Innate reflexes are the automatic and involuntary responses that the newborn makes in the presence of a certain stimulus. The reflex response generally involves a movement, as in the case we are talking about today, the babinski reflex in the baby , also known as the extensor plantar reflex.
What is the Babinski reflex?
The Babinski reflex involves the movement of the big toe upward toward the instep, and the other toes fan out when the sole of the baby’s foot is rubbed. By touching or stroking the soles of the feet from the heel to the toes, the baby will spread the toes.
Until when do you present the Babinski reflex?
The baby’s primary reflexes tend to disappear after different periods, in the case of the Babinski reflex it is normal in children up to two years of age, although before, even before reaching twelve months, it can disappear. It is around 18 months when this reflex is usually inhibited by the higher centers.
That is, it usually disappears after the baby’s process of crawling and crawling, when he crawls with the tip of his feet helping himself to move, and when he begins to walk. If the child walks on tiptoe it could be because he has skipped this stage and the Babinski reflex has not disappeared (although we do not have to worry, this is probably not the cause and it is the pediatrician who has to confirm it).
When children reach biological maturity, they develop the negative Babinski reflex , which is maintained into adulthood. By applying the same pressure on the sole of the foot, the toes are closed towards the inside of the foot and the heel moves away.
What if my baby doesn’t have it?
The absence of the Babinski reflex in the newborn, or when it occurs in a child older than two years or in an adult, is often a sign of a brain or nervous system disorder (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, injury, or tumor). cerebral or spinal cord, meningitis, multiple sclerosis, cerebrovascular accident …).
Ultimately, we can prove that our baby has the Babinski reflex , from birth, by massaging or pressing the sole of the foot, although like any temporary reflex, it will disappear when the child grows up.
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