Landau Reflex is a secondary reflex that appears around the fourth month of the baby’s life and whose absence may be an indicator of motor weakness or a slower mental development.
Primary and secondary reflexes are involuntary responses of the body that serve to check if the baby’s development is normal. The primary reflexes are those with which the baby is born, and the secondary ones, those that appear throughout the child’s life.
Among the secondary reflexes we find the Landau Reflex, which appears around 4 months of age and disappears around 12.
This reflex can be observed when lying the baby on his stomach with the abdomen on our hands. In this situation, instead of letting himself fall by gravity, the baby tensions its body, stretching the trunk and legs and raising the head to see ahead and look for a visual reference.
The absence of this reflex may be an indicator of motor weakness or less mental development, but the paediatrician is the only one to assess it in each case. If you notice your baby lacks this reflex, always contact its doctor.