The Startle reflex is one of the most important to integrate. If it does not, a child can grow up with high anxiety and high cortisol without even knowing why. Babies need to practice the startle. Swaddling keeps the reflex from activating, which prevents it from integrating. For a regulated nervous system, babies need time out of the wrap so the startle can happen often. Noise, gravity, and floor time all help trigger it naturally. Those little flailing arms are not just cute, they are building

The Moro reflex- also known as the startle reflex, is designed to keep the infant safe and cling to the mother for survival, alerting them of possible danger. The Moro reflex should integrate around 6 months, but for a variety of reasons it may not. Or it may return after a bout of trauma at any stage of life. In order to get the Moro reflex to integrate, the child / adult must feel safe and secure. From there you can go through a variety of exercises and functional activities to promote integra

The Startle Reflex in Babies: Everything You Need to Know