Common Infant Reflexes

Some reflexes are crucial to infant survival while others are more mysterious. Either way,
reflexes are an important part of babies' developmental patterns.
Newborns seem completely helpless aside from the ability to cry, but infants come into the
world equipped with reflexes, which are built-in reactions to outside stimuli. Prior to learning
about their surroundings, newborns have these defense mechanisms that help them adapt to their
environments. Some reflexes are easily understood as defense or coping devices, while others
seem to have no helpful or harmful reason for existing.

Infant Reflexes that Disappear Before Six Months of Age

Moro (Startle): When an infant is started by sudden stimulation (a loud noise or being
dropped), he or she responds by arching his back, throwing his head back, flinging out his
arms and legs, and then rapidly closing them to the center of his body. This reflex
disappears after three to four months.

Rooting: When an infant's cheek is stroked or the side of his or her mouth is touched, he
or she responds by turning his head, opening his mouth, and beginning to suck. This
reflex disappears after three to four months.

Stepping When an infant is held above a surface and his feet are slowly lowered to touch
the surface, the baby move his feet as if to walk. This reflex disappears after three to four
months.

Sucking: When an object touches an infant's mouth, he sucks automatically. This reflex
disappears after three to four months.

Tonic: When an infant is place on his back, he forms fists with both and hands and
usually turns head to the right (sometimes called the "fencer's pose"). This reflex
disappears after two months.

Infant Reflexes that Disappear Within a Year of Age or Don't Disappear

Babinski:When the sole of an infant's foot is stroked, he or she responds by fanning out
his toes and twisting his foot in. This reflex disappears after nine months to one year.

Grasping:If the palm of an infant is touched, he or she responds by grasping tightly. This
reflex weakens after three months and disappears after one year.

Swimming: When an infant is placed face down in water, he makes coordinated

swimming movements. This reflex disappears after six to seven months.

Blinking: This is perhaps the most obvious and overlooked of all reflexes. When a flash
of light or a puff of air affect a baby, the infant's response is to close both eyes. This is a
permanent reflex that will remain with the baby throughout his or her life.

Some of these infant reflexes are crucial to survival while others are more unclear, but either
way, these reflexes are part of the developmental pattern of babies. Some of these reflexes
develop into more complex, voluntary actions later in infant development.