Decoded: The First Year | Episode 43 | Reflexes in the First Year: The Long View | Dr SCL

If you’ve listened to this entire reflex series… first of all, good on you.
Because chances are, you didn’t come here looking for “perfect parenting.”
 You came here looking for understanding.
You wanted to know:
“What actually matters in my baby’s development?”
“What should I pay attention to?”
“And how do I know if my child is truly okay beneath all the noise online?”
And honestly?
 That question alone already tells me something important about you.
 You’re paying attention.
 Not from fear.
 From care.
Because the first year of life can feel incredibly loud.
Milestone charts.
Comparison.
Opinions.
Pressure.
Everyone asking if your baby is rolling, sitting, crawling, sleeping, feeding, self-settling, standing…
As though development is a performance review.
But through a nervous system lens, development has never been about speed.
 It’s about sequence.
 Organisation.
 Adaptation.
And primitive reflexes sit right in the middle of that story.
Not as “good” or “bad.”
Not as labels.
But as part of the neurological scaffolding that helps a baby build their relationship with gravity, movement, posture, regulation, coordination, and eventually… learning.
So in this final episode of the series, I want to zoom out.
 Away from the individual reflexes.
 Away from the milestone checklists.
 And back toward the bigger picture.
Because when parents understand the long view of development…
comparison softens,
pressure decreases,
and confidence starts to grow.
And honestly?
 That changes everything.