• Question: Why do babies float???

    Asked by themysteriousmugenpanther to Damien, Rachael, Simon, Suzi, Tim on 20 Jun 2011.
    • Photo: Damien Hall

      Damien Hall answered on 20 Jun 2011:

      Do they? I think a baby would still sink if you put it in the bath and it didn’t thrash around or anything (though I haven’t got one in the house to check – sorry!).

      I suppose one reason why a baby might be slightly more buoyant (might float slightly better) than a child or adult is that babies are lighter to start with and, of their body-weight, a greater proportion is made up of fat, which is lighter and more buoyant than muscle). Also, if you thrash around as babies often do in the bath, that might make them float better (as swimming does). But I still wouldn’t leave one unattended in the bath! It’s possible to drown in an inch of water if you have your face in it, unfortunately …

    • Photo: Suzi Gage

      Suzi Gage answered on 20 Jun 2011:

      Hi @mugenpanther (I’m shortening people’s names, sorry!)

      I think that if babies do float (and I’d heard this before so I guess they do) it would be because they have a higher proportion of fat compared to heavier materials like bone, so they would float better.

      This is just my own theory though…

      Damien’s right though, they won’t necessarily float the right way up. Interestingly babies will keep their eyes open under water, probably because they are used to being underwater, as they were in liquid when they were in the womb!

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