Parentpedia

What Experts Say

Babies are born hard-wired for survival thanks to a few key reflexes (automatic responses that are brought on by physical stimuli). "The most important is the rooting reflex, which allows them to eat," says Tanya Remer Altmann, M.D., F.A.A.P., editor-in-chief of "The Wonder Years: Helping Your Baby and Young Child Successfully Negotiate the Major Developmental Milestones."

Essentially, whenever your baby's cheek is touched, it causes him to turn his head in that direction and then move his lips and tongue (known as rooting). He's now in position, ready to breast- or bottle-feed by using two other reflexes, sucking and swallowing. Should he swallow too much milk, he'll gag, which is another reflex that stops him from choking.

Another reflex that babies are born with is blinking. Even though it's not critical to survival, it protects the eyes from bright light and helps to re-hydrate them.

Named after pediatrician Ernst Moro, the Moro Reflex occurs in most infants up to age 3 months. When you abruptly shift your baby's position (say picking her up from the changing table or placing her in her crib), she may react by throwing back her head, and throwing out her arms, while keeping her hands tightly clenched.

And while we often don't think about grasping objects, crawling, or walking as reflexes, the American Academy of Pediatrics considers them as such. At birth, an infant can grasp your finger. "And if you hold your baby in a standing position on a flat surface, she will lift each foot in turn," says Dr. Altmann. The same goes for crawling: We don't have to teach babies to crawl, they just do it when they're ready!