# Day 8: Reflexes > The five built-in reflexes your newborn arrived with, what each one is for, when it fades, and two small games that use them. - Series: Your first month, day by day (https://chorevia.com/learn/first-month), day 8 of 120, week 2 - Canonical URL: https://chorevia.com/learn/first-month/day-8 - Last reviewed: 2026-10-18 - Publisher: Chorevia (https://chorevia.com) - Cite as: Chorevia. "Day 8: Reflexes." Last reviewed October 18, 2026. https://chorevia.com/learn/first-month/day-8 This guide is general education that summarizes published research and guidance from groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the CDC, and the WHO. It isn’t medical advice, and every child develops on their own timeline. Your pediatrician knows your child; if something feels wrong, call them. In an emergency, call 911. Put a finger in your baby's palm and they'll grab it. Stroke a cheek and they'll turn toward it. None of that is learned yet. Today is about the reflexes your baby was born with, and what they're for. ## Heart That grip around your finger is a reflex, and it still does something to you. It's fine to let it. What's being built is the habit of noticing them, and of being noticed back. Everyday back-and-forth moments like that help build neural connections ([Harvard Center on the Developing Child](https://developingchild.harvard.edu/key-concept/serve-and-return/)). ## Head Five reflexes to spot this week ([AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/Pages/newborn-reflexes.aspx)): - **Rooting:** turns toward a touch on the cheek to find the nipple. Fades around 4 months. - **Sucking:** starts automatically when a nipple is deep in the mouth. - **Moro (startle):** flings out arms and legs at a loud sound or sudden movement, then pulls them in. Fades around 2 months. - **Grasp:** grips a finger placed in the palm. Fades around 5 to 6 months. - **Stepping:** "steps" when held upright with feet on a flat surface. Fades around 2 months. ## Body Beyond the reflexes, expect jerky arm movements, tight fists, hands drifting to the mouth, and a head that flops without support ([AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/Pages/Developmental-Milestones-1-Month.aspx)). Keep the head well supported whenever you lift or carry them. ## Try today ### The finger-grip game - **Time:** A minute, when your baby is calm and alert 1. Lay your baby on their back on a soft towel or blanket. 2. Gently open one palm and rest your finger across it; wait for the grip, a reflex newborns are born with ([AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/Pages/newborn-reflexes.aspx)). 3. Say what's happening: "You've got my finger." Then try the other hand. ### Side-lying play, first try - **Time:** A few minutes at a time during awake play - **From the guide:** [Side-lying play](https://chorevia.com/learn/newborn#side-lying-play) 1. Lay your baby on their side on a blanket on the floor while they're awake. 2. If they roll onto their back, tuck a rolled-up towel behind them for support ([AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/sleep/Pages/The-Importance-of-Tummy-Time.aspx)). 3. Lie down facing them so they can see your face and their own hands. 4. After a few minutes, switch to the other side. **Make it work:** Side-lying is for awake play only, with you right there. For sleep, always on their back on a bare, flat surface, towel put away ([AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/sleep/Pages/The-Importance-of-Tummy-Time.aspx)). ## Watch for - **Normal:** tight fists, jerky thrusts, a startle at a bang. **Call 911** if your baby is limp, floppy, or not moving ([Nationwide Children's](https://www.nationwidechildrens.org/conditions/health-library/newborn-warning-signs)). - **Normal:** swollen breasts or genitals, sometimes leaking a few drops of milk, from the birthing parent's estrogen; don't squeeze them ([AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/Pages/How-Your-Newborn-Looks.aspx)). **Call your pediatrician right away** if a swollen breast turns red, streaky, or tender ([AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/tips-tools/symptom-checker/Pages/symptomviewer.aspx?symptom=Newborn+Appearance+Questions)). - **Normal:** peeling skin ([AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/Pages/How-Your-Newborn-Looks.aspx)). **Call right away** about tiny blisters, purple or blood-colored spots, infected-looking skin, or a rash with a fever ([AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/tips-tools/symptom-checker/Pages/symptomviewer.aspx?symptom=Newborn+Rashes+and+Birthmarks)). ## For you Your body is doing a lot of lifting, holding, and hunching this week. Bend at the knees, not the waist, when you pick things up ([AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/on-the-go/Pages/Baby-Carriers.aspx)). When you feed, get your back against something and your arms resting on a cushion before the baby latches, not after. Change which side you carry on. Some aches are not just aches. Seek care immediately for severe swelling, redness, or pain in a leg or arm, or for overwhelming tiredness that goes beyond new-parent tired ([CDC](https://www.cdc.gov/hearher/maternal-warning-signs/index.html)). After a C-section, walking helps healing and helps prevent clots ([MedlinePlus](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000624.htm)). If you're the partner: take the floor shift today. Lie down beside the baby for side-lying play while she lies down somewhere else. ## Sources - Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. "Serve and Return." https://developingchild.harvard.edu/key-concept/serve-and-return/ - American Academy of Pediatrics. "Newborn Reflexes." HealthyChildren.org. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/Pages/newborn-reflexes.aspx - American Academy of Pediatrics. "Developmental Milestones: 1 Month." HealthyChildren.org. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/Pages/Developmental-Milestones-1-Month.aspx - American Academy of Pediatrics. "3 Tummy Time Activities to Try With Your Baby." HealthyChildren.org. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/sleep/Pages/The-Importance-of-Tummy-Time.aspx - Nationwide Children's Hospital. "Newborn Warning Signs." https://www.nationwidechildrens.org/conditions/health-library/newborn-warning-signs - American Academy of Pediatrics. "How Your Newborn Looks." HealthyChildren.org. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/Pages/How-Your-Newborn-Looks.aspx - American Academy of Pediatrics. "Newborn Appearance Questions" (symptom checker). HealthyChildren.org. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/tips-tools/symptom-checker/Pages/symptomviewer.aspx?symptom=Newborn+Appearance+Questions - American Academy of Pediatrics. "Newborn Rashes and Birthmarks" (symptom checker). HealthyChildren.org. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/tips-tools/symptom-checker/Pages/symptomviewer.aspx?symptom=Newborn+Rashes+and+Birthmarks - American Academy of Pediatrics. "Baby Carriers: Backpacks, Front Packs & Slings." HealthyChildren.org. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/on-the-go/Pages/Baby-Carriers.aspx - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Urgent Maternal Warning Signs and Symptoms." HEAR HER campaign. https://www.cdc.gov/hearher/maternal-warning-signs/index.html - MedlinePlus. "Going home after a C-section." National Library of Medicine. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000624.htm