Reduced reflexes in the child. Physiological reflexes of the newborn

01.08.2019

Wise nature initially laid down the basic reflexes of newborns, allowing them to adapt to a new worldview without stress. When they come to the big world, children are unable to control their bodies. The baby's brain is not fully formed and has not yet learned to function in such a way as to support all the vital systems of a small person.

The control of a tiny organism is carried out with the help of unconditioned reflexes of the newborn, brought to automatism. The primitive centers of the spinal cord and brain that have formed during pregnancy can control them, provided the nervous system develops correctly.

Congenital reflexes are a kind of protective forces of the baby that help him survive in any external conditions. Some reflexes fade within 4 weeks, while others last up to 3-4 months

Determination of basic reflexes of the newborn

The set of congenital reflexes of newborns can be presented in the form of a table with explanatory additions. We have compiled a table, indicating in it all the reflexes that indicate the full health of the baby. All data is taken from medical sources and is accurate. After examining the data in the table, you will find out their name and understand what they show:

Allows you to determine the correct functioning of the nervous system, to establish muscle tone. It is important as protection against threats - for example, falls.
Sucking	Shows the level of maturity of the child, has a calming effect. Prepares for new meals.
Prehensile	Reveals the degree of development of the nervous system. Allows you to understand how excitable the child is.
Robinson	Shows muscle tenacity and tone. Leads to the development of fine motor skills. Remained from primitive people and does not apply to human development.
Proboscis	Provides an opportunity to check mimic and sucking muscles. In response to the stimulus, the child pulls out his lips with a "proboscis".
Babkin's palmar-oral reflex	The oldest reflex aimed at finding the necessary nutrition in various ways. Determines the correctness of the development of the entire nervous system.
Galant spinal automatism	Identifies birth injuries, shows the degree of functioning of the spinal cord and the state of the central nervous system.
Stepping or automatic walking reflex (Babinsky)	Denies or confirms the presence of cerebral palsy.
Bauer	Serves to check the muscle tone and condition of the spinal cord. It is called a creeping reflex.
Search reflex of Kussmaul	Helps the newborn to find the breast, prepares for new nutrition.

How do I test my reflexes myself?

This article tells about typical ways of solving your questions, but each case is unique! If you want to know from me how to solve your particular problem - ask your question. It's fast and free!

After leaving the womb, the child gets to know the world, and you get to know it. For him, these are extreme conditions, but the baby is armed and fights for life, using the reflexes of newborns. Knowing their characteristics and physiological reactions, you can independently check their presence in your child. Simple manipulations with the baby will help you understand how healthy your baby is, whether its protective functions are working and whether it has developmental problems.

Reflexes to test the nervous system

Reflex Moro. Put the newborn on the back, drop the toy near his head so that you get a loud sound. Lift the baby by the legs. In both cases, the baby should spread the handles to the side, opening the fists. Having calmed down, he returns his arms to their original position, bending at the elbows and pressing them against the calf (takes the usual embryo position for him) (see also:). The reaction that manifests itself should not be weak, but clear, observing the symmetry of outstretched arms. Disappears by 4-5 months.
Sucking. The sucking process only outwardly seems easy, and in order for it to work, the coordinated work of five pairs of nerves of the skull is necessary. The check shows the maturity of the newborn. Bring your breast to your baby's mouth or touch the pacifier to your cheek. The kid will turn his head to the object, groping for a nipple or a pacifier, will begin to make rhythmic swallowing movements with his sponges, mouth, tongue. Please note that with signs of cerebral palsy, the child does not just turn his head, but throws it up sharply. It is very important that the sucking automatism is satisfied. Sucking calms the baby emotionally. If the baby does not satisfy the sucking need through the breast, he begins to pull any objects into his mouth. The weakening of reactions occurs after 1 year, by 1.5 years they disappear.
Proboscis. Helps to identify pathological changes in the brain. Laying the newborn on its back, lightly touch your baby's upper lip with your finger or nipple. The child reacts by pulling his lips into a "tube". The presence of a reflex is an indicator of the correct contraction of the circular muscle of the mouth. It fades away by 2-3 months. If there is no reaction, see your doctor.
Babkin's palmar-oral automatism. Symmetry in movements is checked. Press gently with your hand on the center of the baby's palm. The child opens his mouth and tries to raise his head in your direction. If at the time of testing the child is hungry, the reaction will be pronounced. The absence of a reflex or its non-manifestation within three months indicates a disturbance in the functioning of the nervous system.

The Moro reflex is very important for determining the state of health of the child - if the reflex is not fully expressed, this may be associated with congenital cardiovascular diseases

Reflexes to check muscle tone

Spinal reflex Galant. Put the baby on the tummy, gently slide your finger along the left side of the spine, not bringing the finger to the vertebrae by 1 cm. The baby will react by arching the back in the opposite direction and bending the left leg. Swiping on the right side, the child bends to the left and bends the right leg. It takes six months.
Robinson's grasping and automatism. Two similar tests designed to check the nervous system and muscle tone. When testing grasping automatism, place your index finger in the palm of the crumbs. The child must grasp it tightly by squeezing it into a fist. Checking Robinson's automatism, just touch the palm of the crumbs, causing a catchy reaction. A hungry kid grabs a finger so that it is difficult to open his fist. The grasping automatism goes away by 4 months. Growing up, the child will move from grasping to conscious action with objects, their correct holding and grasping.
Babinsky's automatic gait reflex or step reflex. Take the baby under the armpits, lift it vertically so that it reaches the floor or other surface with your toes. Tilt it forward a little and see if the baby is trying to step over with its legs, imitating walking up the stairs. Some babies can cross their legs in the shins - this is also a normal reaction, it lasts up to the age of 1.5 months.
Perez reflex. For a competent check, you need to run your finger along the vertebrae, starting from the coccyx and bringing the finger to the neck. A sharp cry, bending arms and legs, lifting the pelvis is a normal reaction. We check muscle tone. Leaves for 3-4 months.
Bauer's reflex. An automatic action showing the crawling ability of the newborn. Having laid the baby on his stomach, press your palm to his foot. The child, sensing support, will try to push off from it, making crawling movements with his legs. The first manifestation of creeping automatism falls on 4-5 days after birth, the reaction disappears by 4 months. You can read about how to develop crawling in our other materials.

Photographers love to use Robinson's innate automatism when creating family photo sessions with children. Toddlers grip an adult's finger so hard that it can be difficult to open the fist

Search automatism of Kussmaul

The reflex is tested in the mouth area and is similar in reaction to sucking and palmar-oral automatism. It requires close attention when conducting it. Carefully, almost without touching, touch the corners of the baby's lips. The baby must begin to search for an irritant hinting at the object of nutrition - he is looking for the mother's breast. The baby's lower lip drops and stretches with the tongue towards your finger. Make sure that your finger does not touch your lips, as this manipulation tests a completely different reflex. It lasts up to 3-5 months, then disappears. Important: if the reflex does not go away by 3-4 months, there are reasons for diagnosing a brain abnormality.

Correctly checking the basic reflexes of newborns on your own will help you with a video, which shows everything visually, on a specific child. Carry out your manipulations carefully and carefully. Remember to be positive and try not to scare your sweetheart.

If the baby does not like your touch, he may turn away from you, become capricious, upset and cry. Check when your baby is in a good mood. Combine checks with play and communication, conduct them unobtrusively, observing the child's reaction.

The pediatrician checks the newborn in the same way. Finding the absence or slowing down of the reaction, the doctor may prescribe an examination by a neurologist. The unconditional automatism of a newborn is a nature programmed indicator of the correct functioning of all body systems, the main of which is the nervous system. If in the set of unconditioned reflexes there is no reaction to at least one item, urgently contact a specialist. Checking congenital reflexes is very important for early diagnosis of diseases and should be carried out in a timely manner.

A child born into the world possesses a number of automatisms (unconditioned, atavistic, physiological, conditional), which play great importance at every stage of his development. Some skills, for example: congenital, are acquired immediately after the birth of a baby, others - as it grows up. Whether the reflexes of the newborn are developed correctly, as well as the work of the nervous system, is assessed by a pediatrician or a neurologist.

Basic reflexes in infants: unconditioned and conditioned

What are "reflexes" (automatisms)? According to the Great Soviet Encyclopedia, this is the physiological reaction of the body of young children to external stimuli that manifest themselves in some kind of action. By the way the baby's physical abilities are expressed (for example: proboscis, sucking, grasping), one can assess its psychophysical development.

There are 2 main groups - unconditional and conditional.

Unconditioned reflexes of newborns - what are they for?

During the neonatal period (the first few months), only unconditioned reflexes are pronounced: swallowing, corneal, tendon. These and other innate skills allow infants to adapt as quickly as possible to a new life outside the uterine body.

The presence of unconditioned reflexes in a child plays an important role, namely:

protect the body, help to survive and adapt to new conditions;
ensure the normal activity of the nervous system and survival in the external environment for the first time months after birth;
help to develop correctly and form new reflexes at an older age.

Important! If the child does not show any reflex reactions to the stimulus, he must be shown to the doctor.

The weakening or absence of basic reflexes in the baby may indicate neurological disorders and negatively affect its further development.

Conditioned reflexes of a newborn - how they manifest

Relying on the medical encyclopedia, conditioned reflexes of newborns are classified as innate reactions of the infant organism to internal and external stimuli. They are formed in the process of a child's development and serve as a "foundation" for adaptation to new conditions of life.

Depending on the type of contact irritation, there are simple (sexual, food, orientational, defensive) and complex (have a pronounced emotional character).

Physiological reflexes of the child

It seems to parents that the born child is a helpless creature that does not know how to do anything. However, some physiological abilities that help the baby to survive are already laid in the womb.

So let's explore the oral reflexes that newborn babies have.

Sucking

This reflex is necessary for nutrition and develops from the first days of an infant's life. As a rule, it lasts up to 1-1.5 years, and then gradually fades away. If you put a nipple (pacifier) in the baby's mouth or give the mother's breast, then sucking movements with the lips and tongue will appear.

Swallowing

This is an innate automatism for swallowing food through the mouth. It is controlled by the nervous system and remains for the rest of your life.

Proboscis reflex

It manifests itself with a light touch of the index finger to the lips of the child. The response to the stimulus is the contraction of the facial muscles of the upper and lower lips and protrusion forward in the form of a "proboscis" (tube). This reflex allows the baby to grasp the nipple tightly during attachment to the breast.

Palmar-mouth (Babkina)

Babkin's automatism exists up to 3 months of age. It is checked by pressing a finger on the palm of the baby. The child's reflex to this action is to turn the head towards the palm and open the mouth.

Search (Kussmaul)

The essence of the reflex, if you gently touch the corner of the mouth (cheek) of the newborn, he will begin to turn his head to find his mother's chest. In response to gentle manipulation, the baby opens its mouth and begins to eat milk.

Seasoned mothers are already familiar with this oral reflex, so before breastfeeding they touch the nipple to the baby's cheek.

Defense reflex

No less significant is the protective reflex, which manifests itself during tummy coups. Being in the “lying on its stomach” position, the baby will immediately turn its head to the side. In the first month of a baby's life, its presence contributes to the development of respiratory function.

Spinal reflexes in an infant

Spinal unconditioned automatisms or motor reflexes appear from the first minutes of a newborn's life. By their severity, you can find out the state of the skeletal muscles in a child. Only a specialist can give an objective assessment and the dynamics of their development. Therefore, routine examinations play an important role in the patronage of the baby.

According to the medical handbook, spinal reflexes include:

Upper grasping reflex (Janiszewski or Robinson)

Grasping reflexes determine the reaction of the child's palms to factors of external stimuli. If you touch the palm of a newborn or put a rattle, he will grip it tightly with his handle. Sometimes the grip with the fingers is so strong that the baby can be lifted easily. Yanishevsky's atavistic reflex exists for a short time - from 1 to 4 months, after which it fades.

Cervical tonic reflex (asymmetric and symmetrical)

An asymmetric tonic reflex in babies occurs during the neonatal period. It is characterized by high excitability and increased muscle tone. In healthy children, the manifestation of tonic automatism is observed at the age of two to four months, and closer to six months it weakens or disappears altogether.

Cervical automatism is diagnosed as follows: for example, when the child's head is turned to the left, he will bend the right leg and the handle, and the two opposite ones will automatically straighten. This position of the body is somewhat reminiscent of a "faectist".

In children with cerebral palsy, the presence of an asymmetric reflex remains for a long period of time. It is very difficult for such a category of babies to navigate in space (there is no focusing of the gaze) and to coordinate their movements.

Symmetrical tonic reflex manifests itself in any position of the newborn's body. It can be strong or weak.

With strongly pronounced cervical reflexes, the child cannot take a comfortable position, it is difficult for him to curl up into a ball, sit down and even crawl. After six months, a partial delay in the development of fine motor skills is possible.

You can independently determine the degree of stretching and contraction of the muscles using a simple exercise: tilting the child's head to the chest, make several movements to extend and bend the arms and legs. With strong resistance of the arms during extension, and of the legs during flexion, the baby should be shown to an orthopedic surgeon.

Support reflex

The support reflex manifests itself in a newborn up to 2 months of age. If the baby is placed with his feet on a hard surface, he will straighten his legs and try to stand.

Crawls (Bauer)

The Bauer's spinal reflex is normal in a child - up to 4 months. The infant laid out on the tummy will show attempts to crawl (pushing movements from the palms of an adult) if his legs feel the slightest support.

Stepper (automatic gait)

Like crawling, this reflex fades away at 2 months of a child's life. The manifestation of the automatism of a newborn's gait can be observed if his feet are placed on a table or other hard surface. Standing upright, it will automatically move its left and right legs.

Galant

The Galant reflex manifests itself if you run your fingers or palm (top-down) along the spine. In response to an external stimulus in the paravertebral region, the child arches his back in an arc. In children, this automatism persists for the first time 2-3 months.

Plantar

If you run your palm along the sole (from the pad to the heel), the thumb will begin to unbend. At the same time, four other fingers, fan-shaped apart and unbend. This reaction of the baby to an external stimulus is also called the Babinsky reflex.

Reflex Moro in a baby

You can check in 3 ways: with cotton on the changing table or other surface, at a distance of 10-15 cm from the baby; passive straightening of the legs; lowering the body down and raising to the starting position. In response to irritation, the newborn reacts as follows: first, it moves the arms in different directions, and then returns to the body, as if covering it. This automatism can be observed in children from the first days of newborns. As a rule, it fades away after 4 months; in premature babies it can last much longer.

Kerning

It is checked in an infant up to 2-3 months, by bending the legs at the knee joints for resistance. The Kerning reflex is considered normal if it is impossible to straighten the legs at the knees and hip joints.

How to check for reflexes in an infant

Most young parents do not know what to do if the child's reflexes are weakened, absent or do not fade away after 5-6 months of development.

Sometimes the reason for the extinction of automatisms in children can be postpartum injuries, prematurity, contraindication of medications or diseases during pregnancy.

The appearance and extinction of congenital reflexes can be checked by a neurologist, both during routine examinations of the baby, and independently at home.

With each breastfeeding or bottle feeding, check how the baby reacts to light touches on the cheek or upper lip - whether he opens his mouth, whether he is looking for an irritant. In this way, the mother will check the baby's oral reflex response.
When playing with a 2-3 month old baby, put toys (rattles) into the handles as often as possible. It is very simple to check the degree of development of the grasping reflex: put your index finger in the palm of the crumbs, and you will notice how it squeezes with lightning speed with its handle. In case of depression, consult a doctor.
Observe whether the baby turns its head on its side when it lies on its tummy. The weakening or absence of head turns may indicate the presence of such an unpleasant disease as cerebral palsy.

Rabiyat Zainiddinova

Neonatologist,

Science Center

children's health RAMS

What is a reflex?

Any reflex is a response to the stimulus from the external or internal environment of the body. It sounds, it would seem, a little difficult, but let's try to figure it out. Any peripheral cell of any organ and any tissue of the child's body contains a receptor capable of perceiving irritation. The receptor transmits the received information further - along the sensitive fibers (processes) of nerve cells. The next links of the reflex arc - the central part - the nerve center, i.e. nerve cells that perceive excitement and transmit it further. Here the impulse is met by the motor nerve cells and they, in response to this impulse, set the muscle in motion. Thus, along the reflex arc, a kind of command, a certain action, is launched and executed. The reflex arc itself is a set of formations of the nervous system involved in the emergence of a reflex.

According to this principle, reflexes determine the life-activity of the body of any person, including a child. But in the case of unconditioned, innate reflexes, their reflex arc is laid down even before birth in the structure of the nervous system. The formation of conditioned reflexes occurs throughout life, on the basis of acquired life experience.

Let's take a simple example. The curious baby became interested in his mother's cup, which had not yet cooled down. Touching hot - and now the hand twitches reflexively. How does this happen? Information “hot! dangerous!" from a receptor located in the skin, it is transmitted to a sensitive neuron, and then along a chain - to a motor neuron, which will “feed” this or that muscle. The child's hand twitches. Such a simple chain is called a reflex arc, and only if it is preserved (that is, with the normal operation of all its components) a reflex can be realized. As an example of an unconditioned reflex, one can cite the reaction of a child in the first months of life to a slight dash irritation of the corner of the mouth; in response, the baby turns his head to the source of irritation and opens his mouth - this is how the search reflex is realized.

Most of the reflexes of newborns reflect the evolutionary and individual age-maturity of the child, which allows the doctor to judge the functional state of the baby's body as a whole and, in particular, the state of his nervous system. Only a few of them have a definite meaning for the maintenance of vital activity, for example, sucking and upper protective reflexes.

What the doctor will see

When examining a newborn child, the pediatrician needs to make sure that some basic unconditioned reflexes are preserved - sucking, swallowing, searching reflex, upper protective reflex, upper grasping reflex. And a pediatric neurologist at 1 month will conduct a full sequential neurological examination to make sure that there are no lesions in the still immature, but already structurally formed nervous system of the newborn.

To begin with, the doctor will assess the child's appearance. A healthy newborn has a semi-flexion position (legs and arms are semi-bent at the knees and elbows), which is associated with a physiological, that is, age-specific increase in muscle tone - flexors of the arms and legs. When awake, the baby makes spontaneous movements - periodically bends and unbends the legs, randomly waves his arms, reacts to loud sounds, bright light.

Premature babies have reduced spontaneous motor activity (chaotic movements of arms and legs, reaction to light, sounds) and muscle tone, and unconditioned reflexes (these are all reflexes of a newborn, which we will discuss below), as a rule, are depressed.

What reflexes are we talking about and how are they evaluated? The main physiological reflexes are divided into oral and spinal. The reflex arc of the former is closed at the level of the brain, and of the latter, at the level of the spinal cord.

Oral reflexes include:

Sucking- the baby's nipple or mother's breast inserted into her mouth begins to actively suck. It persists during the first year of life, then fades away.

Search (Kussmaul reflex)- in response to a slight line irritation of the corner of the mouth, the child turns his head to the source of irritation and opens his mouth. It fades away by the 6-7th week of life.

Proboscis- with a light and quick blow with a finger on the lips of the child, the lips protrude in the form of a proboscis (there is a contraction of the circular muscle of the mouth). It fades away by 2-3 months.

Palmar-oral (Babkin reflex)- refers to mixed, oral-spinal reflexes. When pressing on both palms, closer to the elevation of the thumb, the child opens his mouth, tilts his head, bends his shoulders and forearms, as if pulling himself up to the fists. It weakens by 2 months, fades away by 3 months of life.

The absence or suppression of these reflexes indicates damage to the central nervous system of various origins.

It should be noted that the severity of these reflexes is significantly influenced by whether the baby is hungry or full. A healthy, hungry baby will react actively, first looking for a source of irritation around the mouth and then greedily grabbing on the mother's nipple or breast. A well-fed baby will react less actively. Therefore, be sure to inform the doctor about the time of feeding the crumbs, as well as the amount of food taken.

We create conditions

In order for the visit to be as informative as possible for a specialist and comfortable for a child, it is better for mom to make sure that the room is warmed up to at least 22-24 ° C, it is advisable to inspect it no earlier than half an hour after feeding and with natural lighting.

Upper protective reflex- when laying on the stomach, the child turns his head to the side, makes several rocking movements and tries to raise his head, thus restoring free access of air to the nasal passages. The essence of the reflex is to prevent a violation of external respiration, for which there is a rise of the head and a change in its position in a newborn lying on his stomach. This is one of the most important reflexes, which, along with sucking, searching and swallowing, provides a tiny man with the ability to survive in a new environment for him. Normally, the protective reflex is expressed from the first hours of life, in children with damage to the nervous system, it is reduced or absent. It fades away by 1.5 months of age.

Reflex of support, straightening and automatic walking- if the baby is lifted by the armpits, then first the child bends his legs in all joints; when the child's legs touch the support, he straightens the torso and stands on bent legs on a full foot. The support reflex fades away by 3 months. If, at the same time, the child is slightly tilted forward, then he makes step movements along the surface, without accompanying them with movements of his hands (automatic gait of a newborn). The automatic gait reflex is physiological (normal) up to 1.5 months. By the age of 3 months, these reactions fade away, and only by the end of the first year of life does the ability to stand and walk independently appear. In children with damage to the nervous system, the automatic gait is delayed (remains) for a long time.

Crawl reflex (Bauer)- if the newborn is put on his stomach, then he begins to make crawling movements (spontaneous crawling), if at the same time put his palm to the soles of the child - he reflexively pushes off from it and crawls more actively. Normally, this reflex is triggered from the 3-4th day to 3-4 months of life, then it fades away.

Upper grasping reflex (Yanishevsky) and the suspension reflex (Robinson's) - the fingers of the mother or the doctor put into the baby's hand, the child grabs, firmly holds and squeezes. Sometimes the grasping of the adult's fingers nested in the child's palm is so strong that the baby can be lifted with outstretched arms. The reflex is physiological up to 3-4 months.

Lower grasping reflex (plantar, Babinsky reflex)- analogue of the upper grasping reflex. It is caused by pressing with the thumb on the sole at the base of the P-Sh toes. The child performs plantar flexion of the toes (presses the toes to the foot); if, with a finger, a stroke irritation of the sole along the outer edge of the foot in the direction from the heel to the toes occurs, then the back extension of the big toe and a fan-shaped divergence of the II-V fingers occur. It fades away by 12 months.

Hug reflex (grip, Moro reflex)-called by various techniques. In particular, by hitting the changing table with a hand at a distance of 15 cm from the baby's head or by a sudden noise. In response to this, the baby first spreads his arms, unclenches his fingers, straightens bent legs (reflex phase 1). After a few seconds, the hands return to their original position, the child can wrap his arms around himself (phase 2). Normally, the 1st and 2nd phase of the reflex, depending on the time of examination and the condition of the child, can be expressed differently. It is called from the first days of life, physiological up to 4-5 months.

Talent Reflex- when holding the thumb and forefinger along the spine of the child from both sides in the direction from the neck to the tailbone, he arches his back and head towards the irritant. The reflex is called from the 5-6th day of life and remains normal up to 3-4 months.

Perez reflex - a child lying on his stomach is held with a finger from the coccyx to the neck, lightly pressing on the spinous processes of the vertebrae. The child raises his head, he has lumbar lordosis (forward bending of the spinal column), he raises the pelvis, bends his arms and legs. Sometimes the child begins to cry, urination and defecation are observed. Normally, it is observed up to 3-4 months. With damage to the central nervous system, inhibition of the reflex is observed. Neurologist must be checked along with other spinal automatisms.

The suppression or absence of the above-described spinal automatisms is an alarming sign that speaks of a possible lesion of the central nervous system at the level of the spinal cord.

Posotonic reflexes

These reflexes characterize the ability of a newborn child to adequately redistribute muscle tone depending on changes in body position. Normally, they fade away as the child independently masters the basic motor skills - the ability to raise his head, sit, stand, walk.

Asymmetric tonic cervical reflex (Magnus - Klein)- is called when the child's head is passively turned to the side. The arms and legs are extended on the side to which the child's face is facing, and the opposite ones are flexed. The hand, to which the face is turned, straightens, the tone of the extensors of the shoulder, forearm, hand increases - the “fencer's” pose, and in the muscles of the hand to which the back of the head is turned, the tone of the flexors increases.

Symmetrical tonic cervical reflexes- with passive flexion of the newborn's head, the muscle tone of the flexors in the arms and extensors in the legs increases. When the head is extended, the opposite effect is observed - the arms are extended and the legs are bent. Asymmetric and symmetrical cervical reflexes are constantly observed in newborns. In premature babies, they are poorly expressed.

Labyrinth tonic reflex- in the position of the child on the stomach, the tone in the flexor muscles increases: the head is brought to the chest or tilted back, the back is arched, the arms are bent and also brought to the chest, the hands are compressed into fists, the legs are bent at all joints and brought to the stomach. After a few minutes, this posture is replaced by swimming movements, turning into a spontaneous crawling reflex.

The reflex test is over. Your baby passed one of his first little exams, and we hope that he is excellent. However, if warning signs are identified (absence, weakening of one or more reflexes, or, on the contrary, their presence at the time when this or that reflex should already fade away), then the doctor will offer you an additional examination. Most often it is an ultrasound examination of the brain - echoencephalography. If the changes are identified by the pediatrician, then he prescribes a consultation with a neurologist, who, in turn, will carry out additional studies. If you or the doctor were alarmed by some deviations from the norm, then at the next examination, pay special attention to these particular nuances. Remember that a child at this age changes every day, and, as we have already mentioned, the manifestation of reflexes depends on a number of conditions (satiety, fatigue, and many others), a re-examination must necessarily take place after the appointed time - it may be different depending on the alleged nature of the pathology - from several days to a month, which will help to exclude existing suspicions or, if necessary, to carry out timely treatment.

Mindfulness and caution

Parents themselves should not check the baby's reflexes - the actions taken for this (in particular, to test the reflexes of Talent and Perez) can cause a sharp disc-fort and anxiety of the baby. And yet, if you think this or that baby's reaction is alarming, be sure to tell the doctor about it.

Only a doctor can correctly conduct an examination and draw the appropriate conclusions, who, when assessing the situation and the state of the baby, takes into account not only the specific manifestations, but also the conditions in which the study was carried out, other indicators of the baby's health, as well as the history of pregnancy, childbirth and still such a short, but still development of the crumbs.

With help reflexes of a newborn doctors check how the child's central nervous system is working. This will help you understand what the doctor is doing and what this or that baby's behavior means, because the absence of reflexes can be a sign of some kind of disease, as well as if the reflex does not die out for too long.

Grade reflexes of a newborn should be carried out in a warm, well-lit room on a flat, semi-rigid surface. The baby should be awake, dry and well-fed.

Temporary reflexes of a newborn

Sucking reflex

Newborn reflex which manifests itself in a child in response to any significant irritation of the oral cavity - if any object, including a nipple or nipple, gets into the baby's mouth, the baby immediately starts rhythmic sucking movements. This most important reflex is already present in a full-term newborn and usually lasts the entire first year of life.

Proboscis reflex

Proboscis newborn reflex- this is the protrusion of the baby's lips in the form of a kind of "proboscis" in response to a quick abrupt touch (light "tapping") of an adult's fingers to them. Usually the proboscis reflex persists during the first 2-3 months of life, then fades away.

Search reflex

With careful, gentle stroking of the corner of the baby's mouth, the child begins to lower the lower lip, deflect the tongue towards the stimulus and actively "search" for the mother's breast. An important point: when testing this reflex, you should not touch the child's lips (get a proboscis newborn reflex). And one more thing: irritation of the corner of the mouth should really be the lightest - if the baby feels discomfort, he will turn his head in the opposite direction. The reflex usually lasts for the first 3-5 months of life, but sometimes it can be present for longer.

Palmar-oral reflex of the newborn

With moderate pressure on the baby's palm with the fingertips, the child's mouth opens and his head moves forward, towards the examiner. Like a search engine newborn reflex, this one is especially well pronounced before feeding the baby. Usually persists up to two months of age.

Weakening or asymmetry (on the one hand, the reflex is more pronounced than on the other) of this reflex in newborns, as well as its preservation in children older than 2-3 months of life, may indicate possible disorders of the nervous system - this means that the baby should be sure to show it to a pediatric neurologist.

Protective reflex of the newborn

Try to put the child on his stomach - and he will immediately "automatically" turn his head to the side. The biological meaning of this reflex is clear without long explanations - it allows the baby to breathe even in such an uncomfortable position as the prone position. Newborn reflex usually present in the first hours of life.

Crawl reflex

Present in a child from the first day of life. If you put the baby on his stomach, touch his soles, the baby will try to push off from the palms of an adult, as from a support. And move forward. Some newborns tend to perform crawling movements without support - this is the so-called spontaneous reflex crawling. Normally, these movements can exist for up to 4 months of life, after which they fade away.

Stance Reflexes and Auto Walking Reflexes

If you give the body of a newborn a vertical position and ensure that the soles of his feet are in contact with a horizontal solid surface, then the baby will straighten his legs and "stand" (with support, of course). It persists in children up to the age of 8-12 months. If the newborn "standing" in this way is tilted forward a little, shifting the center of gravity of the body, then the baby immediately begins to "step over" the legs - this is automatic walking. During its implementation, many children cross their legs - this should not be scared: in the first 1.5 months of life, this is normal.

Newborn's grasp reflex

The kid unconsciously squeezes the fingers of his palms if something is put into them. Sometimes such a grip is so strong that a baby who has grabbed onto the fingers of an adult can be lifted into the air. Prehensile newborn reflex it is considered natural up to 4 months of age - then it disappears, and it is replaced by an arbitrary, quite conscious grasping of objects by hands.

Reflex Moro

This reflex of a newborn can be caused in a child during the first months of life in different ways: by clapping the palms on the surface on which the child lies, performed simultaneously at a distance of 15 cm to the right and left of his head; sudden passive extension of the lying child's legs; lifting the lower half of his torso by straightened legs. The baby's reaction to these stimuli proceeds in two phases: first, the child abruptly pulls his arms to the sides, simultaneously opening his fists, then, as it were, covers himself with his hands.

Reflexes of a newborn that appear and become more difficult over time

Cervical straightening reaction represents the subsequent turn of the body to the side where the baby's head turned before. The functioning of this automatism helps the child learn the motor skill that delights parents so much - turning from back to side. At the age of 6-8 months, this simple reflex is replaced by another - the straightening reflex of the trunk. After turning the head to the side, the baby turns the shoulder girdle, torso, and then the pelvis in the same direction. Such rotation of the body around the longitudinal axis is an absolute condition for mastering turns from back to stomach and from abdomen to back, the skills of independent sitting, standing, etc. With each passing month, the baby's straightening reactions become more complicated, transforming into complex voluntary motor acts.

Hand defense reaction- various movements of the arms (pulling forward, pulling, etc.) in response to a change in the position of the child's body in space.

Reflex Landau

Give the child a “swimmer's position” - lift the baby into the air so that his face looks down, and he immediately raises his head, and then straightens (or even arches) his back, as well as straightens his legs and arms.

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How is the neonatal period determined, what is its duration? It is scientifically substantiated that this period lasts 28 days, at which time the child's primary adaptation to the environment is taking place. The reflexes of the newborn help to adapt; these are mechanisms laid down by nature that allow the baby to perform its first (yet unconscious) actions.

Reflex types - classification

There are 2 types of reflexes - conditioned and unconditioned, in infancy, only unconditioned reflexes work, laid down from birth. Conditional ones appear later on the basis of experience.

In total, 15 unconditioned reflexes of newborns are distinguished, each of them has its own purpose. Some arise and immediately disappear, others fade out slowly, and still others remain forever.

There are several groups of basic reflexes of newborns:

Aimed at ensuring general vital activity (breathing, swallowing, sucking, spinal motor automatisms).
Providing safety for the child's body when exposed to external stimuli.
"Temporary" that work to support a single process. For example, there is a reflex holding of breath, so that the child can move along the birth canal.

Table of basic reflexes of newborns by month

Oral reflexes

From the very first minutes of life, a small organism needs nutrition. Nobody teaches to suck milk from the breast and swallow the baby, everything is based on reflex activity.

Sucking reflex have crumbs from birth. Thanks to him, the baby is able to clasp the nipple of the breast or pacifier with his lips and makes rhythmic sucking movements. The reflex is strongly pronounced for up to a year, it is natural for the appearance of the main teeth, with the help of which sucking is replaced by chewing.

Up to 3 years, it persists mildly. The intensity of sucking signals the degree of the baby's hunger, if the baby is full, then the sucking becomes weaker, more pronounced towards the meal. The constant weakness of the sucking reflex is due to many reasons, the establishment of which occurs with the help of a doctor.

Swallowing reflex promotes the swallowing of the received food. It is caused by the work of the medulla oblongata and persists for life.

Proboscis reflex lasts a shorter time - by two or three months it disappears. Touching the baby's lips with a finger or an object causes the mouth to fold into a tube resembling a small trunk.

Reflex Babkin, it is also called palmar-oral. If you lightly press on both palms of the child, then the baby opens his mouth. By three months, the reaction fades away, after which it disappears completely.

Search reflex (Kussmaul) ... An attempt to touch the cheek at the corner of the mouth (very easily) leads to a search for an irritant, that is, to a search for food. After three months, the reflex disappears, the baby visually identifies the food source. When checking it, you should not touch the lips of the crumbs directly, otherwise you will get a proboscis reflex.

Spinal automatisms

Spinal reflexes newborns characterize the infant's muscular apparatus and its condition.

Protective reflex found in turning the head when laying out the crumb on the stomach. In this way, the child opens up air access to the respiratory tract. With damage to the central nervous system, this reflex is usually absent.

Grasping (monkey) reflex - the ability to firmly grasp and hold the fingers of an adult, inserted into the palms of an infant. Finger lifting is another similar reflex of Robinson. Weakening occurs by four months.

- this is when, when stroking the soles, the toes open in a fan-like manner, and the feet are bent from the back.

Reflexes of the newborn - Plantar reflex (Babinsky)

This reflex is preserved up to two years, the symmetry of the reaction and energy is an indicator for evaluating the child.

Reflex Moro (hugs) - a two-phase reaction in response to noise or knocking.

At first, the crumb of his hands spreads out in different directions and unclenches his fingers, while the legs are straightened. Then the arms and legs return to their original position, resembling a hug. This reflex is observed for up to five months. An incomplete Moro reflex or its asymmetry is manifested with lesions of the nervous system.

Reflex Kernig observed when it is not possible to unclench the hip joint after flexion. After reaching four months, it completely disappears.

Automatic walking reflex checked with support from the armpits and a slight forward bend. The kid takes steps without accompanying them with hand movements. Normally, the baby should rest on the entire foot and walk without clinging.

If the legs are slightly crossed, then this is considered acceptable in the first 1.5 months. The ability to walk independently is already an acquired skill, due to the complex work of the cerebral cortex, develops by 1 year. If the "automatic gait" remains for a long time, then this may be a manifestation of a lesion of the central nervous system.

Support reflex visible when the baby is held on a hard surface. First, he pushes the feet, then stands flat, pressing the tiny soles tightly against the support. Throughout the month and a half, the support and walking reflexes are well pronounced.

Crawl reflex (Bauer) - it is called spontaneous crawling, it happens when the baby is placed on its stomach or back. The movements intensify if you put your palm to the soles of the child, the baby can even move forward. A reflex appears for 3-4 days, and extinction for third fourth month. An alarming sign is a violation of symmetry or the preservation of crawling movements for up to six months - a year.

Reflex Galant is called the response of the spine zone to an external stimulus. If you run your finger along the back, the child will arch his back and straighten his leg from the side of the impact.

Posotonic reflexes (automatisms)

The group of these reflexes is based on the redistribution of muscle tone in the course of the child's motor development. While the baby still does not know how to hold the head, cannot sit, walk or stand, his muscles must be regulated. The medulla oblongata and, subsequently, the midbrain are responsible for regulation.

Reflex of Magnus-Klein (asymmetric tonic cervical) - the baby takes the "fencer's pose" if his head is turned on its side while the little one is on his back. That is, the limbs, where the face turns, unbend, and the opposite ones bend.

Name	How to stimulate	Response to stimulus	Appearance (age)	Disappearance (age)	Reasons for deviations
Search	Cheek stroking	Turning the head to the stimulus, opening the mouth	From birth	3-4 month (in a dream up to 12 months)	Lethargy, depression of the nervous system. Cerebral palsy
Sucking	Touching the lips or mouth	Sucking movements	From birth	4 month (in a dream up to 7 months)	A well-fed person does not react well. Prematurity, depression of the central nervous system - absence
Cervical tonic ("swordsman")	While the baby is on his back, turn his head to one side	Straightening the arms and legs from the side of the turned head; the arm and leg are bent on the opposite side	Birth - 2 months	4-6 month	Inability to get out of this state or persistence from 6 months - disorders of motor neurons
Prehensile	Put your finger in the palm of the child	Firmly gripping the fingers with both palms	From birth	3-6 month	CNS lesions
Walking reflex	Armpit support, slight forward bend. Feet should touch the surface	Similarity of steps, alternating leg movements	From birth	2-4 month	Absence: cerebral palsy, paralysis of the legs, depression of the child
Reflex Moreau (hugs)	A sudden sound or popping sound when your baby is lying on her back	Symmetrical opening of the arms and straightening of the legs, after a few seconds, wrap your arms around yourself	From birth	Up to 4 months	Paralysis or fracture of the clavicle leads to asymmetry, absence or long-term action - disorders of brain structures
Plantar reflex	Pressure on the toes	Symmetrical toe curl	From birth	4-8 month	Cerebral palsy, brain damage
Reflex Babinsky	Run along the sole to the toes from the heel	Unclenching fingers in a fan-like manner	From birth	By about a year	Cerebral palsy, lesions of the central nervous system

Checking the severity of reflexes is carried out with the help of a neuropathologist and a pediatrician, they are able to determine how correctly the functions of the infant's nervous system are working.

What influences the untimely appearance of reflexes in newborns?

The reasons are completely different, ranging from injuries during childbirth, ending with an individual reaction to medications. Spinal or oral reflexes of a newborn are mild in case of prematurity or mild asphyxia.

It is not always necessary to sound the alarm if the sucking and searching behavior is weak, perhaps the baby is simply full, then he does not show strong reflex activity. But before feeding, on the contrary, sucking and searching are intensified.

If the reflexes of the newborn are not observed at all, then this is a reason for immediate qualified medical care. The most important life support functions can be affected if the baby's health is not maintained in time. There may be several reasons: severe intrauterine malformations, severe asphyxia, injuries sustained during childbirth.

Of course, parents should have information about congenital reflexes, but only an experienced neonatologist or pediatrician can professionally assess the state of the child's health. Deviations from the norm are significant and not very, for minor violations, the doctor will prescribe treatment or special procedures. If the deviations are strong, then the doctor will help to understand the reasons, and will be able to take emergency measures so that the baby is not in danger.

Any strange manifestation of a child's behavior requires increased attention, because his successful adaptation to the world depends on it. The reflexes of a newborn are the care of nature itself so that the baby can feel as comfortable as possible.