The baby sticks out his tongue: why the child shows his tongue, chews and holds his hand in his mouth, reasons

Immediately after birth, the baby cannot express thoughts and feelings with words and even emotions. Caring parents would like to understand the gestures and body behavior of their baby, watching how he sleeps, eats, and plays. They may be alerted if the baby sticks out its tongue, because such a sign seems unusual for healthy people. Do not be immediately scared: in childhood, what seems abnormal often indicates quite natural circumstances, although in some cases it really indicates a disease or developmental pathology.

Natural factors: no reason to worry

Indicator	Circumstances, features
After eating: satiety indicator	Fullness indicator. You need to look at the symptom in the complex: the baby turns away from the breast / bottle, whines a little, yawns
Before Meal: Hunger Indicator	An additional "hint" is required, for example, a baby, sticking out the tongue, as if "slaps" with his lips, often opens his mouth. This means that he is hungry.
As an element of the game	The baby managed to grow up and can already copy facial expressions and gestures. Or shows that he has already learned it and is waiting for approval
As a result of the transition to solid foods	The child may have a reflex and he sticks out the tongue only when eating solid food
Teething	By sticking out the tongue, the child may try relieve gum painwhere teeth are cut
Bowel discomfort	If the child sticks out his tongue and actively wriggles with the whole body, it is possible that these are gas accumulated in the intestines. If this happens rarely, you should not worry too much, because the child's body has not yet matured. You can help your baby with a gentle massage and medications prescribed by a doctor.

Pathological causes: parents, be alert

The reasons why a newborn baby sticks out the tongue may be certain diseases and developmental disabilities.

Malformed facial muscles, distorted jaw

Perhaps the baby has a very short bridle connecting the tongue and jaw, which may well cause discomfort to the baby. Usually this is found out already in the hospital, where this defect is eliminated.

A protruding tongue may be the result of a malformed jaw: it is too small, or rather, the tongue is too large. This should go away on its own as you grow.

Stomatitis

The mucous membrane is reddened, on the surface of the uvula, cheeks and palate ulcers formed, there is an increase in temperature, the baby begins to be capricious for no apparent reason and spends a lot of time in his mother's arms, often wakes up during a night's sleep, his appetite decreases - this is stomatitis. Viruses, toxins, bacteria can act as pathogens.

For a correct diagnosis and prescription of a course of treatment, it is necessary to do tests. Usually, small patients are prescribed ointments for the oral cavity, drugs to reduce fever and a course of vitamins with adherence to a diet.

Hypotonicity of the tongue

Most likely, the baby has a decreased uvula tone or hypotonia if the following symptoms are observed:

• the baby is lethargic and in general has a sedentary tongue;
• moves a little;
• gains weight poorly;
• sleeps for a long time;
• has difficulty holding the head (at a time when it should already);
• at the same time, he has a weakly pronounced sucking reflex.

To identify this problem, an ultrasound examination is performed, after which a course of medications, physiotherapy and massage is prescribed.

Facial muscle atrophy

There is a group of neurological reasons for this phenomenon. For example, quite often the protrusion of the tongue is the result of a defeat trigeminal nerve. This could have happened as a result of dysfunction of the thyroid gland.

In this case, you will notice a "mask" on your baby's face:

• muscles hardly work;
• the baby does not smile;
• there is practically no facial expressions;
• swollen lips;
• some side of the face is skewed.

An accurate diagnosis is made based on the results of electromyography, magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography.

Thrush

Thrush is a fungal disease. If a white plaque appears on the surface of the oral mucosa, and the mucous membrane itself turns red, this is candidiasis.

To make a diagnosis, a polymerase chain reaction is performed, after which ointments and vitamins are prescribed. For the prevention of thrush, special attention should be paid to hygiene issues and adhere to a low-carbohydrate diet.

Intracranial pressure

Pay attention to the compliance of the baby's head circumference with the accepted norms, and how the fontanel is tightened (and whether it protrudes).

If at the same time the baby stuck out his tongue and throws his head back, muscle hypertonicity is observed, perhaps his intracranial pressure is increased. In this case, be sure to consult a doctor: start, as a rule, with a pediatrician, but you can also go to an appointment with an ophthalmologist and neurologist.

Hypothyroidism

If the baby constantly sticks out the tongue, this may indicate hypothyroidism - insufficient production of hormones by the thyroid gland and, as a result, metabolic disorders.

The most at risk are babies who, while in the womb, did not receive enough iodine.

It is dangerous to give iodine-containing preparations on your own, you need to consult a specialist.

Remember that there can be quite harmless reasons why a baby sticks out his tongue. But, if one or more other symptoms are observed, this is a reason to consult a specialist.

Pay attention to other signs

If a newborn baby, whether he is 2 months or more, shows his tongue, it is important to pay attention to other, additional movements of his body.

Throws back his head

This behavior of the child can be an indicator of high intracranial pressure. At the same time, some children throw their heads back and show their tongue both during sleep and during wakefulness. Increased intracranial pressure is treated in an inpatient setting.

Throwing back the head sometimes indicates muscle hypertonicity.

The tongue constantly falls out of the mouth

If there is a spontaneous loss of the tongue, this is a sure sign of hypothyroidism. Obvious symptoms are observed from about 3 months:

• the baby is developing poorly;
• facial features become coarse;
• dry and yellowish skin;
• the tongue does not fit in the mouth.

The kid constantly keeps his hand in his mouth

If, for example, a three-month-old child constantly has his hand in his mouth, he may indicate that he is hungry or thirsty.

If the problem bothers an older baby, it often indicates that teeth will appear soon and thus relieves itching in the gums. You can gently rub his gums with your finger or suggest teethers: special rubber or plastic devices that may contain liquid inside. They can be kept in the refrigerator and offered to the crumbs slightly chilled.

Chews its tongue

If the baby is chewing on the tongue, most likely this is the result of the same teething and so the baby relieves the itching.

There are other reasons as well:

1. Sometimes this is the result of the introduction of complementary foods: the baby produces more saliva.
2. The kid is hungry.
3. If he does this, regardless of the feeling of hunger, this may indicate his increased excitability.
4. The baby's tongue can also chew because he was swaddled, he does not have the opportunity to suck his finger, but there is no nipple.

Opinion of Dr. Komarovsky: video

Pediatrician, doctor of the highest category Evgeny Olegovich Komarovsky pays special attention to the language: