Newborn babies will have a series of strange movements and reactions, such as parents put their fingers on the baby’s mouth, they will automatically open their mouths; gently touch their little hands, they will automatically Pinch into a fist; the baby will like to put his arms high on the sides of his head when he sleeps… These cute and interesting reactions are actually one of the baby’s primitive nerve reflex behavior.
The original reflection is an instinctive self-protection mechanism that the baby’s brain produces in order to adapt to the stimulation of the body. As the baby grows up and the brain develops gradually, the baby is about 6 months old. The reflection will naturally disappear. In addition, normal body reflex is one of the indicators for the baby’s healthy development. If the baby has brain damage, parents may have difficulty or even not see these reflections in them.
So what are the common raw reflections of newborn babies? Let’s take a look at it!
Neonatal primitive reflex
- Foraging reflection Rooting Reflex
Mom and Dad gently touch the baby’s cheeks, they will turn their heads, their mouths open, close to your fingers. When a newborn baby comes into contact with her mother’s breasts, she will naturally find her mother’s nipples. This is their instinct to find food. Foraging reflexes last from birth until the baby is 3 to 4 months old, and will gradually weaken after 4 months. When the baby is particularly hungry, the foraging reflection will be extraordinarily strong!
- Sucking Reflex
If there is food or something touching the baby’s mouth, such as the mother’s nipple, the bottle’s pacifier or the parents’ fingers, the baby will automatically start sucking. Sucking reflexes last from birth until the baby is 2 to 4 months old and then gradually disappear.
Although the baby instinctively knows how to suck, but may need some practice to turn it into a skilled skill, so if the mother finds that the baby has difficulty eating breasts or eating a bottle, such as often not sucking or leaking milk often, If you are breastfeeding, you should also pay attention to adjusting the posture of feeding in time. If necessary, you can go to a lactation consultant for help.
- Grasping reflection Grasping Reflex
When you gently touch the baby’s palm, they clench their fists; when you put your fingers or toys on the baby’s palm, they will try to catch it. The grip reflection continues until the baby is about 6 months old, and it can promote the interaction between the parents and the baby. When your parents’ fingers are caught by the baby’s little hand for the first time, you really have a very wonderful and warm feeling, as if you have an invisible bond between you and your baby. Since then you are The baby is relying on this world.
- Babinski reflection Babinski’s reflex / plantar reflex plantar reflex
When the parents gently stroke the baby’s sole with his fingers, his big toes will tilt upwards, and the remaining toes will fan open and then retract. The Babinski reflex disappears after the baby learns to walk around 1 year old (and some babies may last until 2 years old).
- Step reflection Reflex Stepping Reflex
If your parents keep their feet upright and you stand upright, you will see the baby lift one foot and then the other, just like trying to walk. The tread reflex will last until the baby is about 2 months old and will disappear before 8 months.
- Tonic neck reflex Tonic Neck Reflex
The name of this reflection is a bit complicated. In fact, the thing is simple. It means that when the baby is lying down, his head will turn to one side, then the arms and legs on the same side will be straight, and the other side of the arm will be And the legs will sing. Ankylosing neck reflex can effectively prevent the newborn baby from changing from a supine position to a prone position, usually lasting until the baby disappears around 4 to 6 months old.
- Startle Reflex / Moro reflection Moro Reflex
The baby is sensitive to the sudden stimulation of the outside world, and a little sound may cause the baby’s shocking reflection. The common manifestations of baby’s startle reflexes are: curling up your body, opening your hands and then retracting, lifting your arms to the top of your head, suddenly shaking your body, and so on. The startle reflex is easy to observe. It is most obvious when the baby is born for 3 months, and usually disappears when the baby is 6 months old.
In addition, we need to add that although the shock reflex is a kind of normal reflection of the baby, too frequent shocking reflection may cause the baby to sleep normally. When taking care of the baby, parents can try the following. Some ways to avoid the baby’s startle reflex:
When placing the baby in the crib, hold the baby as close as possible to your body as soon as possible, and slowly bend it down until the baby back touches the mattress and then gently release the baby. This will reduce the baby’s feeling of “sudden fall” and avoid triggering a shocking reflection.
If the baby often has a shocking reflection during sleep, parents can put a candle pack on the baby or use swaddle directly, which can simulate the baby’s environment in the mother’s womb, enhance the baby’s sense of safety and improve the baby’s sleep quality.
When the baby is awake, parents can grab the baby’s arms and calves to do some simple stretching exercises, which is conducive to the development of the baby’s muscles, allowing the baby to better grasp their movements.
