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!
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 List
1. Newborn Crying Reflex
Crying 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 Reflex
We 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 Reflex
What 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 Reflex
Do 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 Babies
Hold 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 Reflex
While 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 Reflex
Press 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 Reflex
What 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 Thoughts
As 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 Karp
Dr. 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.
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Disclaimer: The information on our site is NOT medical advice for any specific person or condition. It is only meant as general information. If you have any medical questions and concerns about your child or yourself, please contact your health provider.
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.
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Babies usually exhibit a full Moro reflex which includes the arms, head and legs in their first 12 weeks after birth. Also called the startle reflex, Moro reflex usually occurs when a baby gets startled by a loud sound, sudden movement or intense light. As a response to the trigger, the baby suddenly lifts the arms and legs, curl them back toward the body and then throw the head back. Your baby's own cry may also startle him/her and trigger the Moro reflex.
Some babies experience an abnormal Moro reflex which only involves one side of the body. Other babies may have no Moro reflex at all. Some causes of an abnormal or absent Moro reflex may include infections, muscle weakness, injuries from childbirth, peripheral nerve damage and spastic cerebral palsy.
When Does the Startle Reflex Go Away?
The Moro or startle reflex usually lasts until the baby is about five to six months old.
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This newborn reflex begins by touching or stroking the corner of the baby's mouth or when it touches the mother’s skin or nipple. When triggered, you will notice that the baby will turn his/her head and open his/her mouth to follow and "root" in the direction of the stroking. The rooting reflex helps the baby find the breast or bottle and also helps prepare him/her to suck.
When Does the Rooting Reflex Go Away?
The rooting reflex in babies usually lasts for about four months. After that, rooting becomes a voluntary response rather than a reflex.
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This type of reflex usually starts when the baby is about 32 weeks inside the mother’s womb. If you’re pregnant, you may see your baby sucking his/her thumbs or hands during an ultrasound. When the baby is born, the sucking reflex happens in two stages. First, when the roof of the mouth is stimulated or when you place the mother’s breast or a bottle in his/her mouth, the baby will place the lips over the nipple and squeeze it between the tongue and roof of the mouth. Next, the baby will move his/her tongue to the nipple to suck and milk the breast.
Premature babies may take weeks to properly suck and swallow which is why some doctors recommend a feeding tube inserted through the nose into the stomach to help them get the nutrients they need.
When Does the Sucking Reflex Go Away?
The sucking reflex usually lasts until the baby is four months old.
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Also known as a fencing reflex, the tonic neck reflex happens when the baby's head turns to one side. This is triggered when you stroke or tap the side of the baby’s spine while the baby lies on his/her stomach. For instance, if the baby’s head turns to the right, the right arm will stretch out and then the left arm will bend at the elbow, forming a so-called "fencing" position.
When Does the Tonic Neck Reflex Go Away?
Tonic neck reflex may last until the baby is around five to six months old.
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Stroking or touching the palm of a baby may cause the baby to automatically close his/her hands. For example, when you place your finger on the baby’s palm, he/she will grasp it and hold onto your hand because of the grasp reflex.
When Does the Grasp Reflex Go Away?
The grasp reflex may last until the baby is about five to six months old.
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The Babinski reflex happens when you firmly stoke the sole of the baby’s foot. The baby’s big toe moves upward or toward the top of the foot and the other toe fans out.
When Does the Babinski Reflex Go Away?
The Babinski reflex usually lasts until the child is about two years old, but for some, it goes away after a year.
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This cute reflex is also called the walking or dancing reflex. Stepping reflex happens when you hold the baby upright with his/her feet touching a flat surface. You will notice that the baby will move his/her legs as if he/she is walking or trying to take steps although the baby is still too young to actually walk.
When Does the Stepping Reflex Go Away?
The stepping reflex often lasts for about two months.
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.