Imagine trying to teach your baby how to suck or poop. Thankfully, you don’t have to because babies are born with about 70 newborn reflexes tucked away in their jam-packed brains. Like blinking or coughing, infant reflexes are automatic behaviors that don’t have to be learned or practiced. Many newborn reflexes are so important that they’re present from day one of life…and before! Show
You’ll have fun catching your baby showing off some of these amazing tricks. Here are several different infant reflexes to watch for: Baby Reflexes List1. Newborn Crying ReflexCrying is the “mother” of all baby safety reflexes! Triggered by any sudden distress, it’s perfectly tuned to launch your nervous system and get your heart—and feet—racing to help. 2. Baby Sneezing ReflexWe often think of sneezes as a sign of a cold, but with babies they are usually just little noses trying to eject bits of dust and mucous. 3. Rooting ReflexWhat is rooting reflex?Rooting reflex is a natural reflex displayed by your baby when they automatically turn their face towards stimulus and make sucking motions when the lips or mouth are touched. Touch your baby’s cheek near the lips (or right on the lips) and his mouth will turn toward the touch, open and then shut. Rooting helps your baby locate, receive and grasp your nipple…even in the dark. Don’t worry if you stroke the cheek and your baby doesn’t respond. Rooting is a smart reflex: it’s only there when an infant is hungry. If you touch his cheek and nothing happens, he’s probably not needing a meal yet. 4. Sucking and Swallowing ReflexDo you have ultrasound photos of your little cutie sucking his thumb before birth? After your baby roots and latches onto the nipple, sucking and swallowing get flipped on to send milk down the stomach. 5. Stepping Reflex in BabiesHold your baby under the armpits (slightly leaning forward) and let the soles of his feet touch the floor. A few times out of ten, you’ll see one leg straighten and the other bend. (Try leaning your baby a little to one side, so one foot has more pressure under it than the other.) During the last months of pregnancy, it may have allowed him to move around and prevent pressure sores. 6. Calming ReflexWhile the calming reflex soothes upset infants, it probably evolved to calm fussy fetuses! (If fetuses wiggle around too much they can move into breech position and get stuck as they start coming down the birth canal) How brilliant of Mother Nature to make the natural sensations of the womb put babies into a mini-trance for the last 2 months of pregnancy to keep them from moving into risky positions. The 5 S’s (swaddling, side/stomach position, shushing, swinging and sucking) and SNOO (a bed that uses the S's to boost sleep) both turn on the calming reflex. 7. Baby Grasping ReflexPress your finger into your baby’s palm or sole of his foot, and he’ll usually grab on with his fingers or, toes. This may seem like a trivial little parlor trick, but it’s actually critically important…for baby apes. Newborn chimps have been able to cling to their mom’s fur while she’s scurrying through the jungle. (Be careful. Your baby’s iron grip can yank off your glasses or a handful of “fur” off Daddy’s chest!) When do babies start grabbing things?At birth grabbing is a normal reflex, but by 3 months your baby will be actively trying to grab anything in their vicinity. 8. Moro ReflexWhat is the moro reflex?This is the famous “I’m falling” reflex or startle reflex. It flips on when a baby gets startled (by a jolt, loud noise or her head suddenly falling back). The Moro reflex causes your baby’s arms to shoot open, then come together in a big hug, as if he’s trying to grab hold of you. It has probably saved countless baby monkeys whose moms were able to catch their out-stretched arms as they started to fall. Baby Reflexes: Final ThoughtsAs your baby matures, his clunky old reflexes will be retired and forgotten, like a toddler’s tattered old blankie. But, early in life, many of these well-designed responses are literally life-saving. About Dr. Harvey KarpDr. Harvey Karp, one of America’s most trusted pediatricians, is the founder of Happiest Baby and the inventor of the groundbreaking SNOO Smart Sleeper. After years of treating patients in Los Angeles, Dr. Karp vaulted to global prominence with the release of the bestselling Happiest Baby on the Block and Happiest Toddler on the Block. His celebrated books and videos have since become standard pediatric practice, translated into more than 20 languages and have helped millions of parents. Dr. Karp’s landmark methods, including the 5 S’s for soothing babies, guide parents to understand and nurture their children and relieve stressful issues, like new-parent exhaustion, infant crying, and toddler tantrums. View more posts tagged, behavior & development Have questions about a Happiest Baby product? Our consultants would be happy to help! Connect with us at . Newborn reflexes, also known as baby reflexes or infant reflexes, are normal and are crucial for a baby’s survival. They are the baby’s muscle reactions, involuntary movements or neurological responses to stimulation or triggers which may include sound, light, sudden movement and being stroked or touched. Doctors and nurses check baby reflexes to determine if a baby’s brain and nervous system are functioning properly. If you notice abnormal reflexes in your child, please see a doctor as these may indicate a dysfunction in the central nervous system. There are many different types of newborn reflexes. You will notice many of them as you interact with your baby, and they can be really cute and fun to watch. Some reflexes only occur in specific periods of the baby’s development, but some can stay for years, all the way through adulthood. It’s good to note though that some adults who have brain damage or who have experienced stroke may experience baby reflexes as well.
Please see a pediatrician in Detroit if you have worries about your baby’s development or if he/she continues to experience newborn reflexes beyond the normal period as this may be a sign of a nervous system dysfunction. One of our pediatricians in Detroit may perform exams that can help determine if your baby experiences abnormal infant reflexes as well. If your baby was born prematurely, don’t compare his or her development to that of full-term newborns. Premature babies are usually behind full-term babies in terms of development. |