Even if they are only a few weeks old and you think they can only eat, cry and sleep, babies are born with certain innate reflexes that they perform involuntarily and automatically in response to certain stimuli. These are indicative of their proper development and appear or disappear depending on their age.
Have you ever seen how your baby quickly extends his arms and legs, flexes his hands and suddenly starts crying? Even if you think this is a reaction for no apparent reason, the truth is that it has an explanation: the Moro or startle reflex.
The Moro reflex, also called the startle reflex, is an involuntary reflex that babies present, which they acquire innately from birth. It consists of, suddenly, the little one extends the arms to the sides of the body, flexes the fingers of the hands and stretches the neck and legs. After a moment, he puts his arms back together and begins to cry.
This occurs in response to a sudden change in position in which there is an extension of your spine, which causes your head to fall back. With this alteration of his posture and balance, the baby has the feeling that he is falling, so he gets scared and exercises that automatic reflex movement. After stretching and crying, the way in which he flexes his arms again is usually the instinct to cling to whoever is holding him in his arms, thus being a survival instinct.
Likewise, the Moro reflex can appear in response to a loud noise that scares the baby. Also, it is possible that he experiences it while he is asleep. To prevent this from interrupting their sleep, many parents choose to wrap them in pajamas or special blankets, or tuck them in like a kind of donkey, so that their arms and legs remain immobile against their body. In this regard, you should consult with your pediatrician about whether this is necessary or positive in the case of your little one.
The Moro reflex is innate and appears in the first weeks of the baby's life. The pediatrician will check if he has it in the first health check-ups, making a sudden change –always with great care– the position of the child's head. If an abnormality is observed, such as the absence of the startle reflex or that it performs it asymmetrically, it may be necessary to perform other tests to rule out developmental problems or lesions of the brain, spinal cord, nerves, and bones. As a general rule, the Moro reflex disappears on its own around four months of age.
