When should the startle reflex disappear?

Question

My 2 mo. old is still startling himself out of sleep every couple of minutes. I thought this would start to disappear around 2 mo.

Forgot to say that he can't STAND to be swaddled (since about 1 wk old). He screams and struggles until we free his arms! He has Reflux and is on meds for it. I do put a hand on him when he does it and once he feels me/sees me, he calms down. But I can't do this all night long..lol..
thanks

Answer 1

My son is still doing it at 3&1/2 months...but not very often. He also hated being swaddled. Try putting one hand on his chest and one on his forehead for a few minutes when he first falls asleep...this makes them feel safe and he should not startle himself awake Watch for when his closed eyes stop darting around under the eyelids (that means he is in a deeper sleep)and then you can gently remove your hands.
Good Luck!

Answer 2

My son had startling reflex until he was about 4 months old, although he didn't do it as often as it sounds like your's is. Try swaddling him in a blanket, it helped my son a lot.

Answer 3

My son did this. They feel that "falling" feeling we all feel at times when dreaming. To help him feel more secure, place a heavy hand on his tummy when he startles... to help him feel "grounded"... Swaddling is good, and try to keep him off his back. When he feels more secure and has more muscle control, he'll grow out of it.

If these measure don't help, then yes, talk to his pediatrician about it.

Answer 4

When they are that young you should honestly have that looked at by a Doctor. Reason is it sounds like the little dude is having breathing problems, something like sleep apnea would be in adults, or maybe something that hasn't been noticed yet that is slightly malformed in his nose or throat. Hope he does OK.