Toddler Thinks Dad's Impromptu Kitchen Dance Move Is Funniest Thing He Has Ever Witnessed

Apr 09, 2020 by apost team

There’s something magical — not to mention funny and cute — about a healthily plump baby laughing uncontrollably. In fact, these videos have become a genre unto themselves on YouTube because of their irresistible, heartwarming qualities. In one exceptionally good one from 2011, this joyful toddler cannot help but burst into fits of laughter when his goofy dad does this ridiculous little dance in their kitchen.

The video starts with Hudson seated on his little baby throne on the kitchen counter. He seems to have trouble paying attention to one thing, and he has that typical curious baby look on his face as he looks every which way. To get his son’s attention, Hudson’s father pokes his belly a couple of times, and when Hudson finally looks, his dad starts to shimmy. In a matter of seconds, Hudson tilts his head backwards and lets out an uncontrollable, incredibly cute laugh. But as soon as he’s finished giggling, he goes back to being his curious self, looking around the room with a clueless face — until, of course, his dad gets his attention again and does another dance.

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That unbelievably sweet pattern goes on for a while until Hudson just cannot hold back any longer, and for the rest of the video, he’s in stitches. It’s doubly heartwarming because all the while the camera person, who is presumably Hudson’s mother, also cannot control herself, laughing just as much as her son. But beyond being ridiculously cute, there’s also a lot of interesting science behind a baby’s laugh. After all, isn’t it sort of amazing that they can communicate through laughter even before they can speak?

At Dr. Caspar Addyman’s “Babylab” in the U.K., researchers focus exclusively on infant research, and one of their interests is the Baby Laughter project. According to The Independent, Addyman’s is the first in-depth study of baby laughter since the 1960s when researchers tried to make babies laugh with the help of a toy clown (how great is that?).

"Smiling and laughing are indices of our understanding of the world. Adults laugh at something when they find it surprising or unusual; it is exactly the same for babies," Addyman told The Independent back in 2012. "Finding out what makes infants laugh teaches us more generally about how humans understand and respond to the world around them, and also the ways in which that can change."

What’s more, one of Addyman’s research partner, Leslie Tucker, explained that their findings suggest that dads are most often the funniest when it comes to making babies laugh. "Although we haven't analysed the data in detail yet we can definitely see a few trends," Tucker said in 2012. "So far, we've found that daddy seems to be the funniest person, with mummy a close second. Peekaboo is the funniest game but tickling, funny voices and blowing raspberries are all sure-fire hits."

Though it’s perhaps a bit less scientific, this dad’s dance routine certainly comports with the findings that — at least for early childhood — dad may be the funniest person on the planet. As this goofy father shows in this classic video, sometimes all it takes to make your baby burst into uncontrollable laughter is for dad to bust a move.

Could you watch the video without laughing? Do you have any funny tricks to make babies laugh? Let us know and don't forget to pass this heartwarming video on to someone who might find it as hillarious as we do.