Newborn babies have various primary reflexes or involuntary movements that, as their nervous system grows and matures, they lose. One of them is for example the Moro or startle reflex, in which the baby extends his arms and opens his hands with his palms when he feels lack of support, and another that we are going to talk about today, the gear reflex, step reflection or automatic gear.
It is a reflex produced as a response triggered by a stimulus, and is that the newborn shows a movement of legs in certain positions as if they wanted to walk.
Take steps as if walking
The gait reflex is a primitive reflex that all babies have. It occurs during the first week of life (in fact it is observed from the seventh month of gestation) and disappears by three or four months. It consists in that, when the baby is held by the armpits and placed on a straight plane, this from the stimulation on the soles of the feet flexes or stretches his legs alternately as if he wanted to walk, with movements that remind the march . #reflejodemarcha #automatic march #baby # newborn
There are people who are surprised to see a newborn baby who moves his legs as if he wanted to walk. Last year, a baby's excursion went viral because of how funny it is to see a baby fresh out of the mother's womb and taking steps.
He automatic gait reflex It is already observed in the baby from the seventh month of gestation and is maintained during the first months of life, usually until the third or fourth month of the baby. It is also known as "automatic gait reflex" or "primitive gait reflex".
If the baby is held by the armpits and placed in an upright position on a straight plane such as a stretcher or the floor, feeling the stimulus on the soles of the feet, straightens and flex and stretch your legs alternately as if you wanted to walk.
If he is pushed a little, he alternately advances one foot and the other, with movements reminiscent of the march. When placed in front of a step, the movement of the legs simulates the climbing action of the same.
A primitive reflex that will disappear
The reflection ends up disappearing around three months or becoming what will be the first precursor exercises of the true steps, when the baby begins to walk through a bra or trying to reach something or someone.
If beyond these first months of the baby the reflection of the step or automatic gear Continues as automatic behavior can be considered as a pathological sign in development.
