Babies have a pair of reflexes that can make them appear to be good swimmers: the dive reflex and the swimming reflex, according to BabyCenter.com.
This reflex, also called the bradycardic response, causes babies to hold their breath and open their eyes when submerged, says Jeffrey Wagener, a pediatric pulmonologist in Denver. Parents can get this same reaction by blowing in their baby’s face. The response weakens as a baby gets older, but even adults have it to some degree.
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Tomorrow is July 1. About time, too.
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