the Moro Reflex

Moro Reflex: when a young baby has fallen to sleep, he may startle himself awake by inadvertently whacking himself in the face. It has been theorized that this newborn baby flailing, called the moro reflex, is a vestigial monkey move- the baby reaching out to grab it’s mother’s fur or safety. Some babies get little scratch marks all over from doing this. There are mitts available, and swaddling helps as well.