In the first few weeks of life, your baby’s movements are mostly reflexive. This indicates that it is unintentional or occurs without your baby’s consent.
Babies are born with a number of reflexes or involuntary movements. One such reflex is the rooting reflex in babies, which develops in the womb. For instance, babies suck automatically if you put your finger in their mouth.
What can you read in this article?
- What is rooting reflex in babies?
- When does rooting reflex disappears?
- What are other newborn reflexes?
1. What is rooting reflex in babies
The rooting reflex in babies kicks in when the cheek or corner of your baby’s mouth is stroked or touched. The baby will turn his or her head and open his or her mouth to follow and “root” in the direction of the stroking.
For the first few months of life, a newborn may rely on the rooting reflex, but by 3 weeks, most babies will be able to turn their heads naturally and move their heads into position to begin sucking. Rooting is usually a voluntary action rather than a reflex by the age of four months.
Here is a video which demonstrates what rooting reflex in babies looks like:
Your baby will, at first, root his or her head from side to side trying to find the nipple. By three to four weeks, your baby will simply turn the head and position the mouth to feed.
The rooting reflex can be a great help with latching on your newborn baby. When you’re ready to breastfeed, stroke your little one’s cheek or lip with your fingers or your nipple. When he or she turns towards you and opens the mouth, latch him or her onto your breast.
2. When does the rooting reflex develop?
The rooting reflex usually starts to develop at around 28 to 30 weeks of gestation. Which is why, babies who are born very prematurely (before 28 weeks) may not yet have their rooting reflex.
If your baby’s rooting reflex hasn’t developed yet, you can express milk for them or direct their mouth to your nipple until they can discover it on their own.
There are also instances where a premature newborn in a neonatal intensive care unit is needed to be feed intravenously, or through a feeding tube or finger feeding. Your doctor will help and guide you feed your baby until he or she is ready to breastfeed on their own.
For babies who are bottled-fed, their rooting reflex can still be stimulated. When feeding a bottle-fed baby, they may tilt their head from side to side looking for a nipple at first. To get them to turn toward a bottle or to know when it’s time to eat, stroke or touch their cheek.
It’s crucial to remember that while rooting around your infant may start as a reflex, it will eventually grow into well-honed nursing skills. They will eventually develop mental associations between these behaviors and the outcomes. The reflexes to breastfeed or take a bottle will then become conscious responses.
READ MORE:
Newborn Guide: Mga Importanteng Kaalaman Tungkol sa Moro Reflex o Startle Reflex
9 newborn movements and reflexes every mom should know about
3. How is the rooting reflex in babies different from the sucking reflex?
Both the rooting reflex and sucking reflex are linked, and are important for your baby to feed.
The rooting reflex happens first, allowing your baby to move towards the stimulus and find your (breast or bottle) nipple.
The sucking reflex on the other hand, is triggered when the roof of a newborn baby’s mouth is touched with your finger, nipple or even with a bottle nipple. When this area is stimulated, your baby will begin to “suck” or drink.
If you’re concerned about your little one’s reflexes or notice that he or she isn’t latching, rooting, or sucking well, do consult your pediatrician or a lactation consultant.
4. When does rooting reflex disappears?
It’s crucial to remember that while rooting around your infant may start as a reflex, it will eventually grow into well-honed nursing skills. They will eventually develop mental associations between these behaviors and the outcomes. The reflexes to breastfeed or take a bottle will then become conscious responses.
5. Retained rooting reflex
Rooting reflex in babies usually disappears after about 4 months. In some cases, it might last longer. However, if it does not disappear, it is known as ‘retained’ rooting reflex.
A retained neonatal reflex is usually a sign of developmental delay. If the reflexes continue into toddlerhood or beyond, they can actually start to cause problems.
For example, if the rooting reflex is retained, there may be hypersensitivity around the lips and mouth. The tongue may remain too far forward, resulting in speech and articulation problems, drooling, and difficulty in swallowing and chewing. The child may be a fussy eater or thumb sucker.
Social or learning problems associated with retained rooting reflex are:
- Difficulty with solid foods
- Messy eaters and dribbling
- Poor articulation
- Poor manual dexterity
6. Other newborn reflexes
Aside from the rooting reflex, there are other reflexes that newborns that you may notice during their first weeks. Although not all infants have the same reflexes or have the same timelines, you may use this as your guide in monitoring your baby’s reflexes.
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Sucking reflex
As mentioned earlier, sucking reflex goes with the rooting reflex. If you put your finger, a pacifier, or a nipple on the roof of your baby’s mouth, they will instinctively start sucking. Your baby’s sucking instinct will convert to a conscious effort about 2 to 3 months of age, and it will no longer be considered a reflex.
Image from Shutterstock
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Moro or startle reflex
This reflex causes your child to extend his or her arms, legs, and fingers when startled by something loud or abrupt. Babies typically exhibit a moro reflex or startled look. Doctors look out for this reflex right after birth and during your baby’s first check-ups.
The Moro or startle reflex goes away in about 2 to 4 months.
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Tonic neck reflex or fencing posture
When your baby turns to his or her side, you may notice that he or she automatically assumes a “fencing” position where he or she extends his or her arm and leg to the side he or she is facing.
This reflex disappears in 5 to 7 months of age.
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Grasping
Do you ever put your finger on your baby’s hand and he or she automatically curls his or her fingers and clings to it? The same happens when you put a finger on your baby’s toes.
This is called the grasping or palmar reflex. It makes your baby grab on to things. It goes away around 5 to 6 months of age but it definitely helps your baby develop the skill on holding and grabbing on to things.
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Stepping
Even before your baby learns to walk, he or she has a stepping reflex which shows when you support him or her while standing on a flat surface. Hold him or her under the arms and let his or her soles touch the floor. He or she will definitely place one foot in front of the other as if he or she is walking.
This reflex goes away after 2 months but goes back towards after the first year as a learned behavior, here your baby starts to walk.
Image from Shutterstock
7. Life-long reflexes
Many reflexes are present in newborns that will last until adulthood. The following are a few of the more prevalent reflexes that we all have:
- Blinking reflex: Closing your eyes in response to a sudden bright light or a touch
- Gag reflex: When the back of the mouth or throat is touched, it causes gagging.
- Cough reflex: Response to airway stimulation
- Sneeze reflex: Response to nasal airway stimulation
- Yawn reflex: Tiredness or response to the body’s need of oxygen
- Orienting reflex: A reflex that calls attention to novel stimuli
- Knee-jerk reflex: A sudden kick in response to a tap on the patellar tendon, this reflex is also known the patellar reflex
The precise timing of various reflexes may vary from infant to infant. It does not necessarily indicate a problem unless they are significantly off schedule. This is true for many aspects of childhood development.
If in case you notice something in your baby’s reflexes, immediately discuss this with your doctor so you can get help and guidance.
Additional information from Margaux Dolores
Republished from theAsianparent Singapore
Source:
Stanford Children’s Health, Healthline, Healthy Children, Very Well Family, WebMD
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