Key takeaways: Newborn reflexes are automatic movements that show the nervous system is working. Most fade between 2 and 6 months as voluntary movement develops. Reflexes that are missing, one-sided, or don’t fade on time are worth mentioning to your baby’s doctor.
When your baby flings out their arms at a loud noise or turns toward your finger on their cheek, you’re seeing reflexes: automatic, involuntary movements that babies are born with. Your pediatrician checks several of them at every early visit. Here’s what each one is and when it typically fades.
Why Reflexes Matter
Reflexes come from the brainstem and spinal cord, before the thinking parts of the brain take charge. They help newborns feed and protect themselves. As the brain matures, most reflexes fade and are replaced by purposeful movement. Checking reflexes is one way doctors see that the nervous system is developing normally.
Rooting Reflex
What it looks like: stroke your baby’s cheek or the corner of the mouth, and your baby turns toward the touch with an open mouth.
Why it matters: it helps babies find the breast or bottle.
When it fades: around 3 to 4 months.
Sucking Reflex
What it looks like: when something touches the roof of the mouth, your baby begins sucking.
Why it matters: it’s essential for feeding. Coordinated suck-swallow-breathe patterns mature around 34 to 36 weeks of gestation, which is why very premature babies often need tube feeding at first.
When it fades: it becomes voluntary sucking around 2 to 4 months.
Moro (Startle) Reflex
What it looks like: after a loud sound, sudden movement, or feeling of falling, your baby throws the arms out, opens the hands, arches slightly, and then brings the arms back in, often crying.
Why it matters: a symmetric Moro shows both sides of the body are working. A Moro on only one side can be a sign of a birth injury such as a broken collarbone or a nerve injury in the arm.
When it fades: around 4 to 6 months. Swaddling young babies can reduce startle-waking.
Palmar Grasp Reflex
What it looks like: place a finger in your baby’s palm and they grip tightly.
When it fades: around 4 to 6 months, as your baby learns to grasp and release on purpose.
Plantar Grasp Reflex
What it looks like: press the ball of your baby’s foot and the toes curl down.
When it fades: later than the hand grasp, often around 9 to 12 months, before walking.
Stepping Reflex
What it looks like: hold your baby upright with feet touching a flat surface, and they make stepping movements.
When it fades: around 2 months. It’s not a sign of early walking, and it disappears long before true walking begins.
Asymmetric Tonic Neck Reflex (“Fencing”)
What it looks like: when your baby’s head turns to one side, the arm on that side straightens and the opposite arm bends, like a fencer.
When it fades: around 4 to 6 months, which allows babies to bring both hands together and roll.
Galant Reflex
What it looks like: stroke along one side of your baby’s spine while they’re on their tummy, and the body curves toward that side.
When it fades: around 4 to 6 months.
Babinski Reflex
What it looks like: stroke the sole of the foot from heel to toe, and the big toe goes up while the other toes fan out. In older children and adults, this would be abnormal, but it’s normal in infants.
When it fades: usually by 1 to 2 years.
Protective Reflexes That Appear Later
Some reflexes appear as babies grow and stay for life. Around 6 to 9 months, the parachute reflex develops: when a baby is tipped forward suddenly, they extend their arms to catch themselves.
Normal Variation
Babies vary in how strong or long-lasting their reflexes are. Premature babies may have weaker reflexes at first, and they follow a timeline based on their adjusted age. You don’t need to test your baby’s reflexes at home; your pediatrician will check them at well visits.
Talk with your baby’s doctor if your baby: doesn’t seem to have a reflex, has a reflex on only one side, holds one arm still or limp, seems very stiff or very floppy, has trouble sucking and feeding, or still has strong newborn reflexes like the Moro or fencing reflex after about 6 months.
The Bottom Line
Newborn reflexes are a fascinating window into your baby’s developing brain. They help with feeding and protection early on, then fade as purposeful movement takes over.
For month-by-month development and play ideas, see From First Breath to First Birthday.
Sources
- Futagi Y, Toribe Y, Suzuki Y. The grasp reflex and Moro reflex in infants: hierarchy of primitive reflex responses. Int J Pediatr. 2012;2012:191562.
- Zafeiriou DI. Primitive reflexes and postural reactions in the neurodevelopmental examination. Pediatr Neurol. 2004;31(1):1-8.
- Lewis ML. A comprehensive newborn exam: part II. Skin, trunk, extremities, neurologic. Am Fam Physician. 2014;90(5):297-302.
- Altmann TR, Hill DL, eds. Caring for Your Baby and Young Child: Birth to Age 5. 7th ed. American Academy of Pediatrics; 2019.
- Lau C. Development of infant oral feeding skills: what do we know? Am J Clin Nutr. 2016;103(2):616S-621S.
This article is for general education and is not a substitute for individualized medical advice. Always talk with your baby’s health care provider or your own provider about your specific situation. If you think your baby or you may have a medical emergency, call 911.
