The Importance of Tongue Posture in Newborns
As you continue your breastfeeding or bottle-feeding journey with your newborn, you may find that you are having some latch issues. Whether that is on the breast or on the bottle, latch issues can happen either way. You may experience clicking noises during feeding, lots of milk dribbling, or that baby isn’t getting full. One of the many things that could be causing these issues is your baby’s tongue resting posture. Keep reading to learn more about proper tongue resting posture in newborns and how you can encourage proper tongue posture through oral development teethers.
What is Proper Tongue Resting Posture?
While at rest, everyone’s tongue should be gently touching the roof of the mouth with the teeth slightly apart. This is the same for newborns, too! The tongue should appear flat and resting on the roof of the mouth.
If your baby’s tongue does not do this, does not reach the roof of the mouth, or does something else that is abnormal, you may want to speak to your doctor about a potential tongue tie. Tongue ties can cause issues with feeding, whether on the breast or bottle, and can be corrected through exercises or surgery.
What Issues Can This Cause?
Tongue tie — also called ankyloglossia (ang-kuh-low-GLOSS-ee-uh) — forms before a baby is born. Usually, as the baby develops, the front of the tongue and the floor of the mouth grow apart. The back of the tongue stays attached. Sometimes, the frenulum might be too short or too tight. It might stay near the front of the tongue and tie the tip of the tongue to the floor of the mouth.
Tongue tie can range from mild (only a tiny fold of tissue holds the tip of the tongue) to severe (the entire bottom of the tongue connects to the floor of the mouth). Sometimes, a thick, tight frenulum near the base of the tongue limits its motion.
Babies with tongue tie might:
| lose their latch while breastfeeding or bottle-feeding |
| struggle to get a good nursing position |
| make a clicking sound while feeding, especially from a bottle |
If left untreated, children with tongue tie may:
| have trouble speaking clearly and saying certain sounds (like d, l, t, or the) |
| have trouble licking their lips, or licking an ice cream cone |
| not be able to stick their tongue out past their teeth |
| get cuts under the tongue when the frenulum gets caught between the lower front teeth |
| have tooth decay because they can't use their tongue to clear food from their teeth or the roof of their mouth |
| have trouble playing wind instruments |
[source: https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/tongue-tie.html ]
How Can I Encourage and Practice Proper Tongue Resting Posture?
Surgery can be scary, especially if you’re considering it for your newborn! Luckily, there are many other ways you can encourage proper tongue resting posture for your baby and work on their tongue tie.
Here are some exercises you can try, according to the Goldfarb Breastfeeding Clinic:
| With the tip of your finger or an Innobaby Oral Development Teether, gently rub the top of the lower and upper gums on the left and on the right. Your baby will try to follow your finger with the tip of the tongue. Then, push on each side of the tongue to feel that the tongue is resisting. Repeat this to build strength! |
| Gently push the baby's chin and stroke the lip and lower gums to encourage him to stick the tongue out. You can stick your own tongue out for your baby to mimic. Even very young babies can mimic the facial expressions of their parents. |
| When baby is sleeping, make sure the mouth is closed, and lips are touching by massaging the soft part behind the chin bone. Apply light upward pressure. The baby's tongue will "stick" to the palate. Gently lower the chin as low as possible to stretch the tongue and keep the tongue on the palate as long as possible. When the tongue comes off, repeat 3-4 times. |
| Keep up with tummy time! For the first 3 weeks of life, tummy time is done on a parent's chest, leaning back, skin-to-skin if possible. Carrying the baby upright can also be equivalent to time on the belly. After 3 weeks of age, you can start to make it a moment of playful interaction, by placing baby on a firm surface. “Tummy Time” as taught by Michelle Emmanuel is a therapeutic technique aimed at improving posture, movement, and interaction with the baby. It helps oral-motor dysfunctions (ie. sucking), promotes digestion and regulates the autonomic nervous system. |
Innobaby Oral Development Toys
Giving your baby a great head start on their oral development, even as a newborn, is possible! Innobaby has an entire line of Oral Development Toys to encourage proper tongue posture, tongue strengthening, cheek and chin muscle strengthening, and much more!
Innobaby’s teethers aren’t just great for teething pain; they’re considered “training teethers,” which means they’re great for a bunch of different reasons:
- They stimulate the muscles of the lips, tongue, and cheeks to improve oral motor skills
- Aids in nursing, eating solid foods, drinking from cups, and speech development
- The light and easy-to-grip handle also improves hand-eye coordination
- Giving two to baby will allow for bilateral movement and stimulation of both sides of the brain
Innobaby holds its teethers to the very highest standards (Conform to Toy Safety Standard ASTM F963 and EN71) and uses the highest quality TPE available because Innobaby wants the best for your baby, just like you!
They come in three awesome shapes, tons of colors, and your baby is guaranteed to love them well into their toddler years. Yes, teeth still need relief with teethers during those molar years!
For more great newborn tips, parenting hacks, and safe family products, visit us at Innobaby.com!