Is it normal for babies to stick out their tongue and chew their mouth?

Newborns love to use their mouths in many ways. When parents notice that babies stick out their tongues and chew their mouths, parents may wonder if this is normal behavior. The short answer is yes; It's perfectly normal for babies to stick out their tongues at this age. However, sometimes this can be some signal the child wants to show or an underlying medical condition.

Newborns are born with a strong sucking reflex and sucking instinct. Part of this reflex is the tongue-out reflex, in which the baby sticks his tongue out to avoid choking and sucking on the nipple.
Besides, learning to use the mouth is also the first step babies experience the world. So it's normal for babies to stick out their tongues, part of their instinct to forage and explore the new world around them. Part of this behavior is that babies perceive the sensations of their own lips.

Reasons Why Babies Stick Out Their Tongues
Imitation: One study reported that babies as young as a few weeks old were able to imitate adult facial expressions, including sticking out their tongues. A habit: The infant tongue-thrust reflex involves sticking the tongue out to help facilitate breastfeeding or bottle-feeding. Children up to 4 to 6 months old will stop sticking their tongue out, some children still stick out their tongue out of habit. Hungry or full: Crying isn't the only way babies communicate that they're hungry. Accordingly, early signs of hunger may include clenched fists, bringing hands to mouth, turning toward breast or bottle, and flapping or licking lips. So sticking your tongue out could be part of your baby's hunger cues. However, sometimes babies stick out their tongues even when they're full. Other signs of fullness may include turning your head away, spitting up food or milk, or simply refusing to suckle or eat. Large tongue size: If your child has a larger than normal tongue, he or she may stick out his tongue several times a day. This is an inherited disease or abnormal growth of blood vessels or muscles in the tongue as well as tumors in the roof of the mouth. Furthermore, a large tongue is also of interest as a manifestation of hypothyroidism, Down syndrome. Small mouth size: There are a number of syndromes or conditions that can cause a child to have a smaller-than-average mouth. An example is small jaw syndrome, which can be inherited or be part of a cleft lip or cleft palate. Decreased muscle tone: Since the tongue is a muscle group and is controlled by other muscles in the mouth, decreased muscle tone can cause a child's tongue to stick out more than usual. Mouth breathing: If you have a stuffy nose or tonsillitis, VA, your baby can breathe through his mouth instead of babies who usually breathe through their nose, so they often stick out their tongue. Bloating: Some babies stick out their tongues when feeling colic due to gas. Babies respond to this sensation more than others, and may cry, grimace, stick out their tongue or even smile during bowel movements or bowel movements to relieve colic. Not ready for solid foods: Some babies get used to solid foods easily, while others don't like it and need some more time. If your child isn't ready, he or she can stick out his tongue to push food away or get food out of his mouth. At this point, parents should probably stop and try again in a week or two.

Infant chewing behavior certainly sounds a bit odd, but it's actually very common. Most of the time, infants chewing their mouths completely normally is either reflexive or a sign of natural development.
However, there are some situations where tongue chewing itself can be a problem or signal another concern, so parents should monitor their baby's behavior and contact a doctor soon if unusual suspicion.

Reasons for infants to chew their mouth:
Triggered by sucking reflex: Infants chew their mouth often in a pattern of thumb sucking as seen in older children. This is the only way babies can feel food, which is due to a strong sucking instinct in babies, and will take the opportunity to take almost anything near their mouth, including their own tongue. Signs of hunger: Some babies have a reflex to stick out their tongue when it's time to feed while another may start with a chewing motion. Therefore, if you see an infant chewing his mouth, parents need to pay attention that the child is ready to eat. Play: Babies are by nature an adventurer. When they realize they have a movable object in their mouth, many babies will enjoy spending a lot of time figuring out what this new toy does by chewing on them. Can eat solid foods: Children know how to observe adults' reactions when putting food into their mouths, chewing, even demanding food, which is one of the signs that tells parents that the child is able to move. to a weaning diet. Teething: Some children find that putting pressure on teething sore gums by chewing on them provides significant pain relief. So teething babies will often chew on anything they can put in their mouths. However, because the tongue is an easy target, it is common for infants to chew their mouths. To sum up, kids love to do weird things sometimes, but babies sticking out their tongues and chewing their mouths too often will make their parents nervous. While these are mostly normal reflexes for the reasons mentioned above, parents should also look for other potential causes to get their child checked out, especially if accompanied by other signs. such as a baby who refuses to eat, sucks less, wheezes, has rapid breathing or is constantly fussy and refuses to sleep.

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