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Normal Newborn Reflexes

Babies Have Some Predictable Neural Responses

Mar 13, 2009 Kenneth Rosen

At the time of birth, the nervous system of a newborn child still has substantial development to complete, but he already has his own specific reflexes.

Aside from the obvious external signs of growth and development a child will undergo during the early years, the central nervous system has an enormous amount of work to do as the child progresses from newborn, to toddler, to adolescent, to adult. The nervous system of a newborn baby not only has much to learn and experience and absorb, but also many of the neural connections haven’t even been made yet.

The brain of a newborn infant does not have all the neural connections found in an adult brain, but it doesn’t even have the same number of nerve cells as an adult brain (it actually probably has more!). The brain will increase in size by up to 3 or so fold over the course of development to adulthood. Only the most basic, “ancient” parts of the brain are truly functional at the time of birth. For the most part, this means the brain stem and the spinal cord.

Even though the higher centers of the brain have much development still to undertake, there are specific reflexes found in newborns that are specific to newborns and some of them serve very useful purposes. These reflexes include:

Root Reflex

A gentle touch to the side of the mouth of a newborn causes the head to turn towards the side of the touch and the mouth to open. This reflex aids a newborn to be ready to locate and feed either at the breast or the bottle.

Suck Reflex

A touch to the roof of the mouth will cause a baby to begin sucking. In combination with the root reflex, this obviously aids the newborn in feeding.

Grasp Reflex

When an object, such as a finger, is placed against the palm of a newborn’s hand, the baby will grasp the finger.

Tonic Neck Reflex

If you gently turn a newborn’s head to one side, the arm on that same side will extend out in the same direction as the turn. Additionally, the arm on the side opposite to the direction in which the head has been turned will flex up at the elbow. This appearance has led this response to also be known as the “fencing” position.

Moro Reflex

If a newborn is subjected to a loud noise or to certain movements this reflex will be seen. Also known as the startle reflex, the baby's head will thrust backwards, the limbs will extend, and then the arms and legs will return to their resting position next to the body.

All of these reflexes are indications of the connections that are present in the newborn brain, but they disappear as the baby grows. To read more about the development of the newborn brain see this detailed, informative article at Zero to Three.

The copyright of the article Normal Newborn Reflexes in Pregnancy & Childbirth is owned by Kenneth Rosen. Permission to republish Normal Newborn Reflexes in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

A Newborn