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Importance of Extrusion Reflex in Babies

Importance of Extrusion Reflex in Babies

You can’t wait as a parent to see your child achieve some significant milestones. Your baby learns and grows more every day from the first lovely riddles to the first steps. But you need to understand how the baby’s mouth works and what the extrusion reflections are, prior to adding these pictures to your milestone picture album. Read on to know the importance of extrusion reflex in babies.

What Is Extrusion Reflex In Babies?

In the first few months of life, babies are born with many reflexes. A reflex is called an unintended action, which response to different stimuli. The reflex action that causes the baby’s tongue to move forward as soon as something touches his lips is an extrusion reflex.

Importance of Extrusion Reflex in Babies

In A Baby, When Does The Extrusion First Develop?

In most newborns, the extrusion reflex is present, but we don’t exactly know whether the baby learns it in the womb. Tongue thrusting is very important during the early months of the infant’s life because the muscles may not be adequately formed to swallow semi-solid or solid food.

The sucking reflex, formed between the gestation period of 32-36 weeks, works along with the extrusion reflex. The sucking reflex helps infants to consume formula or breastmilk.

Signs of Extrusion Reflex In Babies

The extrusion reflexes will be present for approximately 4-6 months right after the child is born. It is therefore best to wait at least around 4 months for the introduction of solid foods. The gag and extrusion reflexes are still very high before that. All babies are growing at a distinctive rate, so the signs that indicate their child’s readiness to eat solid foods are crucial to follow.

By simply giving him a clean spoon like you are trying to feed him, you might do the tongue-thrust reflex test.

  • If the baby’s tongue thrusts forward, refusing it, that means that even now the reflex is present.
  • If the baby opens his mouth and embraces the spoon, then it means that the reflex has absolutely faded or gone.

Importance of Extrusion Reflex in Babies

 Signs For Introducing Solids Into Your Baby’s Diet

  • Sits in chair
  • The head continues to hold independently.
  • The lower and upper lips are drawn inwards when the spoon is removed from the mouth.
  • It weighs at least 13 pounds, and the birth weight is double the current weight.

You may try again after a couple of weeks if the kid already shows this sign but still does not want to eat solid food. It will take about 6 months to go away when the extrusion reflex in a baby is very high.

It may take longer to start solid foods if you were early, and it is best to talk about them with your prediction or doctor. Generally, in these situations, if the infant was born on the due date, you should deliver solids in a schedule that you obey. For eg, if born 3 weeks early on, a baby would have to wait for around 4 months and 3 weeks until six months and three weeks.

 Dealing With Extrusion Reflex In Babies

Nothing can be done to modify the baby’s extruder’s reflex, as it typically goes away on its own at the age of 4 to 6 months (this is one of the key reasons why mothers are encouraged to breast-feed or feed their baby only for the first six months of birth). In certain infants, though, the reflex can take longer to leave, and the parent can’t do anything.

One popular misconception between extrusion and solids feeding is that many mothers believe the baby is throwing away solid food because of the picky food or the taste it doesn’t like. It may be an indication that the swallowing process of the baby has not been properly established and that he is not prepared to eat solid food. For this reason, extrusion loss is considered a significant predictor of the baby’s willingness to start consuming solid food.

When can Extrusion Reflex go away?

It starts to fade between 4 and 6 months after birth and is considered to be a natural part of development. Babies are also beginning to eat solid food at this point. The elimination of this reflection will help your baby wean to the bottle and will learn to eat soft meals, cereal and puree.

In their childhood or older childhood some children will exhibit extrusion reflexes. Maybe it is time to talk to your doctor about this if that’s the case with your baby. If the baby holds the tongue gripping even after puberty, it can cause problems with the alignment of the teeth. It may also cause issues with speech development.

When To Visit A Doctor

Extrusion reflex is a natural part of children ‘s growth and will have no long-term effect as long as the child grows older. However, whether your child is a toddler or an older one and still shows this reflection, it can lead to a lisp when speaking or poor toothline. It is time to speak to your paediatric dentist or your paediatrician if your older children show an irregular tongue-thrust. Such signs include:

  • Respiration by the mouth
  • Extensive tongue
  • Oral ulcers
  • Cracked or chapped lips from licking them often
  • Food chewing difficulty
  • Tongue resting in an incorrect location

An extrusion reflex (infant tongue thrust reflex) is a natural thing that any baby displays in the first few months. The fact that your baby is growing normal and healthy may also be regarded as a positive predictor. However, if you find that the reflex doesn’t encourage him to start eating solid food, speak to your doctor about it. In most situations, a baby only needs a little more time to start learning a new skill.

Also Read: When Should You Introduce Solid Food to Your baby?

 

 

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