At birth, children have various reflexes that automatically offer them protection and chances of survival as well as good opportunities for development. Here I would like to give you a brief overview and also explain what these reflexes were (once) used for.
What is a reflex?
A reflex is a rapid, involuntary reaction of the body to a certain stimulus. Such reflex reactions occur without conscious control by the brain. They serve to protect the body and maintain its functions - in other words, to survive. Reflexes are therefore an important part of the nervous system. They help to protect people from harm and control certain motor functions.
All reflexes of newborns have these common characteristics:
Firstly, they happen quickly. The body is able to react to a possible (even harmful) stimulus in a fraction of a second. As soon as it is perceived, the appropriate reflex follows promptly.
Secondly, they are involuntary. This means that they occur without any conscious decision or control, but are triggered automatically by certain stimuli.
Thirdly, every reflex is unique. Everyone reacts to a specific stimulus that triggers them, and everyone has their own specific reaction that follows.
Fourthly, reflexes are predictable. The reaction to a certain stimulus is always the same and can therefore be predicted.
Fifthly, reflexes are unchangeable. Precisely because they are firmly anchored in the nervous system, reflexes generally do not change through learning or experience. They cannot be "trained" out of the baby, but merely change "naturally" on their own, for example by gradually disappearing or being replaced by new abilities with increasing age.
However, some reflexes remain with us for the rest of our lives. For example the Eyelid closure reflex. It is triggered by a sudden bright light or a fast-moving object near our eyes. In response to such stimuli, we involuntarily close our eyelids. Another example is the Cough reflex: If our airways are irritated by something, we automatically exhale very forcefully (cough) to clear the airways.
In short: reflexes are innate and enable our body to react quickly and effectively to various threats, among other things. They also ensure our survival. In this context, let's take a look at some important reflexes in newborns.
The baby's search reflex
This innate reflex is triggered, for example, when we lightly stroke a newborn baby's cheek with a finger or gently touch its lips or mouth. The child then automatically turns its head in the direction of the touch and searches for a nipple or dummy. Hence the term Search reflex. As soon as the baby has found what it was looking for, it opens its mouth and begins to suck. This process is closely linked to the Suction reflex which is also an innate reflex in newborns.
The search reflex is a survival mechanism that is particularly important in the first few months of a baby's life. As part of the genetic programme, it ensures that the baby is able to find and ingest food. As the Breastfeeding is (or should be) the primary source of nutrition for newborns, the reflex helps the child to find the mother's breast. In evolutionary terms, this has increased the chances of newborns to survive, receive the best nutrition and thus optimise their development and growth.
Like all reflexes, the search reflex is also controlled by the central nervous system and is present in the vast majority of healthy newborns. However, sometimes children are born without it. An absent or very weak search reflex can indicate various neurological or muscular problems, occur in premature babies with an immature nervous system or be caused by a lack of certain nutrients or an imbalance in the metabolism. In any case, a non-existent search reflex in the Preventive check-ups of the child always followed up. This is because early diagnosis and, if necessary, intervention are crucial to promote the baby's development and well-being.
The baby's sucking and swallowing reflex
These two reflexes in newborns are the most important for the baby's feeding and survival. They enable the infant to drink effectively from the mother's breast or bottle.
The sucking reflex is activated when the baby's lips or palate come into contact with an object such as a nipple, dummy or bottle teat. The child then immediately begins rhythmic sucking movements so that the vital milk flows into its mouth. This reflex is therefore primarily used for feeding. However, sucking also has a calming effect on babies. Many infants find comfort and security in rhythmic sucking, be it on the breast, a bottle or a dummy. At the same time, the sucking reflex helps to develop the muscles and movements in the mouth. This is because oral motor skills are later important for the intake of solid food and for speech development.
The swallowing reflex In turn, the epiglottis enables the baby to transport the ingested liquid safely into the oesophagus, from where the food then slides into the stomach. This reflex therefore ensures that the milk takes the correct route by automatically closing the epiglottis during swallowing. This prevents food from entering the respiratory tract.
The swallowing reflex is stimulated when liquid or food reaches the back of the mouth and touches the palate. It automatically involves a finely coordinated movement of the tongue, palate and throat muscles.
Also admirable is the optimal Interaction of sucking and swallowing reflexes. Both must be closely coordinated to enable smooth and efficient feeding. The baby must therefore practise the correct sequence of sucking, breathing and swallowing. Over time, it therefore refines, integrates and controls these reflexes better and better. These are important prerequisites for learning other forms of feeding and eating solid food later on.
However, some newborn babies can be born with weak or even absent sucking and swallowing reflexes. In most cases, this is due to a strenuous birth or pain medication administered to the mum during birth. This weakness in sucking is a temporary disorder that disappears in the first few hours or days of life. If the problem persists, this could be an indication of neurological, muscular or other serious developmental problems, as is the case with a missing search reflex. If recognised early, these children can also be supported with physiotherapy, speech therapy or special feeding techniques so that these reflexes can still develop.
The baby's grasping reflex
The grasping reflex is also known as the palmar reflex or palmar grasping reflex and is triggered by touching the palm of the baby's hand. When an object, for example a finger, passes over the palm of the baby's hand, the little fingers automatically clasp the object (e.g. the finger) and squeeze tightly. This reflex is very pronounced in the first few months of life. It occurs on both the hands and the feet (known as the plantar reflex). If you touch the sole of the foot, the baby flexes its toes and rolls its foot in.
This is a legacy from ancient times, when the offspring still clung tightly to its mother with hands and feet - an important survival and protective function when danger threatened or the child was carried while the mother swung from tree to tree. Even today, we can still observe the grasping reflex in many baby monkeys (e.g. chimpanzees).
The grasping reflex impressively demonstrates early childhood motor skills and has various meanings and functions. It is controlled by sensory nerves in the palm of the hand and motor nerves that activate the muscles of the fingers. These are processed via the spinal cord and the brain.
The good thing about this is that the grasping reflex not only strengthens the bond between the baby and its caregivers, but also lays the foundation for the development of fine motor skills. As the baby grows older, it also learns to control this reflex more and more and to refine it so that it can soon grasp, hold and use objects in a targeted manner - for example when Play. In general, the grasping reflex of the hand decreases from around the third month of life and has normally disappeared by the sixth month. It is then replaced by more conscious grasping movements. The foot grasp reflex, on the other hand, accompanies the child for a few months longer.
In addition, the hand grasp reflex in particular provides good indications of a newborn's neurological health and development. Midwives and paediatricians can use this reflex to check the functioning of the nervous system, for example. You may already be familiar with this from the check-up, when the lying infant is pulled up a little while clinging to the adult fingers with its little hands. If the reflex lasts significantly longer than usual or, on the contrary, is absent, this may indicate neurological or muscular problems or developmental disorders.
By the way: With premature babies the grasping reflex may be less pronounced or delayed. This is because the nervous system is not yet fully developed. However, as the child matures, the reflex can normalise.
The baby's crying reflex
This innate reflex is also fascinating! You can observe it when an infant is held upright under its arms so that the soles of its feet touch a firm surface. The child then begins to alternately raise and lower its legs as if it were walking. These movements are controlled by the interaction of sensory and motor nerves. The signals sent by the baby's feet trigger motor reactions, which in turn coordinate the leg movements.
This phenomenon usually occurs within the first two months after birth and then gradually disappears. It is replaced by more targeted and conscious movements when the child is older and its motor skills are more developed.
Until then, the crying reflex is an important foundation stone for the later Learn to walk. It shows that the basic neuronal networks and muscle groups required for walking are already present and functional. It also strengthens the leg muscles and promotes coordination between the muscle groups required for walking.
In evolutionary retrospect, one could therefore say that without the walking reflex, humans would probably never have found their way to an upright gait.
It is rare for an infant to have no or only a very weak crying reflex or an unusually long one. Paediatricians will of course check this carefully, as with all other reflexes. If necessary, this will be followed by a comprehensive medical examination to determine the cause and initiate therapeutic measures.
The mororeflex in babies
This automatic phenomenon is also known as the "startle reflex" and is a protective mechanism. It alerts the newborn to potential dangers and is intended to protect it from sudden threats. The motor reflex is activated by unexpected stimuli such as a strong noise or a suddenly perceived movement - but sometimes also by the child's feeling of suddenly having no support or "falling".
Such stimuli are followed by a specific reaction from the child: It usually spreads its arms and legs wide in a jerky manner and then quickly brings its arms back against its body. Parents sometimes experience this very correctly as a kind of "protective movement". The child may also pull its head back and open its mouth wide, as if startled or surprised.
This reaction is controlled by the central nervous system, in particular by the reaction of the brain and spinal cord to sudden stimuli. The motor signals sent by the nervous system then lead to the movements described.
Because this reflex is very pronounced in the first few months of life, it is also a good indicator of a child's neurological health. This is why paediatricians also use it as part of developmental examinations to identify possible disorders or abnormalities at an early stage. Between the third and sixth month of life, babies develop their ability to react more consciously and specifically to unexpected stimuli as they mature neurologically. As a result, the mororeflex gradually disappears.
The baby's breath-holding reflex
In fact, infants with the Breath-holding reflex the ability to dive under water without breathing. The breath-holding reflex protects the baby from drowning. This is lost in the first weeks to months. Quite a few parents are so enthusiastic about the baby's hitchhiking reflex that they take their baby to "baby swimming" just to experience it live. However, I think this is wrong for various reasons problematicthat I dedicate a separate post to this topic on my blog. Here you can read more about this right now!
