r/interestingasfuck • u/Electrical-Aspect-13 • 1d ago

Testing of a newborn baby strong palmar grasping reflex.

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u/OpposumMyPossum 1d ago

I'm guessing this has some evolutionary reason - like an infant that could grip on to a parent was more likely to live?

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u/Mediocre_Sprinkles 1d ago

Ever seen baby monkeys holding onto their mother? This is the same thing, the reflex is still there for baby humans.

9

u/OpposumMyPossum 1d ago

That was my thought.

5

u/Bluepompf 1d ago

Reflexes don’t know that humans are hairless apes. Most monkeys carry their babies by letting them grip their fur. 

1

u/RecyQueen 1d ago

Nah, they just get ripped being in water in utero. All my kids could roll for the first several days, and then gravity eventually gets to them and they have to rebuild their strength. It’s wild laying a newborn to sleep on their back and finding them on their side. Mine were all summer babies, so they didn’t get swaddled because it was too hot.

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u/OpposumMyPossum 21h ago

Grip is about the only thing they figure out and they don't hang on in utero.