Preview

Describe The Importance Of Reflexes In Children

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
842 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Describe The Importance Of Reflexes In Children
During infancy, a baby will have four main reflexes; the movements made in reflexes are inborn and automatically without thinking to help protect the baby and/or help it feed, learn and develop. These reflexes are rooting, grasp, walking and Moro reflexes and most if not all new-borns have them.

Rooting reflex is when you touch the baby’s cheek and their head will move in that direction, their mouths opened wide, this ensures successful breast feasting. They do this, hungry or not as a reflex. The rooting reflex is strong for the first 3-4 months, but normally disappears by their first birthday.

The grasping reflex, sometimes called the palmers grasping reflex, is when your baby with grasp onto your finger, hair and jewellery for example. Their grasp is very strong, and is a natural reflex that they hold onto for about 3-4 months. The baby can not control this, they may drop stuff unexpectedly.
…show more content…
If you were to hold your baby, under the armpits and then put their feet on a flat surface, the baby will make walking or stepping movements. This reflex, walking and stepping, will be present for the first 8 weeks. Another reflex on the sole of the foot is 'Babinski reflex ' where if you stroke the sole from heel to toes, the baby would turn up their toes and turn their foot inwards as a response. This reflex is present for the first 2 years.

The Moro reflex is when the baby reacts to sudden stimulation, such as sudden sound or movement. They will have a startled face and throw their arms out to their sides, their fingers fanned out in an embrace position, they may even cry. As the reflex ends, the baby 's arms will return to a relaxed state and the baby will

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Unit 68 Outcome 4

    • 1591 Words
    • 5 Pages

    RELEXES ICLUDING SWALLING AND SUCKING, RROTING,GASP, STARTLE AND WALKING AND STANDING REFLEXES AS THEY REACH AROUND ONE MONTH BABIES BECOME LESS CURLED UP AND WILL BECOME LESS STARTLED.…

    • 1591 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When they are born, they have little control over the body. They movements are dependent on a series of reflexes such as sucking, swallowing , grasping .…

    • 1948 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    TDA 2.1 Task

    • 1766 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Rooting - It assists in breastfeeding, disappearing at around four months of age as it gradually comes under voluntary control. A new born infant will turn his head toward anything that strokes his…

    • 1766 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Unit 19 P1

    • 2223 Words
    • 9 Pages

    | Newborn babies are born with rooting, sucking, hand grasp, startle and steeping reflex.At 3 months a child can hold head upright for a few seconds. They will begin to clasp and unclasp their hands together in finger play.At 5 months the movement of their hands are uncontrolled. At 6 months a child can roll over and can lift leg to 90° to grasp the foot. They can also use their whole hand to grasp an object which is held in the palm of their hand.…

    • 2223 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    unit 022 childcare

    • 4856 Words
    • 20 Pages

    Babies at birth – most are born at 40 week and premature babies more often need a little more time to reach the same level of development as babies born in and after the 40th week. Most are born with just reflexes for survival at first. These would be swallowing, sucking reflexes to help feed. Rooting reflex baby will move its head if the cheek is touched to find a nipple or teat. Grasp reflex babies will grip objects touching their palm. Startle reflex they will often move arms outwards and clench fists is a sound movement or light suddenly startles them. Walking reflex when babies are held upright with their feet on a firm surface they usually mimic walking.…

    • 4856 Words
    • 20 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    By 1 month old head control will be still be unsteady, and their hands will be in tight fists. Babies will grasp at objects that have touched the palm of their hands. they may turn their heads and eyes in unison and smile at familiar faces, smells or sounds, they also like to observe the face of adults at feeding time.…

    • 3324 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Babies are born with many reflexes such as swallowing and sucking reflexes, rooting reflexes, grasping reflexes, startle reflexes and walking and standing reflexes. Most babies are born with these reflexes, if a baby is born before the fortieth week, and are described as premature, then they might need a little more time to reach the same levels of development as a baby which has not been born until the fortieth week. Many of the reflexes babies are born with help the baby to survive. For example they have a rooting instinct to help them find milk from a nipple or teat if their mouth or cheek is touched, then a suckling and swallowing instinct in order for them to be able to feed. Babies have grasp reflexes, where they will put their fingers around an object if it touches the palm of their hand. Babies usually make stepping movements when they are held upright on a firm surface and if startled they will usually react by moving their arms outwards and clenching their fists. In their first month babies start to change very rapidly. They will be starting to look less curled up and they will appear to be startled less often. Their sleep will now be beginning to be in a pattern. They will sleep quite a lot of the time but the time in which they are awake will be increasing, as they get older.…

    • 5184 Words
    • 21 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Nvq Level 3

    • 445 Words
    • 2 Pages

    While the sequences are common amongst most children what often changes is the rate in which they develop the skills. It is important to monitor a child's sequence and rate of development in order for us to determine the kind of help he/she will need and of whom they will need to be referred too. From the birth of a child to the moment the child starts to talk, the child will go through different stages of development and at different rates. At first a baby will start to learn simple reflexes by exploring new objects through the means of touching and seeing, over an average period of six weeks. At the end of the six weeks, or sooner or later depending on the baby (this is an example of rate of development), the baby's hands…

    • 445 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Child laying on their front lies in a fetal position with knees tucked up. Child is unable to raise head or stretch limbs.…

    • 3068 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Babies and toddlers show amazing progress in all aspects of their development from birth to three years, considering they are born with simple reflexes and are quite helpless and dependent. It is essential to have a good understanding of the developmental stages in this age group in order to support their development.…

    • 1275 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    tda 2.1

    • 1394 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Physical - New born babies are born with many different reflexes to help them survive. These reflexes include the ability to swallow and suck reflexes, enabling them to feed. They also use a grasp reflex where they will automatically wrap their fingers around the caregiver’s finger or object when it is pressed against their palm. As the child ages there are many other physical developments that they learn by the time they are 4 weeks old they can focus on a face and follow an object, by the time they reach 5 months old they are able to lift their own head while they are lay flat on their stomach, roll over, wave a rattle or toy and try and reach for an object to hold. When the child reaches the age of 12 months the child should normally be crawling, sitting and able to pull themselves up on furniture and walk along it. The child will enjoy bouncing and clapping their hands along to music. Between the ages of 2-3 the child should be able to walk, run, climb up and down of furniture and be able to feed themselves.…

    • 1394 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    New born babies need support as they have very little control over their own bodies. As they grow their movements develop further. Their first movements include crawling, sitting, grabbing and pointing. Once they start walking their physical development progresses into running, hopping, jumping and rolling. By the time a baby reaches three years of…

    • 1307 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    0-3 months - New babies start swallowing and sucking reflexes begin. They grasp your finger if you put your finger in their palm. If babies are held up on their feet they usually make stepping movements. When babies hear a sudden sounds or a light is suddenly switched on they will startle by moving their arms outwards and clenching their fists. Towards the end of 3 months babies look less curled up and startles less as they get used to their new surroundings.…

    • 2363 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Reflexes babies are born with many reflexes, which are actions they do without thinking. Many reflexes are linked to survival. Here are some examples of these reflexes:-…

    • 5576 Words
    • 23 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    When first born there is fast development and babies have little control over. Series of reflexes in order to survive (for example, sucking, grasping). Gradually more control so by 12 mths most will be able to crawl or roll.…

    • 2581 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Good Essays