Why does a one-year-old baby stick out his tongue? Why does a small child stick out his tongue?

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From the first day of his birth, the baby begins to develop rapidly. The baby carefully watches his mother and can repeat her simplest movements and copy her facial expressions. So, parents really like it when their child sticks out his tongue. If a baby sticks out his tongue too often, then you should think about the reasons for his behavior. There are several factors that explain why a baby performs an interesting action.

Newborns become familiar with the world around them and their body every waking second. They wave their arms, kick their legs, try to roll over onto their side, and make faces. The baby especially loves to stick out his tongue. Why does he do this, explains a number of harmless factors:

Parents should carefully monitor the baby's behavior. If the newborn is cheerful, takes the breast well, shows his tongue and then hides it, then there is no reason to worry.

Signal of illness

Adults should be alerted to the fact that the child constantly sleeps with his mouth open and his tongue hanging out. In this case, the baby should be shown to a pediatrician. The doctor will conduct an examination and identify the reasons strange behavior. Possible options:

  1. Thrush. The causative agent is Candida fungus, which causes a lot of inconvenience to the baby. When the disease occurs, the entire oral cavity of the child becomes covered with a thin white coating, which is extremely unpleasant.
  2. Stomatitis. Numerous ulcers appear on the oral mucosa. To reduce pain symptoms the baby pulls out his tongue and holds it on his lower lip.
  3. Atrophy of the facial muscles is another reason why a newborn sticks out his tongue. The disease mainly affects girls. Colds and hypothermia serve as the basis for damage to the trigeminal nerve. It is not difficult to notice the first symptoms. The baby stops smiling. The face distorts and turns into a frozen mask. The lips swell, characteristic facial folds disappear on the forehead, and the eyelids droop. A neurologist helps you cope with the disease. He can prescribe an ultrasound, MRI, massage.

Serious illnesses

In case of serious illnesses, in addition to the main symptoms, the child sticks out his tongue. The reasons for this are neurological and endocrine disorders in organism.

Hypothyroidism. Iodine deficiency during pregnancy can lead to problems with the baby's thyroid gland. In the maternity hospital, blood is necessarily taken from the heel for analysis to identify the disease. The earlier the diagnosis is made, the less likely it is that the child will begin to lag behind in development. Pathology is indicated by a change in skin color, which becomes marbled or yellowish. The tongue swells and simply falls out of the mouth. Weight gain decreases and constipation occurs. There is peeling skin. Treatment is prescribed after an ultrasound scan of the diseased organ.

Tongue hypotonia. Children who are born prematurely or have endocrine diseases are at risk. Also, difficult childbirth and head trauma can lead to the development of pathology. The baby constantly sleeps, moves little, there is practically no crying, the breast sucks sluggishly, due dates He can't hold his head up well and won't sit down. Treatment includes massage, physiotherapy and medication.

High intracranial pressure. A fairly common reason why a baby sticks out its tongue. Occurs against the background of other diseases or due to birth injuries. Accompanied by throwing back the head, which becomes noticeably large, trembling of the limbs and chin. The baby's eyes bulge and he sleeps poorly. Muscle hypertonicity occurs. The fontanelle is slowly tightening. To identify pathology, tomography and ultrasound of the brain are performed. Recommended drug treatment in combination with massage.

The child signals problems in the body with a simple gesture. Adults can only correctly understand the symptoms and prescribe appropriate treatment.

Doctor Komarovsky's opinion

A well-known Ukrainian pediatrician believes that parents should not panic for any reason. To begin with, you should watch general behavior baby, note suspicious symptoms. Mom and Dad should figure out how often the tongue sticks out during the day and during sleep. The pediatrician will need this information during the next examination.

A fairly common reason for this phenomenon is short frenulum of the tongue in a child. Komarovsky says that the shorter the frenulum, the more discomfort it causes. Therefore, many babies have the defect corrected in the first months of life. The decision to trim is made by the pediatrician when he sees that the newborn wants but cannot latch onto the breast correctly.

If breastfeeding is established, the defect will most likely manifest itself later. Problems will arise with the pronunciation of some sounds. The decision to eliminate the anomaly is made by the speech therapist monitoring the baby.

The dentist performs the operation under local anesthesia using a laser or special scissors.

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In the first year of a child’s life, a lot of things that are incomprehensible and strange for his parents happen. They are often worried about the question: why does the baby constantly stick out its tongue? Could this be a sign of one of many diseases? Or maybe he's just copying someone else's movements or playing? In this article we will talk about the reasons for this child’s behavior.

Watching the baby

If you notice that your baby is constantly sticking out his tongue, you need to observe him and determine in connection with what circumstances he performs such actions. If this happens while he is playing with you, then there is no cause for concern. Tongue protrusion is common in this situation.

You should consult a pediatrician if the baby's tongue is much larger than the size of the mouth, and also if the child sticks it out during sleep.

Finding out the reasons

Often, infants use their tongues to express discomfort. Typically, a protruding tongue in a baby may indicate the following:

  • The child is hungry. If a newborn wants to eat, he sticks out his tongue and sucks it lightly, which serves as a signal to his mother to feed him.
  • Kid exercising. You've probably noticed how a baby, lying in a crib, waves its arms, moves its legs or tries to roll over. He can also move his tongue, since it is a muscle that performs in the human body important functions. Like any other organ, the tongue needs training and development.
  • Baby is cutting teeth. The appearance of the first teeth in infants is accompanied by severe swelling of the gums and pain. To muffle the pain and scratch the itchy gums, the baby reflexively moves his tongue.
  • The tongue is cramped. Some children have a larger tongue required sizes, due to which it does not fit well in the oral cavity. In this case, there is no need to sound the alarm, since over time (when the baby grows up) everything will return to normal.
  • The baby is hot. If a newborn becomes hot, then by sticking out his tongue he increases the area through which moisture evaporates, thereby cooling his body.
  • Attention deficit. Many pediatricians say that a protruding tongue in babies may indicate a lack of tactile contact with mom. For example, children who are breastfeeding, often during “loneliness” they stick out their tongue, chew and suck it. This is absolutely normal.

Possible diseases

In addition to the reasons described above, persistent tongue protrusion can be caused by dangerous disease. Let's look at the most common of them.

Hypothyroidism. This pathology is associated with the thyroid gland. Hypothyroidism can appear in a child from three months old if the mother did not have enough iodine during pregnancy. In addition to a protruding tongue, the disease is indicated by dry skin, pale yellow complexion, late teeth, slow development of the baby, formation rough features faces (thick lips, wide nose, short neck), a swollen tongue that does not just stick out, but literally falls out of the mouth. If you suspect hypothyroidism, you should immediately show the child to an endocrinologist and do all the necessary tests.

Increased intracranial pressure (ICP). In addition to frequent tongue protruding, a sign of this phenomenon may be throwing your head back in your sleep. To diagnose ICP, it is necessary to show the baby to a neurologist and undergo an ultrasound examination. Treatment usually includes exercise classes, medications, massage courses.

Thrush. If your baby constantly sticks out his tongue, carefully examine his oral cavity. If you find a white coating on your tongue, palate, or the insides of your cheeks, this most likely indicates the presence of thrush ( fungal disease). It causes discomfort in the child and that is why he sticks out his tongue. To cure thrush in a baby, you need to consult a pediatrician.

Stomatitis. With this disease, damage occurs to the oral mucosa. Quite painful ulcers appear in the mouth, sometimes they form under the tongue, which the child sticks out to relieve the pain. out of 5 (5 votes)

A newborn child demands from his parents close attention. IN this period There are a lot of things happening in his life that are incomprehensible to mom and dad. One of these oddities may be a tongue that often sticks out. Why 4-5 month old baby sticks out tongue? There are many excuses to explain this phenomenon. The child plays or imitates adults. One of the reasons may be some kind of illness. This situation requires observation of the baby to find the correct answer.

Why does a baby stick out his tongue at 4 months?

When you see your baby making such a gesture, pay attention to his state of health. It is very important to know how your baby sleeps. What position does his head occupy? Do grimaces appear on his face? Observing this period of life is very important. It will help to recognize the disease, a symptom of which this gesture may be.

Reasons why a 4 month old baby sticks out his tongue:

  1. Another reason will be the size of the tongue. It can be big and doesn’t fit in your mouth. Therefore, you need to go to the doctor. Perhaps there is a discrepancy with the norm;
  2. A disease can also be considered the cause of a protruding tongue. If it is identified earlier, it will be eliminated more successfully;
  3. The baby may be teething. Gums itch. To relieve this symptom, a 4 month old baby sticks out his tongue. He gives a light massage while removing painful sensations;
  4. the child will show his tongue when feeling thirsty or hungry. This habit is especially obvious in children who are on artificial feeding. This gesture will mean a desire for contact with mom. It is with his tongue that he works, sucking milk from the bottle;
  5. the baby may show his tongue when he is hot;
  6. when mom is not around. He doesn't cry, he bites his tongue in anticipation;
  7. in the presence of thrush. Experiencing discomfort from the white spots, he involuntarily performs this gesture;
  8. for stomatitis. This ailment accompanied by discomfort and pain. The baby tries to show his mother where it hurts, thus talking about his suffering;
  9. The reason for the appearance of the tongue is high intracranial pressure. The baby will throw back his head while sleeping. A doctor's help is simply necessary;
  10. When your tongue falls out, you should immediately go to the doctor. The cause is a problem with the thyroid gland, atrophy of the facial muscles.

If a child grimaces and plays, the frequency of his actions is important. If a child sticks out his tongue at 4 months only during playtime, there is nothing to worry about. This phenomenon is normal and quite common. He simply experiences pleasure, joy, any positive emotions. Quite often, in this way, the baby tries to make a sound.

What to do if a 4 month old baby often sticks out his tongue?

Often these actions can be seen during the game. When a child gets carried away, he does everything involuntarily. He expresses emotions. This gesture may be accompanied by puffing and groaning. This reaction is considered natural to everything that happens around him. A 4-month-old baby sticks out his tongue, getting to know the world around him.

The first tooth may appear before six months. The gums begin to itch. A 4-month-old child constantly sticks out his tongue, performing massage actions, relieving pain. There is no need to worry here.

While in the crib, the baby raises and lowers his legs, waves his arms, and tries to roll over. For him, this is a kind of exercise. Moving the tongue can also be considered as one of the exercises.

As you can see from the above, there are many reasons for protruding the tongue. Not all of them indicate the presence of a disease. If young parents are in doubt, they should consult a doctor. However, it is simply necessary to watch the baby.

Why does a baby stick out his tongue at 5 months?

All parents are faced with the situation that five month old baby sticks out tongue. What is this disease or a game? If you carefully observe the baby, you can see that he is just playing, and then there is no reason to worry. But sometimes such behavior becomes a sign of illness; in order not to miss the development of the disease, a doctor’s consultation is required.

A 5 month old baby sticks out his tongue for the following reasons:

  • is being played. The baby is interested in everything, he tried to stick out his tongue, he just liked it. Interesting activities Small child can repeat very often and for a long time;
  • repeats after adults. Someone close to him made a movement with his tongue, the little one liked it, he began to repeat it and look at the reaction of the adults;
  • learns to speak. The child tries to make sounds and sticks out his tongue during training;
  • teeth are cutting through. The swollen gums itch or there are already teeth, and the child moves the tongue in the mouth and pulls it out;
  • habit. If the baby is breastfed, then he can pull out his tongue, suck, chew, imitating breastfeeding;
  • thrush. With this disease, a white coating appears in the mouth, and the baby experiences discomfort and constantly sticks out his tongue;
  • stomatitis. This disease is characterized by small sores in the mouth that bother the baby and, in order to reduce discomfort, he often sticks out his tongue;
  • big tongue. Perhaps the growth of the tongue outpaces the development of the jaw. There are no serious reasons for concern, everything will return to normal in the future, but you can go to the doctor for a consultation.

Each newborn baby has its own characteristics. But there are also some physiological processes that are inherent in all children - the stages of development of their speech, emotions, waving their arms and legs... And some toddlers also have bad habits. For example, they suck their tiny fingers or stick their tongue out of their mouth. And if the first habit does not frighten parents so much, because adults encounter it quite often, then thanks to the second, young mothers often ask themselves questions: is this situation normal? Why do children stick out their tongues? Maybe they are not playing around, maybe there is some problem?

It's too early to sound the alarm

What does it mean when your child’s tongue often sticks out of his mouth? How should parents react to this - be happy or worried? To understand why an infant sticks out his tongue, you need to understand the reasons that prompt him to do this.

Before mothers start to worry and rush to the doctor, it is necessary to monitor under what conditions the baby begins to show its tongue. After all, there are several completely harmless reasons why such actions of a baby are considered absolutely normal.

Why is this happening? Non-hazardous reasons

  • The baby is hungry and wants to eat. It is at this time that the baby shows his tongue. This reflex action is more strongly developed in those toddlers who are breastfed, because this is how they subconsciously try to find their mother’s breast.
  • The baby is hot. Why does a child stick out his tongue when it is too warm outside? If the baby does this, the mother can understand that her little one is hot and very thirsty.
  • Toddler training. Do not forget that the tongue is one of the muscles of the body that should also be trained. No one is surprised if the baby starts twitching his legs or arms. The same applies to the tongue.
  • Teething. The baby's gums swell in his mouth and he feels some discomfort. The mother may notice that the child runs his tongue along the gums and sticks it out. As a rule, all this accompanies profuse salivation. In this situation, there is no need to worry about why the child is sticking out his tongue.
  • The baby is playing around. It often happens that babies show their tongues just like that, repeating these movements after their parents, who are simply playing with them.
  • Large tongue. Sometimes it happens that toddlers are born with slightly larger tongues. standard size. Therefore, the tongues are a bit cramped in the mouth. Parents don’t need to worry too much, because the baby will grow up, and this minor defect will go away on its own.

Why a child sticks out his tongue at one or two months can also be figured out without doctors. Babies at this age begin to master communication skills and learn to coo. And with the help of their tongue they try to make new sounds, showing with a sincere smile that they are succeeding.

Causes for concern: blood pressure

If a mother pays attention to the fact that her child lies with his tongue hanging out constantly or with enviable regularity after feedings, if the baby is nervous and capricious, this may indicate that he is pathologically developing one of the diseases.

If a toddler's intracranial pressure increases, he will be capricious, cry, eat poorly and sleep little. The tongue falling out and the head thrown back are characteristic features diseases. Parents should not only closely monitor the baby, but also treat him with a neurologist.

It is this specialist who will be able to explain why a month-old baby sticks out his tongue (as well as a slightly older baby), how to deal with this so that the child recovers completely.

After a thorough examination is carried out, it is usually prescribed massotherapy and drug therapy. In this case, it is more correct to start treatment as early as possible, because pathological processes- this is a direct path to vision problems in a child and mental retardation.

Causes for concern: hypothyroidism and thrush

Hypothyroidism (one of the terrible diseases of babies) can occur due to a lack of hormones thyroid gland, whose function is reduced. The reason for this is usually a lack of iodine in expectant mother during gestation. The consequences can be both physical and mental retardation. Usually this disease is identified and diagnosed in the maternity hospital. But it happens that it manifests itself in more late dates when the baby is in the first year of life.

If parents notice that the baby has a large and swollen tongue that can hardly fit in the mouth, they should immediately contact an endocrinologist, because this state of affairs may indicate a serious illness.

Thrush. Yes, yes, this disease can also affect babies! Fungi of the genus Candida affect the oral mucosa. 20% of toddlers under the age of one year experience symptoms of candidiasis. You can determine the presence of thrush by a white coating on the roof of your mouth, tongue and cheeks. When a child sticks out his tongue, he is trying to relieve his discomfort.

Causes for concern: stomatitis

There are two more diseases, the presence of which in babies explains why children stick out their tongues.

One of them is stomatitis, in which the mother may notice small ulcers in the baby’s mouth. It is they who encourage the baby to stick out his tongue, because he is uncomfortable: ulcers affect and lower part tongue If a mother suspects stomatitis, she should take the baby for a consultation with a pediatrician. If the disease is advanced, he will redirect the child to a pediatric dentist, infectious disease specialist or immunologist.

Causes for concern: muscle atrophy

With the second, quite serious disease - atrophy of the facial muscles - the little one can not only stick out his tongue. In this case, he is unable to control the muscles of his face: he does not grimace, like most children of his age, and does not smile. Immediately, without unnecessary words, it is understandable why children stick out their tongues with such a diagnosis. The pediatrician usually refers such children to a neurologist for consultation. The disease can be diagnosed using CT or MRI. They offer treatment with medication, and massage would also be useful.

So, it is already clear how many reasons exist to explain why children stick out their tongues. Many of them are quite harmless and do not require any medical intervention. And yet, if such a feature of the child greatly worries his mother and father, it is better to visit competent specialists - an endocrinologist and a neurologist, so that they can accurately determine whether there are reasons for parental worries.

Does your newborn baby stick out his tongue often? Surely this habit worries you. But should we panic? Why does he do this? Let's look for answers to these questions together.

The fact that a child shows his tongue can be either a harmless action or a symptom serious illness. When you see your baby doing this, just watch him. Worth appreciating general state crumbs: is he capricious, is he sleeping well, etc. It is usually quite easy to determine when a baby involuntarily sticks out his tongue and when he is in play. If the baby rarely shows his tongue, that is, only when playing with his parents, then there is no need to worry. In this way he expresses his emotions, which he still cannot control. You need to be wary if the baby constantly sticks out his tongue, as if he cannot keep it in his mouth, or shows his tongue while sleeping. In this case, you need to consult a doctor. Such a seemingly harmless action may be a symptom of disease. nervous system or indicate thyroid problems. If a baby sticks out its tongue when sleeping and at the same time throws its head back, then this signals a high intracranial pressure. In this case, you need to consult a doctor as soon as possible.

Do not attribute illness to your baby as soon as you see his tongue sticking out; in most cases, this action is explained by harmless reasons, but do not take it lightly, especially if there are other symptoms.

Why does a small child stick out his tongue? Often the baby uses his tongue to play with others, play around, and express emotions. He can repeat the "gesture" seen in adults. Often the tongue sticking out is accompanied by an attempt to make a new sound. When you see that your newborn baby is sticking out his tongue during vigorous activity (crawling, waving his legs, trying to “speak”), then you should not worry.

A protruding tongue may indicate that your baby is teething. The baby is interested in exploring new reliefs in his mouth, which he does with the help of his tongue. But since he does not know how to fully control his body, it turns out that he sticks out his tongue.

Many pediatricians believe that a protruding tongue in newborns indicates that the baby lacks tactile contact with the mother. This “gesture” can be observed in babies who are breastfed: when left “alone”, they stick out their tongue and even chew it. This behavior is considered quite normal: this is how the baby demonstrates that he misses his mother.

If infant often sticks out his tongue, but you understand that this is not a game, but others alarming symptoms If you don’t observe, be sure to examine your baby’s oral cavity. A protruding tongue may indicate stomatitis or thrush. With stomatitis, ulcers form in the mouth, and with thrush - white coating. All this causes discomfort to the baby, causing him to stick out his tongue. Be sure to consult your pediatrician about the treatment of stomatitis or thrush.