Observe whether the child: opens their mouth and turns toward your hand when you stroke their cheek (rooting reflex)
Three ways this behaviour shows up as a child grows. Each level includes everyday moments to watch for.
Your baby sometimes opens their mouth or turns slightly when you gently stroke their cheek, but the response may be small, delayed, or easiest to see before feeding.
What you might see
With a gentle stroke on the cheek, your baby opens their mouth and turns toward your hand in a clear feeding reflex.
What you might see
Your baby responds quickly to gentle touch near either cheek, especially around feeding time, without needing repeated strokes.
What you might see
Small everyday moments where you can notice this behaviour without setting up anything special.
When your baby is calm and awake, gently stroke one cheek and notice whether they open their mouth and turn toward your hand.
Try this briefly before a feeding and watch whether the response happens on either side.
Notice whether the response is clear, delayed, or only happens sometimes.
The dataset source and any supporting developmental research.
Stenhaug, B., Ram, N., & Frank, M. C. (2021). The Stanford SHQ: A measure of early developmental milestones.
The SHQ item asks parents to observe the mouth-opening and head-turning response after the cheek is stroked.
Brazelton, T. B., & Nugent, J. K. (1995). Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (3rd ed.). Mac Keith Press.
Neonatal assessment frameworks commonly include early reflex responses, including feeding-related responses such as rooting.
