir.
He makes a few cute little waking up snuffles, then wiggles his body, before having a good ol’ stretch on the bed. His arms go right up over his head, and he manages to peel his eyes open into slits, still looking a bit groggy. We know the feeling.
The camera moves in on his chubby face, and he seems to be smiling. Whether this is because he’s excited for another day ahead, or he’s just planning to fall straight back to sleep, we can’t be sure.
In this baby’s eyes, the world is good. His nap times are followed by more nap times, the occasional feed, play, and most likely lots of love and cuddles from mom and dad. We’d imagine we’d have the same face of contentment if our own lives were that simple – shame there’s no way to reverse adulthood!
In newborn babies, stretching is a very normal and frequent part of life. Babies don’t just stretch when they wake up – it’s also pretty standard for them to stretch if they’re dealing with gas, or even if they’re feeling hungry.
Like adults, babies will often stretch simply because it feels good. The stretching movements help to open up their developing muscles and bones across their whole body, which is important after spending many hours asleep in the same position.
Sometimes, babies may stretch when they’re not so happy, such as if they’re dealing with uncomfortable reflux or baby colic. But you can tell by the look on this little bub’s face that he’s content as can be.
Interestingly, this video was filmed in 2010, which means the baby on this clip is actually 10 years old right now (yep, 2010 really was that long ago).
The dad who recorded the video stopped posting to his channel 6 years ago, so we have no idea what the baby might look like today as a little lad. We wonder if has any opinions of his newborn internet fame. Probably embarrassment – but he’ll grow to appreciate the video in a few more decades’ time.
You can check out the adorable video of the little cutie having a good, long stretch in the video below.
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