Newborn babies are able to breathe and suck at the same time due to –
The infant larynx differs markedly from its adult counterpart. Although it is about one - third adult size, it is proportionately larger.
Its lumen is short and funnel-shaped and disproportionately narrower than that of an adult. It lies higher in the neck than the adult larynx. At rest, the upper border of the infant epiglottis is at the level of the second or third cervical vertebra; when the larynx is elevated, it reaches the level of the first cervical vertebra.
This high position enables an infant to use its nasal airway to breath while sucking.
Wide short tongue
Short soft palate
High larynx
Short pharynx