Present in babies from birth to around 5 months, the moro reflex is a sign of good health. But often interpreted as stress for the newborn, it can distress young parents.

Moro’s reflex, such as gripping fingers or even sucking, is part of the baby’s archaic family of reflexes. These movements of the infant, 7 in number, are completely involuntary, automatic and completely normal.

Historically, they are designed to allow the little one to fend for themselves after birth and to adapt to their new environment. They are put in place during the thirtieth week of in utero development and remain present until about the fifth month after birth. Almost all of them disappear after a few weeks or months and are composed as follows:

• The Grasping Reflex: baby grips and squeezes his fingers very tightly;
• The sucking that allows him to suck;
• Automatic walking: baby, held under the arms by the pediatrician, moves his legs forward as if to take steps;
• The cardinal point reflex: stroke his cheek and he turns his head to the same side;
• The tonic neck reflex: baby slightly straightens his neck and back during an examination performed in the maternity ward by the pediatrician;
• The crossed lengthening reflex: when one tickles the infant’s foot, it lengthens the other;
• And finally, the Moro reflex which comes in response to an uncomfortable stimulus and which historically served the child to allow him to cling to his mother.

Hearing a loud noise, positioned in an uncomfortable posture or in the presence of a movement too sudden for him, baby triggers this reflex in response to an unpleasant stimulation. This manifests as a sudden opening of his legs, arms and fingers and then returning to their starting position, pulled back and squeezed along his body. Screaming and crying can also occur in parallel, which is the only form of communication available to him at this age.

For the pediatrician who follows your baby, the moro reflex is essential between 0 and 5 months, since it tells him that all is well and that his brain development is normal. In the absence of this reflex (which is relatively very rare), the doctor may consider performing further examinations to determine if the baby’s tone is weak or if neurological problems could explain this absence. Likewise, a persistence of this reflex beyond 5 months of life is not normal. The doctor will then consider looking for possible developmental delays or neurological problems in the child of very different severity. But in most cases, the Moro reflex disappears around the age of 3 months and then comes the normal phenomenon of startle in the child.

During your baby’s monthly appointments, the pediatrician performs a number of tests. As for the Moro reflex, the infant is placed lying on his back, then the doctor lifts him up a few centimeters by placing his fingers in the hollow of the little one’s hands and forcing him to stretch out his arms. Then he lets it fall back on the table and watches his reactions. The Moro reflex is then considered normal if the child meets the various criteria that define it.

When sleeping, it is common for a baby to wake up following these involuntary movements linked to the Moro reflex. Cries and tears then take over and place the infant and its parents in a difficult situation to live with in the long term. To soothe him and avoid being woken up with a start by his involuntary movements, swaddling is recommended by more and more early childhood professionals. This old practice, but now trendy again, would calm the little one by creating a sensation of enveloping softness.

The baby is therefore born with many skills allowing him to adapt to his new life, it is up to you to help him develop, improve them and support him throughout his life so that he can grow and evolve. at his own pace.