Human Growth and Development / Unit 3 HGD 0327 worked example, 60 to 90 seconds
Reflexes That Fade and Reflexes That Stay
The idea
Most newborn reflexes fade in the first months. The stepping reflex fades by about two months, the Moro by two to four, rooting by three to four, and the palmar grasp by three to six, when deliberate grasping replaces it. The Babinski reflex, in which the toes fan out when the sole is stroked, fades later, in the first year or two. Blinking, coughing, gagging and sneezing stay for life.
In practice
A reflex timeline for one child: most reflexes gone by six months, the Babinski lingering longer, and blinking never leaving.
Where people slip
Reflexes matter clinically because their timing is predictable. A reflex that is absent when it should be present, or that lingers long past its usual age, can signal a neurological problem and prompt early intervention. Reflex ages vary a little between sources, so the order matters more than the exact month.
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