Your Newborn's Reflexes: What to Expect
Life for new parents is full of surprises, but you may not have aniticipated these seemingly strange newborn reflexes (sometimes knowns as primtive reflexes). Wonder why your newborn baby sometimes flails her arms out suddenly in her sleep, perhaps even waking herself up in the process? It’s due to a natural reflex instilled within your baby. By understanding your newborn’s natural reflexes, you gain insight into her amazing world. We give you the lowdown on newborn reflexes, what they look like, and what they mean.
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Rooting Reflex
How Long Does it Last? After about three weeks your baby will stop turning her head from side to side whenever she feels a touch. She will simply turn her head into the right position to suck. |
What is It? Your baby is born with the instinctive ability to root around for milk. She responds to being touched by turning toward the source of the touch. For example, when she’s placed on your chest, expect your baby to move her head and sometimes open and close her mouth, demonstrating this reflex. If you place a finger on her cheek, she will turn toward your finger and open her mouth. Rooting is helpful becuase it is an early sign of hunger, so if you see your baby rooting, try to 
