As a new parent, it’s natural to be vigilant and cautious when it comes to your baby’s development and well-being. One behavior you may notice in baby chewing on tongue, which is not uncommon in infants. While it may be concerning at first, there is no need to immediately call for emergency assistance.
Tongue chewing is similar to other common behaviors like thumb sucking which are typical in growing babies. However, it’s still important to understand this behavior and any implications it may have for your baby’s development and health.
Why Is Your Baby Chewing On Tongue
Here are some possible reasons why your baby is chewing on their tongue:
1. Your baby is being a little explorer
Babies are new to the world and constantly want to learn about everything about them. Their brains are like sponges, absorbing every bit of information. However, babies absorb information in different ways, through their senses.
They see, hear, taste, feel, and smell to understand their immediate environments. So, your baby may realize that they have something on the inside of their mouth and want to get a proper feel of it. This can bring about chewing of the tongue.
2. Say hello to some development
If your baby is chewing on their tongue, it may be that your baby is passing through a developmental stage. This claim can be properly supported if you notice corroborating signs like your baby playing with their tongue repeatedly or sticking the tongue out.
When your baby becomes a few months old, this is normal behavior. Around this time, which could be four to six months of age for most babies, they start to show signs of readiness for solid food.
In doing so, they may stop tongue thrusting and chew on their tongue to show you that they are ready for more. What do you know? Your tiny human is already taking big steps!
3. Your tiny human wants some food
While babies are growing, they need a lot of nutrients for proper development. This minute, they are taking a little amount, and the next, it seems like their appetite has stepped up exponentially. This is quite normal.
Instead of crying, your baby may chew on their tongue to let you know that they are hungry. In this case, after feeding your baby, watch out if your baby chews on their tongue. If they do not, then it confirms your theory that your baby just needs some food.
4. Suck, suck, suck
Your baby may be at that stage where every baby wants to satisfy what is called the sucking reflex. The sucking reflex is one of those actions stimulated in babies right from the womb.
Why do you think your baby has little trouble latching onto your nipple and sucking immediately? There is a sucking reflex at work. Some babies, as they grow, may find something else to satisfy this reflex.
You may find that some babies prefer to make use of their thumb to derive satisfaction. Some babies quickly get a pacifier. If your baby cannot get their thumb into their mouth or make use of a pacifier, then they may start to chew on their tongue to induce a similar experience of such motion.
5. It may be associated with teething
Your baby chewing on their tongue may signify that the time for teething is near or that your baby is trying to feel better if they’re already teething.
The teething stage comes with discomfort and pain for babies; do not be surprised if your baby chews their tongue as a coping mechanism to relieve the pain. Aside from this, usually, if a baby is teething, they may want to chew on anything to test their new additions.
Is Baby Tongue Chewing A Disorder?
Baby tongue chewing is not a disorder in any way. It is normal in most cases as a result of the causes highlighted in the previous section. However, it may be linked to some medical conditions.
You may see from some sources that tongue chewing is a disorder. Note that tongue chewing in adults may be a sign of a behavioral disorder but may not mean anything serious in babies.
Baby Tongue Chewing And Related Medical Conditions
While it is true that baby tongue chewing is mostly normal, the act of tongue chewing can be related to some medical conditions. In this section, we will talk about some medical conditions that may spur chewing of the tongue and others assumed to be related to tongue chewing in babies
1. Down’s Syndrome
This is a genetic disorder that occurs when an extra copy of a certain chromosome is produced during cell division in the formation of an embryo, which will of course, develop into a human. This chromosome is chromosome 21.
Down syndrome comes with the characteristic of having a tongue that is larger than the average size. Children with Down’s Syndrome may also have a small jaw which may allow the tongue to feel too large for the mouth.
Babies with Down’s syndrome will typically show signs of tongue chewing due to the above-mentioned physical characteristics.
2. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
“Could it be that my baby is showing signs of OCD because they are chewing their tongue?” Do not be worried about asking this question as you are certainly not the first to think in this direction.
Note that OCD is a mental health disorder that involves a human having strong recurring and unwanted thoughts that necessitate certain impulses (compulsion) all the time.
According to research, OCD symptoms aren’t seen in babies but they may start to appear from when the child is about three years old, which is a rare occurrence. Most children start to show symptoms when they are much older from the ages of six to ten.
So, do not worry that your child is showing signs of a mental illness. You may as well erase this thought from your mind.
3. Low Muscle Tone
This is a condition that makes humans have muscles that are not so firm such that they have to make more effort to initiate movement. Several conditions can cause a baby to have low muscle tone. Some of them include Down’s syndrome, cerebral palsy, and Marfan syndrome.
Low muscle tone implies that the muscles are weak. If your baby has low muscle tone, you may find that they have difficulties with the mouth. Your baby may be drooling a lot and tongue chewing can also be a by-product of this general weakness.
4. Autism
Many people have tagged tongue chewing as a symptom of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This is because Autism Spectrum Disorder comes with symptoms that involve repetitive movements.
However, tongue chewing in babies is not a confirmation that Autism Spectrum Disorder is present but Autism requires a much more comprehensive diagnosis for one to be sure.
5. Micrognathia
Babies with this condition have rather small jaws, and this interferes with feeding in babies. Since the baby’s jaws are small, it may lead to continuous chewing of the tongue which is of the normal size. The tongue appears to be rather large as the jaws are small.
Babies with Down’s syndrome have this condition. Other cases that present this condition are congenital rubella syndrome, Edwards syndrome, and Turner syndrome, amongst many others.
What Can I Do About My Baby Chewing On The Tongue?
Dear parent, to help your baby with incessant chewing of the tongue, there are some steps you can take. Although it is normal, your baby may be chewing their tongue to meet a particular need. You should meet that need instead of allowing your baby to chew on the tongue. Below are some methods you can employ:
1. Give your baby a pacifier to suck on
Your baby may be chewing on their tongue because of the sucking reflex at work. Instead of chewing the tongue, you can buy a pacifier for your baby to satisfy their sucking reflex.
2. Use teething toys
If your baby is at the start of the teething stage and is very enthusiastic about chewing anything he finds his hands on, you should buy teething toys.
3. Create appropriate feeding plans for your plan
It may be that you need to alter your baby’s feeding times tables to accommodate your baby’s dietary cravings. If you notice that your baby gets hungry more often, and is chewing on the tongue, you may want to take certain steps so that your baby gets fed on time.
4. It’s time for some solid food
If your baby is chewing on their tongue, it may also indicate that they are ready for more. Your baby is probably telling you that they are tired of milk and want something stronger. You can start to introduce solid foods little by little into your baby’s diet from six months of age.
When Do I Have To Be Worried About My Baby’s Tongue Chewing?
Although your baby’s tongue chewing is normal, there is some level at which you should be concerned and contact your healthcare provider to seek insight into the matter. Here are some instances in which you should be worried about your baby’s tongue chewing:
1. When the tongue chewing continues longer than usual
If the chewing of the tongue continues longer than usual, even after you have tried all methods possible to curb it, then you should seek a professional opinion from a pediatrician to determine if there is something more to it.
2. If your baby bites their tongue and continues chewing
While your baby is chewing their tongue, they may accidentally bite it, which may cause pain. If your baby bites their tongue and continues to chew it, then you should consult your baby’s healthcare provider for help.
3. If your baby’s breathing is affected
If your baby’s act of chewing their tongue comes with difficulty in breathing, you should seek help at the hospital immediately. Talk to your healthcare provider to understand what your baby is going through.
Final Thoughts
Tongue chewing in a baby is neither weird nor considered to be a disorder. It is an aspect of development in a child. Your baby is simply expressing himself and getting to understand more about himself by chewing his tongue.
Unless the tongue chewing abnormally exceeds the usual period, you have nothing to worry about. Ensure to watch out first for what is causing the tongue chewing in your baby; you can achieve this by watching out for other symptoms of those causes to influence whatever decision you intend to take to help your baby.
Have fun watching your little one grow and taking care of them!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What should I do when my baby bites his tongue?
In the instance where blood is drawn from your baby biting their tongue, the best thing you can do is to cuddle them gently in your arms and use a clean cloth to dab at the spot.
2. Should I give my child teething toys or teething food?
To help your baby with teething, some sources recommend that you give your baby food to help as opposed to the toys because it was suggested that some of these teething toys contain chemicals that are not so beneficial.
However, it has also been suggested that foods can cause choking and teething toys are much safer. These teething toys can also be put in the refrigerator to give a cold sensation that’ll ease your baby.
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