Written by Editorial Team
It is common for an infant to communicate through several types of reflexes. Their body shows signs of responding to any stimulus. It can be your finger, soft strokes underneath the palm, trying to crawl, etc. Once the body senses any stimulus, it will instantly react. For example, when you touch your infant’s palm, the fingers will automatically grab your finger. This is known as the palmar grasp reflex. Similarly, once your infant is about three to four months of age, you can see your infant trying to crawl around. Reflexes in babies can be of many types and these usually disappear as the baby grows. In this article, we discuss all about Babinski reflex in babies.
Reflexes are common in newborns. Doctors understand your baby’s neurological health using these reflexes. It further helps in understanding whether the response aligns with the expected standards. While there is nothing wrong with this form of reflex action in infants, checking for abnormal signs will help identify any neurological problems.
In This Article
One of the most important reflexes both parents and doctors look for in a kid is the Babinski reflex. It is termed a plantar reflex where the feet and toes respond to a slight stroke in medical terms.
In infants, the spinal cord and backbone don’t develop completely. As a result, proper neurological testing must be done to ensure that the electrical impulse transmission to and from the brain isn’t getting affected.
Lower limbs and the brain are connected via the cortical spinal tract in infants. The functioning of this tract is examined through the Babinski reflex. If somehow the results fail to match the expected one, doctors take appropriate measures to correct the neurological problems.
Before proceeding further, we would like to focus on the appropriate steps to be followed for checking Babinski reflexes in infants.
Once you follow the steps mentioned above, your baby’s nervous system will show a certain kind of response. In a normal condition, you can easily identify the Babinski reflex if
As you stroke the plantar surface, this is the expected behavior you should keep an eye on. Doctors also use these same signs to check whether the cortical spinal tract is working expectedly or not.
It is important to identify any sign of irregularity at the earliest because an abnormal Babinski reflex means not having proper neural coordination. If not taken care of at an early age, it may lead to serious problems as your infant grows.
There is no fixed time for checking the Babinski reflex in babies. When your baby is about two to two-and-a-half months old, you can do it. The approximate time till this sign usually lasts for two years of age. If the condition lasts after two years, then high chances are there your child is suffering from neurological problems.
As your infant grows, you can check for the Babinski reflex to ensure that neurological growth is as expected. If not, you should visit a doctor.
The Babinski reflex is the best way to test whether the neurological system is developing properly or not in an infant. But sometimes, you may find your baby not responding to the gentle strokes, no matter how many times you do so. This is a sign of abnormal Babinski reflex.
In most cases, the abnormality can happen due to improper neural coordination of the brain and limbs. As the electrical impulses delay reaching the nerve ends of your infant’s feet, you won’t be able to see the response immediately.
Even if the response time is longer and your infant’s feet have shown signs of dorsal and frontal flexion, we cannot call the Babinski reflex normal. Delayed response means that the neurons haven’t developed fully or somehow failed to transmit the electrical impulses.
Apart from this, there are other causes of abnormal Babinski reflexes. Some of them include
To check abnormalities in the Babinski reflexes, you need to notice certain symptoms. Only then will you be able to know whether your infant is suffering from neurological problems.
The following are some ways in which you can detect irregularities in your baby.
You should meet a doctor if you think your baby is not delineating appropriate results after you have stroked your infant’s sole. It’s better not to delay because that can cause further problems in your infant’s neurological system. Also, if you still see the Babinski reflex in your baby after he is two years of age, you should immediately consult the doctor.
While the Babinski reflex is a normal phenomenon in most infants, irregularities in the responses may show neurological problems. This is why you should look for the signs and check whether they are normal or not. If you detect any abnormality like irregular flexion of fingers, no response, and more, you must consult your doctor at the earliest.
[Read : Development Of Grasping In Babies]
A positive Babinski reflex is a condition when your two-years baby still shows the signs. It happens due to a wide range of problems, ranging from brain tumors to injuries in the brain. So, it would be best if you keep a lookout for any visible symptoms of positive Babinski reflex to take care of your child properly.
Usually, the Babinski reflex lasts from two months age to two years. As your child continues to grow, you will be able to differentiate between the flexion of fingers properly. You must ensure to check whether the Babinski reflexes have changed or not according to the age of your infant.
With a rich experience in pregnancy and parenting, our team of experts create insightful, well-curated, and easy-to-read content for our to-be-parents and parents at all stages of parenting.Read more.
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