4 month old drooling: Nothing found for Wp Content Uploads 4 Month Developmental Handout_Updated 2017 Pdf

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Drooling Information | Mount Sinai

Salivation; Excessive saliva; Too much saliva; Sialorrhea

Drooling is saliva flowing outside the mouth.

Drooling, or excessive salivation, in infants and toddlers is normal and is highly unlikely to be associated with either disease or complications.

Considerations

Drooling is generally caused by:

Problems keeping saliva in the mouth
Problems with swallowing
Too much saliva production

Some people with drooling problems are at increased risk of breathing saliva, food, or fluids into the lungs. This may cause harm if there is a problem with the body’s normal reflexes (such as gagging and coughing).

Causes

Some drooling in infants and toddlers is normal. It may occur with teething. Drooling in infants and young children may get worse with colds and allergies.

Drooling may happen if your body makes too much saliva. Infections can cause this, including:

Mononucleosis
Peritonsillar abscess
Strep throat
Sinus infections
Tonsillitis

Other conditions that can cause too much saliva are:

Allergies
Heartburn or GERD (reflux)
Poisoning (especially by pesticides)
Pregnancy (may be due to pregnancy side effects, such as nausea or reflux)
Reaction to snake or insect venom
Swollen adenoids
Use of certain medicines

Drooling may also be caused by nervous system disorders that make it hard to swallow. Examples are:

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS
Autism
Cerebral palsy (CP)
Down syndrome
Multiple sclerosis
Parkinson disease
Stroke

Home Care

Popsicles or other cold objects (such as frozen bagels) may be helpful for young children who are drooling while teething. Take care to avoid choking when a child uses any of these objects.

For those with chronic drooling:

Caregivers may try reminding the person to keep lips closed and chin up.
Limit sugary foods, because they may increase the amount of saliva.
Watch for skin breakdown around the lips and on the chin.

When to Contact a Medical Professional

Call your health care provider if:

The cause of the drooling has not been diagnosed.
There is concern about gagging or choking.
A child has a fever, difficulty breathing, or holds their head in a strange position.

What to Expect at Your Office Visit

The provider will do a physical exam and ask questions about your symptoms and medical history.

Testing depends on a person’s overall health and other symptoms.

A speech therapist can determine if the drooling increases the risk of breathing in food or fluids into the lungs. This is called aspiration. This may include information about:

How to hold your head
Lip and mouth exercises
How to encourage you to swallow more often

Drooling caused by nervous system problems can often be managed with drugs that reduce saliva production. Different drops, patches, pills or liquid medicines may be tried.

If you have severe drooling, the provider may recommend:

Botox shots
Radiation to the salivary glands
Surgery to remove the salivary glands

Lee AW, Hess JM. Esophagus, stomach, and duodenum. In: Walls RM, Hockberger RS, Gausche-Hill M, eds. Rosen’s Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 9th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2018:chap 79.

Okun MS, Lang AE. Parkinsonism. In: Goldman L, Schafer AI, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 26th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 381.

Slavotinek AM. Dysmorphology. In: Kliegman RM, St. Geme JW, Blum NJ, Shah SS, Tasker RC, Wilson KM, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 21st ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier;2020:chap 128.

Weiss AK, Balamuth FB. Triage of the acutely ill child. In: Kliegman RM, St. Geme JW, Blum NJ, Shah SS, Tasker RC, Wilson KM, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 21st ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier;2020:chap 80.

Last reviewed on: 11/4/2021

Reviewed by: Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Family Medicine, UW Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A. D.A.M. Editorial team.

Causes Of Baby Drooling, How It Helps & Tips To Manage

Several factors, including teething and illness, can cause this bothersome condition.

Research-backed

MomJunction believes in providing reliable, research-backed information to you. As per our strong editorial policy requirements, we base our health articles on references (citations) taken from authority sites, international journals, and research studies. However, if you find any incongruencies, feel free to write to us.

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Drooling in babies is usually noticeable once their salivary glands are active functionally, around two to three months (1). Since babies lack teeth and neck muscle control, the constant saliva produced in their mouths may not be withheld or swallowed by them. Therefore, the saliva accumulates to pass through their mouths finally. However, sometimes this usual phenomenon may surge, causing an increase in saliva production in the mouth, leading to a condition called hypersalivation or sialorrhea (2). Keep reading as we discuss the causes and management of drooling in infants. We also tell you about the ways to treat a baby’s excessive drooling in this post.

How Does Drooling Help Babies?

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, drooling helps in the following ways (3):

Keeps the baby’s mouth moist.

Washes away food residue.

Softens foods when the baby starts eating solids, thus making it easier to swallow.

Protects the baby’s gums. Once the baby has teeth, the compounds in saliva prevent tooth decay.

Saliva works as a natural antacid that helps prevent hyperacidity in the stomach.

Saliva naturally contains compounds that convert starch into sugar.

There is no reason to worry if your baby or toddler is drooling excessively but is otherwise healthy. However, you can curb it if you know what’s causing it.

What Causes Excessive Drooling In Babies?

The following conditions might lead to excessive drooling in infants and toddlers:

Teething: Excessive drooling is usually the first sign of teething (4). Your baby can get their first teeth somewhere between five and seven months, when they may salivate more than usual (5).

Orofacial abnormalities: Anomalies of the facial bones, mouth, or lips all contribute to orofacial abnormalities. In most cases, these problems are congenital. Numerous orofacial conditions, such as cleft lip and dysphagia, could cause excessive drooling in babies (6) (7).

Upper respiratory illness: Infection of the upper respiratory system may cause a baby to drool more than usual. An example is an epiglottitis, an infection, and inflammation of the epiglottis, which is a flap of tissue right above the vocal cords. Doctors check for drooling to diagnose it, one of the significant symptoms of the condition (8).

Neurological disorders: Drooling is often linked to disorders like autism and cerebral palsy, and could be one of the earliest symptoms of the condition (9) (10). Autistic spectrum disorders are often linked with low muscle tone and developmental delay, both of which are said to contribute to excessive drooling.

Whatever is the cause, if the baby is drooling unusually more, you may want to visit a doctor.

Should You See A Doctor If Your Baby Drools A Lot?

Not necessarily. If your baby is well in general, then there is no reason to worry about the excess drooling. The condition will go away on its own. But if the following conditions accompany drooling, then it is good to let the doctor look:

Sudden excessive drooling could cause the baby to choke. Drooling can also be a sign of a foreign object stuck in the baby’s throat, causing the child to choke (3). If you suspect this, seek medical attention immediately.

Fever of 100.4°F (38°C) or above.

Excessive fussiness and colic.

Inability to eat and sleep properly.

You notice redness inside the baby’s mouth and the throat.

An older infant with teeth has trouble chewing or swallowing.

Does Excessive Drooling In Babies Require Treatment?

Usually, drooling will not require treatment. If the baby displays other signs of a problem, then the doctor will diagnose the underlying condition causing the drooling and then proceed to treat it. Treatment could range from oral medication to reduce saliva production, to botox injections in the salivary gland (11). In cases of orofacial abnormalities, corrective surgery could also be recommended (6). Whatever the treatment, it will be recommended by a pediatrician post specific diagnosis.

Sometimes, a little home care is all that is needed to deal with drooling in babies.

How To Manage Excessive Drooling At Home?

Managing all that excess saliva is easy with a few simple steps like the ones below:

Put on the drool bib: You can buy a drool bib and let the baby wear it all the time. Bibs made from cotton work the best due to the material’s excellent absorbent capabilities. Keep changing the bibs and wash them every day with a baby-safe disinfectant detergent.

Keep tissues handy: If you are outdoors, carry a pack of tissues in your baby’s diaper bag. Wipe the excess drool and throw the tissue in a dustbin right away.

Give a teething toy: If your baby drools predominantly when he/she is teething, then give them a teething toy. It can help relieve the sore gums and bring down the excess salivation stimulated by irritated gums. Avoid teething necklaces since they increase the risk of strangulation and are not recommended by pediatric experts (12).

Treatment of the underlying condition will also work against excessive drooling. Eventually, the drooling should stop.

1. How long does the drooling last in babies?

Drooling will stop between the ages of two and three years. By the end of toddlerhood, most children stop drooling even if they are yet to get permanent teeth. If your child continues to drool excessively beyond the age of three, then it is advisable to take them to a doctor. Drooling could suddenly start in older toddlers if they contract a respiratory illness.

2. Is excessive drooling associated with autism?

Excessive drooling is considered as one of the early symptoms of neurological disorders, especially autism. However, in babies, drooling is a normal phenomenon and does not necessarily mean that the baby is autistic. If you feel that your baby is drooling excessively, consult a pediatrician.

Your little one might start drooling at the very sight of delicious food! Although drooling is common and beneficial in babies, excessive drooling may indicate an underlying health concern, such as teething, infections, and neurological abnormalities. In most cases, your baby’s excessive drooling episodes will become less frequent with age. However, be observant of the signs and their overall health status to comprehend the possible reasons they may be drooling excessively. Further, talk to your pediatrician if you are concerned about excessive drooling in babies.

References:

MomJunction’s articles are written after analyzing the research works of expert authors and institutions. Our references consist of resources established by authorities in their respective fields. You can learn more about the authenticity of the information we present in our editorial policy.

1. Your Baby at 2 Months; Benioff Children’s Hospital; University of California San Francisco
2. Hockstein NG et al.; Sialorrhea: a management challenge; National Center For Biotechnology Information (2004)
3. Drooling and Your Baby; American Academy of Pediatrics (2016)
4. Teething; Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
5. Anatomy and Development of the Mouth and Teeth; Stanford Children’s Health
6. Van der Woude Syndrome; Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
7. Dysphagia in Children; Health Encyclopedia; University of Rochester Medical Center
8. Croup/ Epiglottitis; The University of Chicago
9. Signs and Symptoms of Cerebral Palsy; Cerebral Palsy Foundation
10. Autism and drooling: Why so common? What helps?; Autism Speaks
11. Drooling (Pediatric); Columbia Doctors
12. Teething Necklaces and Beads: A Caution for Parents; American Academy of Pediatrics (2018)

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Author

Rohit Garoo did MBA from Osmania University and holds a certificate in Developmental Psychology from The University of Queensland. The zoologist-botanist turned writer-editor has over 8 years of experience in content writing, content marketing, and copywriting. He has also done an MBA in marketing and human resources and worked in the domains of market research and e-commerce. Rohit writes topics… more

Jenni Johnson is a registered nurse, psychiatric nurse and midwife. She has been looking after new parents from her practice in Durban, South Africa for the last 20 years. Her ante and post-natal clinic set the foundation for parenting and is known to be available to parents at any time. Her passion is with the individual mother – each with… more

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Causes, Risk Factors, and Treatments

What is drooling?

Drooling is defined as saliva flowing outside of your mouth unintentionally. It’s often a result of weak or underdeveloped muscles around your mouth, or having too much saliva.

The glands that make your saliva are called the salivary glands. You have six of these glands, located on the bottom of your mouth, in your cheeks, and near your front teeth. These glands typically make 2 to 4 pints of saliva a day. When these glands make too much saliva, you may experience drooling.

Drooling is normal in the first two years of life. Infants don’t often develop full control of swallowing and the muscles of the mouth until they are between 18 and 24 months old. Babies might also drool when they’re teething.

Drooling is also normal during sleep.

Drooling can occur in people who have other medical conditions or neurological conditions, such as cerebral palsy.

Drooling can be a symptom of a medical condition or developmental delay, or a result of taking certain medications. Anything that leads to excessive saliva production, difficulty swallowing, or problems with muscle control may lead to drooling.

Age

Drooling begins after birth and peaks between three and six months as infants become more active. This is normal, especially when going through the teething process.

Diet

Diets high in acidic content often cause excessive saliva production.

Neurological disorders

Certain medical conditions can put you at risk for drooling, particularly if they cause a loss of control of facial muscles. Neurologic conditions, such as cerebral palsy, Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or stroke may cause muscle weakness that affects the ability to close the mouth and swallow saliva.

Other conditions

Drooling is usually caused by excess saliva in the mouth. Medical conditions such as acid reflux and pregnancy can increase saliva production. Allergies, tumors, and above-the-neck infections such as strep throat, tonsil infection, and sinusitis can all impair swallowing.

Drooling isn’t always treated. Doctors usually won’t recommend any treatment for someone under the age of 4 or who drools during sleep.

Treatment may be recommended when drooling is severe. Drooling may be considered severe if saliva drips from your lip to your clothing or your drooling interferes with your daily activities and creates social problems.

Excessive drooling can also lead to inhaling saliva into the lungs, which can cause pneumonia.

Treatment options are looked at on a case-by-case basis, but generally your doctor will perform an assessment and come up with the management plan that works best for you.

The noninvasive approach includes trying things such as medication and oral motor therapy. In more serious cases, you and your doctor may consider a more invasive approach, including treatment options such as surgery and radiotherapy.

Therapy

Speech and occupational therapists teach positioning and posture control to help improve lip closure and swallowing. Your therapist will work with you on improving muscle tone and saliva control.

Therapists may also suggest that you see a dietitian to modify the amount of acidic foods in your diet.

Appliance or dental device

A special device placed in the mouth helps with lip closure during swallowing. An oral prosthetic device, such as a chin cup or dental appliances, may help with lip closure as well as tongue position and swallowing. This option works best if you have some swallowing control.

Medications

Certain medications help reduce saliva production. These include:

Scopolamine (Transderm Scop), which comes as a patch and is placed on your skin to deliver the medication slowly throughout the day. Each patch lasts for 72 hours.
Glycopyrrolate (Robinul), which is given as an injection or in the form of a pill. This medication decreases your saliva production but can cause dry mouth as a result.
Atropine sulfate, given as drops in the mouth. This is usually used for people during end-of-life care.

Botox injections

Botox injections may help reduce symptoms of drooling by tightening facial muscles.

Surgical treatment

Several procedures are approved for the treatment of drooling. The most common reroutes the salivary ducts to the back of the mouth to prevent drooling outside of the mouth. Another procedure removes your salivary glands completely.

In children, drooling is a normal part of development. But if you notice excessive drooling or have any other concerns, consult your child’s doctor.

There are many medical conditions that cause drooling, so you should consult your doctor if you notice that you’re drooling excessively or uncontrollably. Many problems can be easily controlled with therapy or medication, but some conditions may require more serious treatment and highlight a more serious medical condition.

Following a healthy diet and listening to your body can help to alleviate some problems. For anything serious, your doctor can help you develop a treatment plan.

What Are The Causes Of Baby Drooling?

When the saliva flows out of a person’s mouth unintentionally, it is known as drooling. We have six salivary glands that produce saliva for us, and when excess saliva is made, we tend to drool.

Drooling is a common occurrence in babies. Babies start drooling at about three months of age. Some babies drool a bit, while others drool a lot.

If you see your baby drooling excessively, it could be due to the underdeveloped muscles in his mouth or excess production of saliva in his mouth.

But there is nothing to worry about, as drooling is a part of his physical development.

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What Is Drooling?

Drooling is defined as saliva flowing outside of your mouth unintentionally. It’s often a result of weak or underdeveloped muscles around your mouth or having too much saliva.

The glands that make your saliva are called the salivary glands. You have six of these glands located on the bottom of your mouth, in your cheeks, and near your front teeth.

These glands typically take 2 to 4 pints of saliva a day. When these glands make too much saliva, you may experience drooling.

Drooling is expected in the first two years of life. Infants don’t often develop complete control of swallowing and the mouth muscles until they are between 18 and 24 months old. Babies might also drool when they’re teething.

Drooling is also expected during sleep.

Drooling can occur in people who have other medical conditions or neurological conditions, such as cerebral palsy.

What Causes Drooling?

Drooling can be a symptom of a medical condition or developmental delay or a result of taking certain medications.

Anything that leads to excessive saliva production, difficulty swallowing, or problems with muscle control may lead to drooling.

Age

Drooling begins after birth and peaks between three and six months as infants become more active. This is normal, especially when going through the teething process.

Diet

Diets high in acidic content often cause excessive saliva production.

Teething

Although babies don’t have a tooth by 6-8 months, the teething process begins quite early.

This is the reason why they start drooling as early as three months of age.

When the teething phase begins, there is excess saliva production, and they may drool excessively when a tooth pushes its way through the gums.

Open Mouth Posture

If a baby has a habit of keeping his mouth open for a more extended period, he might drool. If your little one keeps his mouth open for long due to a blocked nose or plainly out of habit, then he may not be able to swallow the saliva at regular intervals and hence may drool.

Staying Focused for Long

When babies and young children concentrate on a particular task, their mind gets stimulated. On stimulation, the saliva production increases six-fold.

During infancy, their ability to swallow excess saliva is inadequate. And when they focus on a task, their attention is diverted from mouth position and tongue movements, and as a result, this results in drooling.

Food

The release of saliva from glands inside the mouth responds to the taste sensation of eating a variety of foods.

Eating sour or spicy foods lead to the release of saliva excessively. For example, if your kid eats spicy foods or fruits such as oranges, lime, grapes, he may drool excessively.

Neurological Disorders

Many neurological disorders like Bell’s palsy and Cerebral Palsy display symptoms like drooling and excessive salivating.

Bell’s palsy is a temporary nerve condition that impacts one portion of the face.

Diseases affecting the brain like cerebral palsy, Bell’s palsy, and Wilson’s disease affect muscle control, which thus causes difficulty in swallowing, pooling of saliva in the mouth, and abnormal lip position, all of which may lead to drooling.

Certain medical conditions can put you at risk for drooling, mainly if they cause a loss of control of facial muscles. Neurologic conditions, such as cerebral palsy, Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or stroke, may cause muscle weakness that affects the ability to close the mouth and swallow saliva.

Side Effects of Medication

Some medications, including drugs used to induce sleep and reduce pain and medications used for eye checkups in children or even in mothers of breastfed babies, can cause increased saliva production.

Heavy metal poisoning can also cause hypersalivation, which can cause drooling in babies.

Other Conditions

Drooling is usually caused by excess saliva in the mouth. In addition, medical conditions such as acid reflux and pregnancy can increase saliva production.

Allergies, tumours, and above-the-neck infections such as strep throat, tonsil infection, and sinusitis can all impair swallowing.

Is Drooling Common in Babies?

It is common for babies to drool, and a baby might drool for the first two years of his life. As an infant is not in complete control of the function of swallowing and his mouth muscles, he may drool, even while asleep.

If your baby has started drooling, you can expect this condition to continue until he turns 18 to 24 months old.

Drooling is quite common during the teething period, so be ready to change your baby’s clothes about 5-6 times a day.

It is pretty standard for babies to drool. But if a child drools even after the age of four years, then it is not normal.

Drooling in Babies Between 1 and 24 Months of Age

Drooling in babies is normal, and it even helps in their development. However, a baby may drool slightly too excessively at different stages of his life and as he grows.

When a baby is between 1 and 3 months of age, he may not drool at all. Drooling is rare at this time as a baby is always in a face-up position.

So he may not drool during this time or even after that. But some babies may start drooling by three months of age.

6 Months

Drooling is slightly more controlled by this time, but it continues when the baby babbles or puts toys in his mouth. Usually, babies start teething by this time. Hence they drool.

9 Months

By this stage, babies start rolling over and crawling. They may continue to drool as they are still teething. Teething can stimulate drooling.

15 Months

By 15 months of age, most babies start walking and running, but they may not drool while they walk or run. However, if they indulge in activities or tasks which require concentration, they may drool.

18 Months

Babies will not drool while indulging in regular activities or in activities that promote fine motor skills. But they may drool while they are being fed or are dressing.

24 Months

By this time, drooling is minimal in babies. It is almost non-existent.

What Is Excessive Drooling in Babies?

An involuntary flow of saliva from a baby’s mouth after he has passed the average age of drooling can be termed excessive drooling.

If your little one drools a lot after crossing the age of 2 years, you should consult a doctor for the same.

Although it is often attributed to the overproduction of saliva, excessive drooling happens because of poor coordination between mouth and tongue. This lack of coordination can result in lousy swallowing.

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Why Does My Toddler Drool Non-Stop?

Parents of toddlers often wonder why their kiddos drool so much—especially when it appears that they have many of their teeth, and the issue can’t be blamed on teething.

(Generally, a child has all of their 20 “baby” teeth in the mouth by age two and a half to three.)

But fear not: Drooling is a regular occurrence in children before developing and controlling their muscles around the mouth and lips.

Part of that control means children can feel the wetness around the mouth and chin, frequently swallow to regulate the saliva buildup, close their lips, and ultimately control salivary suction.

This involves quite a bit if you look at all the steps that are involved in curbing drooling.

It usually happens around age two, but the delay in this development is not considered a problem until after age four.

Saliva serves several purposes, including the following:

lubricating the mouth for chewing,
swallowing and speech
washing away debris
preventing tooth decay by buffering
acids in the mouth
aiding indigestion

Too much saliva, however, can cause persistent wetness of the mouth and chin, leading to skin irritations and possible infections, water and staining of clothing, and may become a potential embarrassment as the child gets older.

Children who have neurologic impairments may show delays in this whole process.

Excessive drooling in an otherwise typically developing child may be due to an abnormal oral sensitivity, with or without delay in muscle control.

Less commonly, it is due to excess production of saliva. Other causes may include oral infections, nasal obstructions and medications.

The incidence of chronic excessive drooling is about 0.6 per cent.

To help deal with the excess drooling, you may need to keep absorbent bibs or wristbands on your child to help control the wetness.

Some young children are unaware of the drooling. If the problem becomes problematic to you, talk to your doctor; they might suggest a referral to a speech pathologist, dentist or ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist who can assess your child’s needs and help develop a plan.

How Is Drooling Treated?

It is usual for babies to drool, and drooling is an integral part of their physical development and growth.

However, it is not normal if they drool once they turn two years of age. Therefore, if your toddler drools even after two years of age, you should not take it lightly.

You should consult a doctor as it needs medical attention. For example, if your child is drooling excessively, consult a doctor immediately as it might affect his social life, and his day-to-day activities may get affected.

If your little one drools a lot, your child’s doctor will look for the following signs to come to a conclusion and suggest a treatment for the same.

If your child can seal his lips properly and move the tongue around.
If your child is usually swallowing.
If he has a stuffy or blocked nose.
If the child has a natural swallowing reflex.
The posture of the child and whether his jaw is firm or not.

Post these evaluations, the following line of treatment is followed:

Helping the child to practice a closed-lip stance.
Reducing acidic food from the child’s diet.
Working on the child’s capacity to swallow.
Tightening of face muscles.
Improving oral-sensory awareness to help the child understand when his mouth or face is wet.
Oral motor therapy to strengthen his jaw, cheeks, and lips. This therapy will help him swallow his saliva correctly.

Drooling isn’t always treated. For example, doctors usually won’t recommend any treatment for someone under the age of 4 or drool during sleep.

Treatment may be recommended when drooling is severe. Drooling may be considered severe if saliva drips from your lip to your clothing or your drooling interfere with your daily activities and creates social problems.

Excessive drooling can also lead to inhaling saliva into the lungs, which can cause pneumonia.

Treatment options are looked at on a case-by-case basis, but generally, your doctor will perform an assessment and come up with the management plan that works best for you.

The noninvasive approach includes trying things such as medication and oral motor therapy. In more severe cases, you and your doctor may consider a more invasive procedure, including treatment options such as surgery and radiotherapy.

Therapy

Speech and occupational therapists teach positioning and posture control to help improve lip closure and swallowing. In addition, your therapist will work with you on improving muscle tone and saliva control.

Therapists may also suggest that you see a dietitian modify the number of acidic foods in your diet.

Appliance or Dental Device

A particular device placed in the mouth helps with lip closure during swallowing.

An oral prosthetic device, such as a chin cup or dental appliances, may help with lip closure and tongue position and swallowing.

This option works best if you have some swallowing control.

Medications

Certain medications help reduce saliva production. These include:

Scopolamine (Transderm Scop) comes as a patch placed on your skin to deliver the medication slowly throughout the day. Each patch lasts for 72 hours.
Glycopyrrolate (Robinul) is given as an injection or in the form of a pill. This medication decreases your saliva production but can cause dry mouth as a result.
Atropine sulphate, given as drops in the mouth. This is usually used for people during end-of-life care.

Botox Injections

Botox injections may help reduce symptoms of drooling by tightening facial muscles.

Surgical Treatment

Does Drooling Play an Important Role in Baby’s Development?

Yes, drooling does play an essential role in the growth and development of a baby. Drooling is a sign of teething in a baby.

Drooling and blowing bubbles are also a sign of physical development in toddlers.

If your little one drools or blows bubbles, it is a sign that he has entered a new period of growth.

If your baby drools after smelling milk or food, you should know that his sense of smell is growing.

Drool contains enzymes beneficial for the baby to digest semi-solid or solid food between 4 and 6 months of age.

Saliva neutralises the stomach acid, and it helps develop the baby’s intestinal lining fully and protects the oesophagus lining from irritation.

Saliva also helps bind the food together due to its slick nature that facilitates swallowing.

What Is a Drool Rash?

Due to the constant dribbling of saliva through the mouth, a baby’s lower lips, cheeks, neck, and chest may show signs of skin irritation.

If your baby drools excessively, the saliva will come onto his cheeks, neck or chest, and you might notice red, bumpy rashes in these areas.

If the rash from drooling is around a baby’s mouth, it is known as a drool rash. To treat drool rash, you must wash the affected area properly, pat it dry, and apply a lanolin-based cream.

You can tie a bib around your baby’s neck to keep the drool from spreading onto the neck and chest area.

You can even apply petroleum jelly to the affected area to keep it moisturised and to help it heal quickly.

However, speak to your doctor before applying any creams or lotions on your baby’s skin.

When to Consult a Doctor

You should consult a doctor if your child drools even after he crosses the age of four.

Uncontrollable drooling that is caused by medical conditions can be addressed by consulting a paediatrician.

Talk to your baby’s doctor – he might suggest therapy or medication. However, if the treatment or cure cannot provide relief, you should consider a higher level of treatment.

Drooling is a natural way of helping the baby moisten and soften solid foods and makes them easy to swallow. Although it fulfils many essential functions for the baby, keep a close watch if drooling increases and shows no signs of abating after four. Get medical attention to address the problem before it worsens.

Conclusion

In children, drooling is a normal part of development. But if you notice excessive drooling or have any other concerns, consult your child’s doctor.

Many medical conditions cause drooling, so you should consult your doctor if you notice that you’re drooling excessively or uncontrollably.

Many problems can be easily controlled with therapy or medication, but some conditions may require more severe treatment and highlight a more serious medical condition.

Following a healthy diet and listening to your body can help to alleviate some problems. However, for anything serious, your doctor can help you develop a treatment plan.

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Is my baby sick? Or teething? How can I tell?

We’ve all been there…

It’s the middle of the night and you’re rocking your crying baby, wondering what the heck is going on?! She’s usually an awesome sleeper but suddenly she won’t feed, won’t go to sleep. You’re sure she is sick. Or maybe teething? Or, dare you think it, BOTH?!

At some point, you both do sleep.

But then the next day, some well-meaning individual tells you that you should have just left your baby to cry themselves to sleep, or “you have to teach her to self settle”, “she’ll get used to being rocked to sleep”, “you’ve got to teach her who the boss is”.

And while this (unwarranted) advice may have elements of truth in some cases – DO NOT start your baby on some hard-core sleep training method the very next second!

The thing to remember is, when your baby suddenly starts acting OUTSIDE their normal routine or behaviour, this is a big red flag that there is something unsettling them.

In this article:

Isn’t it always “teething”?
When do babies start teething?
How can I tell if my little one is teething?
How to help a teething baby sleep better
Signs your baby is unwell
My personal experience with Charlie at 4 months old

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Isn’t it always “teething”?

Grandmas, great aunts, neighbours, some medical professionals (and almost everyone else with well-meaning advice) LOVE to blame teeth!

She’s grumpy – must be teething. She’s not feeding well – must be teething. She’s not sleeping well – must be teething. She’s drooling – must be teething.

The truth of the matter is teething is usually a very short lived nightmare that happens for a day or two right as the tooth is actually breaking through the gum and in every case you can actually SEE THE TOOTH emerging. This is the only real clue you need as to whether your baby’s discomfort is caused by teeth. If you can’t see a tooth literally exploding in your baby’s mouth, then it’s NOT teething!

Don’t be fooled by “teething” symptoms that are not actually due to teething.

At around 3 months babies go through a whole lot of developmental changes that mimic teething. I hate this stage. They start to shove everything into their mouths, they start drooling up a storm – this is normal and it is barely ever linked to teething (fun fact: it’s actually all preparation for eating solid food!).

Babies also have a significant regression in their sleep around 4 months old, and this too has nothing to do with teeth! You can read more about this regression HERE, but for now it’s suffice to say that your baby will definitely start waking a LOT more during this time.

This doesn’t mean that they’ve got teeth coming. Or are sick. Necessarily…

So when do babies start teething?

The age when babies get their first teeth can vary quite a lot! Some babies can get their first teeth before 4 months, others not until closer to 12 months. Most babies though will get their first toothy pegs peeking through around 6 months of age. The first ones to come through will be their bottom front teeth – so if your little one is approaching 6 months, keep an eye out!

How can I tell if my baby is teething?

Baby teeth sometimes emerge with no pain or discomfort at all.

At other times, you may notice:

their gum is sore and red where the tooth is coming through
they have a mild temperature of less than 38C
they have 1 flushed cheek
they have a rash on their face
they’re rubbing their ear
they’re dribbling more than usual
they’re gnawing and chewing on things a lot
they’re more fretful than usual
they’re not sleeping very well

Can teething cause vomiting?

If your little one is being sick, it is very unlikely that this is caused by teething. If you are worried, then it is best to check with your GP.

Can teething cause fever?

While teething can give your little one a temperature, if the temperature is over 102°F / 38. 9C, then it is unlikely to be teething that is the cause. Again, if you are concerned please see your GP or a health professional.

Remember, if your baby seems unwell it’s important not to brush it off as ‘just teething’. Yes, teething can raise a baby’s temperature slightly and unsettle them, but a big change in your baby’s sleep, feeding or behaviour, is more likely due to illness.

How to help a teething baby sleep better

For the most part, teething is really only uncomfortable for your baby for a day or so right as the tooth is breaking through the surface of the gum – which you’ll definitely be able to see! But even then, it doesn’t usually cause prolonged disruption to a baby’s sleep or excessive night waking.

If your baby isn’t bothered by teething during the day, this is a clear sign they won’t be as bothered by it at night. In fact, at night when babies are lying down, their blood pressure is lowered so any throbbing in their mouths will be LESS uncomfortable, than it was during their awake/upright hours.

So what SHOULD you look for if you suspect your baby is unwell?

Well, the first important thing is to make sure your baby is in a good predictable sleep and feed pattern in the first place. Our Little Ones App can help you out with that, with age-appropriate, daily sleep and feed schedules that help to ensure great sleep, day and night.

Once your baby or toddler is in a consistent routine, it will be glaringly obvious if anything is amiss! You’ll definitely notice if your awesome daytime sleeper suddenly starts waking after 20 minutes at naps, crying hysterically. Or if your hungry little hippo suddenly refuses to feed.

In THIS article, we explain how to tell if your baby is sick and what signs of illness to look out for. If your little one is showing any of the signs or symptoms mentioned here, it would be worth discussing with your doctor.

Here is what happened to me and my little Charlie (when she was around 4 months old):

I had noticed Charlie was paying a bit too much attention to her ear and refusing to nurse on one particular side. So, I took her to the doctor, who examined her and said she was fine. She did seem happy enough and her sleep hadn’t changed at all so I wasn’t too concerned.

A few days went by and she started doing the same thing with her ear, sort of batting it with her fist. Perhaps she’d just suddenly discovered her ears? It happens you know! Then, the next day she woke earlier in the morning than she would normally – 5:17am to be precise.

I made sure she wasn’t too hot or cold and wasn’t hungry (I tried to nurse her and she was about as disinterested as she could be!). On that occasion I put it down to a random occurrence – that too can happen!

But the next morning she did the same thing. Now, I was paying attention! Later that morning she fell asleep on the floor, an hour before her nap, while I was changing her nappy. Her lunch nap became restless and she woke crying between sleep cycles.

BIG WARNING SIGN.

If your baby is following our sleep schedules, is able to self-settle and then suddenly starts waking between sleep cycles and not settling themselves back to sleep – something is keeping them from doing so. They are usually hungry or something is hurting or uncomfortable.

The third morning Charlie woke at 5:34am and I watched her on the video monitor try and go back to sleep. For FORTY MINUTES. In silence mind you, she wasn’t crying. It was then that I knew for sure something was up; something was preventing her from going back to sleep.

As soon as the medical centre opened, I was on the phone making an appointment. My suspicion was confirmed when Charlie refused to nurse on my right side and then proceeded to have a super restless, super short morning nap. True enough, the doctor found she had an infected left ear and a red throat. Antibiotics it was.

Despite her not having an elevated temperature (I checked about a hundred times a day) and remaining reasonably happy, I was still convinced she wasn’t 100%. Since then, for the last 5 months, Charlie has had multiple ear infections.

Each time, my only indication is her early morning waking or not resettling during the lunch nap. This baby is just so darn happy! But I am so so glad she is in a good daily pattern, which means I can catch her warning signs and whisk her to the doctor before it gets too bad.

Conclusion

Always remember that you know your baby better than anyone. YOU are the one who watches them almost all day long. My best piece of advice when it comes to sickness and babies is to trust your parenting instincts! We have them for a reason.

And it is always, always better to be safe than sorry – call the doctor and take your baby to get checked out, even if you think it’s probably nothing. And go back, again and again, if necessary.

And if it does turn out that your baby is unwell, we have loads of tips to help you with their sleep in THIS article.

___________

Bibliography

Colleen. (2017, May 5). When Do Babies Start Teething? What to Expect; WhattoExpect. https://www.whattoexpect.com/first-year/teething/

Massignan, C., Cardoso, M., Porporatti, André Luís, Aydinoz, S., Canto, Andre, L., & Bolan, M. (2016). Signs and Symptoms of Primary Tooth Eruption: A Meta-analysis. Pediatrics, 137(3). https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2015-3501

NHS Choices. (2022). Baby teething symptoms. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/baby/babys-development/teething/baby-teething-symptoms/

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what to do? — Pro Palliative

An average person produces from 500 ml to 2,000 ml of saliva per day. It plays an important role in our body: moistens food, promotes chewing and swallowing, moisturizes the tongue and lips during conversation, promotes normal speech, cleans teeth and gums, and maintains normal oral hygiene. Saliva regulates the acidity in the esophagus (saliva has an alkaline PH), destroys microorganisms and cleanses of toxic substances, enhances the perception of taste, starts the digestion of carbohydrates (contains enzymes for this). However, in some diseases, the amount of saliva increases and it flows out of the mouth, which, in turn, causes discomfort.

Why does this happen and what to do about it?

What is salivation?

Leakage of saliva from the mouth can occur when:

Increased production of saliva (hypersalivation).
Violation of swallowing saliva and sputum (in violation of the closing of the lips and violation of swallowing – dysphagia).

Every child has a different cause or a combination of these factors. Therefore, in order to select the right treatment, you need to find out what underlies salivation in each child individually.

Do healthy children salivate?

Children usually drool under one year of age (the peak occurs at 5-6 months). This age feature completely disappears by the age of two – by this time the child’s oral cavity is functionally mature.

In addition, increased salivation in children occurs when their teeth grow, they are in psycho-emotional arousal if they feel sick and vomit.

Salivation may be due to the taste or smell of food, spices, acid, pleasant and unpleasant physical and emotional stimuli, anticipation of food or fear of pain.

What can cause or make salivation worse?

Diagnosis of swallowing disorders What are the main signs of dysphagia when it is necessary to test using the three-throat test

The causes of salivation or its increase can be:

Loss of control of salivation.
Inadequate lip closure and open mouth.
Impairment or lack of sensation in the oropharynx.
Impaired tongue movement.
Impaired tone of the tongue and lips.
Dysphagia (impaired swallowing frequency and difficulty swallowing).

These conditions may cause or exacerbate poor positioning (poor head and neck control), problems with teeth and dental structures, and use of medications (eg, to treat epilepsy).

What diseases cause increased salivation?

There are diseases in which salivation increases: temporarily or chronically, depending on whether the cause of salivation can be cured.

Increased production of saliva and / or impaired retention of saliva in the oral cavity occurs with:

Organic lesions of the central system (cerebral palsy (CP), trigeminal facial nerve palsy, neurodegenerative diseases of the central nervous system). Most children with cerebral palsy have impaired swallowing and control of saliva flow, they cannot close their lips during swallowing. Spasticity and muscle dystonia affect the swallowing of saliva: this causes problems with tongue control, high tone of the tongue and oropharyngeal muscles, spastic contraction of the upper esophageal sphincter, and impaired coordination between the pharynx and this sphincter. In addition, swallowing disorders are affected by loss of head and neck control.
Neuromuscular diseases (spinal muscular atrophy, Duchenne myodystrophy, myopathies, myasthenia gravis, myositis). In neuromuscular diseases of muscle tone (eg, SMA, Duchenne myodystrophy), salivation occurs due to increasing atony of the muscles of the lips, oropharynx, esophagus, stomach, intestines, the addition of gastrostasis (delayed gastric emptying) and gastroesophageal reflux.
Cognitive and mental disorders. Salivation may develop due to a delay in psychomotor development (impaired formation and development of swallowing movements, inefficient and infrequent swallowing, incomplete closure of the lips during swallowing).
Ear-nose-throat diseases. Acute infectious processes of the oral cavity and pharynx (gingivitis, stomatitis caused by viruses, bacteria, fungi) cause mucosal damage, as well as pain and problems with swallowing. This causes salivation, for example, in tonsillitis, peritonsillar or retropharyngeal abscess, epiglottitis.
Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, esophagus (gastro-esophageal reflux, gastroparesis, gastrostasis, pancreatitis).
Familial autonomic dysfunction (Riley-Day syndrome), Wilson’s disease, Rett’s syndrome.
Vitamin B3 deficiency.
When taking medication. Hypersalivation is caused by various drugs: antiepileptic (clonazepam), painkillers (morphine), pilocarpine, haloperidol; benzodiazepines.

How is salivation treated?

Conservative non-pharmacological therapy

How to treat the oral cavity of a seriously ill patient We show exactly how and in what positions you can brush your teeth

It is important to identify and start treatment of the causes of salivation in time, to monitor oral hygiene, regular brushing of teeth, and removal of plaque. It is advisable to replace drugs that cause or increase salivation (only after consulting a doctor). Take your child to the dentist more often – every 4-6 months.

Physiotherapy will improve jaw closure and tongue function, develop tongue mobility, strength and position in the mouth, improve lip closure, especially during swallowing. Positioning and development of swallowing (speech therapy massage) are also useful.

If the child has moderate salivation, normal or near normal intelligence, and high motivation to stop salivating, behavioral or biofeedback therapy may help. The correctness of swallowing is monitored by parents or with the help of special computer programs.

To prevent saliva from irritating the skin or if maceration (swelling and wrinkling of the skin from prolonged contact with water) occurs, use a barrier cream or ointment.

Pharmacotherapy

Important

Drugs are started at the lowest dose and increased to the highest carefully, depending on the clinical effect.

Anticholinergic drugs – atropine, benzatropine mesylate, scopolamine, hyoscine – reduce the volume of saliva. But they can have side effects: blurred vision, dry mouth, constipation, urinary retention.
Scopolamine or hyoscine patch (pictured behind the child’s ear). They last 48 or 72 hours and are glued to the skin behind the ear.
Glycopyrrolate is a long-acting drug (8-12 hours) with a minimum of side effects. The drug is 5-6 times more effective than atropine, effective in 90% of patients with hypersalivation.

Photo by Alexandra Glagoleva

Botulinum therapy

Botulinum therapy is used to treat muscle spasticity, for example, in cerebral palsy. The drug blocks nerve impulses in the muscles, sweat and salivary glands. In case of salivation, the drug is injected directly into the salivary gland under the control of ultrasound and local anesthesia in a day hospital (round-the-clock supervision is not required).

The therapy consists of four injections, which are placed in the submandibular and parotid glands. On average, salivation decreases for 6 months. Side effects are minimal and usually appear at the injection site. Speech and swallowing may be slightly impaired.

Surgical treatment

Surgical treatment is indicated for children over 6 years of age with profuse uncontrolled salivation (if conservative therapy fails within 6 months).

There are different types of surgery to treat salivation (eg, denervation of the salivary gland, excision of the salivary gland (eg, submandibular), ligation of the duct of the salivary gland, etc.). The operation lasts 60-90 minutes, requires general anesthesia and a 24-hour stay in the hospital for several days.

When the salivary glands are excised, there is a high risk of damage to nearby nerves and paralysis of the muscles that this nerve innervates. Side effects early after surgery may include bleeding, swelling, infection, and trouble swallowing.

Salivation complications

Salivation is a cosmetic defect. It can lead to social isolation and have very severe psychological consequences for the child and the whole family. Drooling can cause emotional and physical discomfort in a child. Children with salivation can soak not only their own toys and books, but also the things of people around them, which is especially negatively perceived in public places and organized children’s groups. Strong salivation increases the burden on parents: you need to constantly change things and blot saliva.

Salivation contributes to the spread of infection, loss of fluid and electrolytes, in severe cases can cause dehydration (dehydration), deterioration of articulation and speech.

How to dress a child with severe salivation?

Adaptive clothes for children What clothes can be chosen for children with contractures and prostheses, and why teenagers with disabilities want to look like ordinary children

Bibs and scarves

If drooling is severe, use waterproof bibs (eg silicone bibs with saliva collection pocket or doubles with waterproof bottom layer). An older child can wear a beautiful saliva-absorbing patterned scarf over the bib (so getting wet is less noticeable). Stock up on several scarves of the same color: this way their replacement will be invisible (you need to change scarves often so that bacteria do not multiply and things smell bad).

Vests

If your clothes get wet, changing them is often inconvenient: wear vests over your clothes that are easy to remove and change when you get wet. You can use fabric for windbreakers so that the vest gets wet more slowly.

Velcro

Collars and other parts of clothing can be fastened with Velcro, which can be quickly unfastened and allow you to quickly change clothes even in public places.

Created with a grant from the Absolute Help Charitable Foundation

Stock image from Depositphotos.

First teeth. Qualified help for parents and children and rehabilitation treatment of the Scientific Center for Children’s Health of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences Ph.

D. Tatyana Andreevna Polunina.

– What should moms know about baby teeth?

– The eruption of the first teeth is often quite a difficult period for both the child and his parents. Calm weeks alternate with weeks when the process of teething greatly affects the quality of life of the baby due to the manifestation of a whole bunch of unwanted symptoms. Many children during this period are concerned about a decrease in appetite, sometimes even refusal to eat, due to pain in the gums. Edema and swelling of the gums are visually detected, body temperature rises to subfebrile numbers, profuse salivation, rhinorrhea and nasal congestion are noted, sometimes dyspeptic disorders from the gastrointestinal tract are also possible. Often it is because of these manifestations that the child becomes capricious, irritable, restless and does not sleep well.

It is far from always possible to immediately determine what causes certain symptoms that disturb the baby, and young parents often attribute a sharp deterioration in the health and well-being of the baby to manifestations of ARI or even poisoning of the child. At such a moment, it is the pediatrician (primarily the pediatrician) who becomes the primary source of information about the causes of the child’s poor health. It is he who can give recommendations that will help to alleviate the condition of the child as quickly, efficiently and safely as possible.
Teething is not a pathology, but a physiological step-by-step process characterized by the appearance of milk and then permanent teeth. Most children tolerate the appearance of teeth satisfactorily.

Teeth erupt in a certain sequence, but variations are possible (6-9 months – first lower incisors; 7-10 months – first upper incisors; 9-12 months – lateral (second) upper incisors; 9-12 months. – lateral (second) lower incisors; 12–18 months – first upper molars; 13–19months – the first lower molars; 16–20 months – upper fangs; 17-22 months – lower fangs; 20-33 months – second lower molars; 24–36 months – second upper molars). The role of the doctor at the stage of eruption of milk teeth in a small patient is to ensure maximum awareness of parents about what is happening with the child and how to solve emerging problems in stages, recommending the best medicine in the home medicine cabinet.

– What symptoms accompany the process of teething?

– There are quite a lot of teething symptoms, and they are individual for each baby, but at the same time, all of them can also be a manifestation of a viral or bacterial infection. Therefore, it is not always easy to determine that these symptoms are associated with teething.

The first thing the child’s parents complain about is increased salivation (hypersalivation), which often results in irritation around the mouth in the form of a rash. During this period, the child begins to pull everything into his mouth. If you look into the oral cavity, you will surely see swelling and redness of the gum mucosa. Also, many children suffer from a general condition, they become capricious, lethargic, there is increased irritability, and often there are problems with sleep at night. Some children have an increase in body temperature, dyspeptic phenomena from the intestinal tract. The average duration of a crisis is approximately 8 days.

– Baby’s malaise: how to recognize if unwanted symptoms are associated with an acute respiratory infection or teething?

– This is actually very difficult to recognize, and even a medical practitioner may not immediately diagnose teething syndrome at the initial examination.

Recognizing the “belonging” of undesirable symptoms to teething or to a respiratory infection is often quite difficult even for a practitioner at the initial examination. It is especially difficult if the child has several symptoms at the same time. For example, if a child has profuse salivation, fever and dyspepsia, then first of all it is necessary to exclude an intestinal infection or AVI, if there is a fever and severe symptoms of rhinitis – swelling, nasal congestion, etc. An increase in body temperature (37.4-38 ⁰С no more than 1-2 days) during tooth eruption due to the release of biologically active substances in the tooth growth zone. If the child’s fever exceeds 39⁰C or lasts more than 2 days, should not be associated with teething.

Often, loose stools in a child are explained by a large amount of saliva secreted, accelerating intestinal motility, but if this is a watery stool and the disorder lasts more than 72 hours, then the reason is most likely not teething. In this regard, the listed symptoms can be regarded as a manifestation of teething only after the exclusion of other, more serious causes of the violation of the child’s condition.

– Pediatrician or ENT: who should parents contact?

– With this problem, parents can contact any specialist, more often it is a pediatrician. If complications are found, the pediatrician refers the little patient to narrow specialists, in particular to dentists. If the timing and sequence of teething are violated, it may be necessary for a more thorough examination of the child to exclude somatic pathology.

– Deviation from the norm in terms of the timing and order of teething.

According to the literature, the central incisors on the lower jaw appear at the age of 6–7 months, and the complete formation of the dentition is completed by the age of three. However, in practice, everything is individual. This may depend on a number of factors – ranging from climatic conditions, the nature of nutrition, the quality of drinking water, the presence of rickets in the child, other somatic pathology, and ending with genetic factors (the timing of teething in the next of kin).

– Possible complications during teething. When is specialized medical care required?

– I have not seen any serious complications in the teething syndrome, described in the literature and in practice. However, against the background of teething, an acute viral or bacterial infection can occur, which can manifest itself in the form of purulent rhinitis, adenoiditis, acute otitis media, sinusitis, etc.
Therefore, babies with similar problems should definitely be shown to specialist doctors!

– “Grandmother’s” options for helping children during this period. How not to harm the baby?

– There are “grandmother’s” methods, for example, give the child a chilled banana or cucumber, you can also give the child a light massage of the gums with teethers or massage rings for the gums (there are teethers with liquid inside: they must be cooled in the refrigerator, but in no case not in the freezer!). Nevertheless, it should be borne in mind that “grandmother’s” methods are far from always able to quickly alleviate the condition of the baby. In addition, there is a danger of introducing an infection to the child if the “massage” of the gums is non-sterile, as is the case when painkillers are applied to the child’s gums with a finger.

– How to relieve the child’s condition during teething? Are all modern tools the same?

– Loving parents and the baby himself need quick qualified help. It is necessary to alleviate the condition of the child, restore his appetite, healthy sleep and good mood! The choice of method in most cases falls entirely on the shoulders of the parents. It is especially difficult for young and inexperienced mothers and fathers. The most important thing is that the method of alleviating the condition of the child be very effective, without negative consequences and threats to the health of the baby.

Severe soreness/swelling of the gums, accompanied by restlessness, refusal to eat, sometimes requires the use of local anesthetic gels. However, they should be used with caution, as some may contain benzocaine or choline salicylate.

Dantinorm Baby (Laboratory Boiron, France) is one of the modern and safe preparations today. This is an original complex drug, which is aimed at stopping the severity of symptoms in teething syndrome in children. The composition of Dantinorm Baby includes components that can act simultaneously on various symptoms of teething: chamomile (chamomilla vulgaris), which is traditionally used for irritability and fever; Indian ivy (phytolacca decandra) – used for pain and inflammation of the gums; medicinal rhubarb (rheum officinale) – recommended for indigestion. Thus, Dantinorm Baby is a drug whose components effectively affect all the main symptoms that occur during teething: inflammation of the gums, fever, reduction of salivation and rhinitis, as well as the general condition of the child. It is available in the form of an oral solution that does not contain preservatives and dyes. In Europe, the drug appeared in 1994 g. Over 20 years of its use in this group of patients, no side effects or allergic reactions were detected. For ease of use, a special hygienic package has been developed: the contents of one sterile container corresponds to one dose of the drug, which is easy to drop into the child’s mouth, avoiding contact of the solution with the hands, which is important, especially when it is convenient to give the drug to the child outside the home.

– Requirements that doctors and parents make to drugs for painful teething.

– Most modern parents do not want to use chemicals for their baby. Moms and dads who strictly monitor the health of the baby and try to use safe and effective drugs. Teething gels target only the symptoms directly in the oral cavity and do not affect either the increase in temperature or the decrease in salivation. The complex effect of the drug Dantinorm Baby minimizes the pharmacological burden, helping to cope with inflammation of the gums, fever, rhinorrhea, indigestion and tearfulness, restoring comfort to the child. When choosing a drug for painful teething, it is important that it helps to quickly and effectively alleviate the child’s condition, but at the same time be as safe as possible and have no side effects. The drug is well tolerated by young patients, after the first doses of use, a decrease in the severity of symptoms is noted.

In my opinion, Dantinorm Baby meets all the key requirements for drugs for painful teething, and neither I nor my colleagues have any complaints. This is probably why he earned the trust of his parents.

Interviewed by Ekaterina Grishchenko

Why do adults and children drool during sleep?

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Sometimes, waking up in the morning, a person may notice that his bed is damp because he was drooling during sleep. Mostly this does not cause much discomfort, but it is still important to know the possible reasons why drooling occurs in a dream. The reason may be the special structure of the jaw, during sleep it can be very relaxed when a person lies on his side, so saliva can freely flow out. In this case, you just need to accustom yourself to sleep lying on your back.

What factors influence salivation during sleep

There are also more serious reasons why drooling from the mouth, which must be identified. Some cases require timely treatment. They may be related to:

An existing disease in the nasal cavity – an inflammatory process in the nasal mucosa does not belong to a harmless disease that can be left to chance. The mucous membrane performs a number of important functions that are violated when a runny nose occurs. It can be allergic, infectious, vasomotor, traumatic, drug-induced, hypertrophic, meteotropic and atrophic. In any case, the respiratory process is difficult for a person; during sleep, the mouth is ajar, which is why salivation occurs.
A deviated septum in the nose – this also makes breathing difficult, causing the person to sleep with their mouth open.
An infectious process in the nasal cavity – diseases of the teeth and gums can provoke salivation during sleep.
Violation of the gastrointestinal tract – with inflammatory processes in the stomach, acidity increases, which leads to abundant salivation. The same thing happens if there are other chronic diseases of the digestive tract.
Worms and other parasites in the body.
Disorders of the nervous system, taking medications that give increased stress on the body. Problems associated with disruption of normal sleep, manifested in insomnia or excessive sleepiness.
The presence of a foreign body in the oral cavity – these can be braces or dentures that irritate the nerve endings, causing profuse salivation at the reflex level.
Smoking and drug use – irritation of the salivary glands and taste buds occurs, which increases salivation.
Imbalance of hormones in diseases of the endocrine system.
Inflammation of the salivary glands.
Parkinson’s disease.

Causes of nighttime salivation in children

To find out why a child is drooling, consider the main reasons, they may be related to:

psychological illnesses;
brain tumors;
taking certain medications;
viral diseases;
stomatitis;
the presence of parasites;
stomatitis;
CNS lesions;
diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

In infants, increased secretion is considered the norm, since the salivary glands have not yet formed. This may also be due to the fact that the baby began to cut teeth. But still, if there is a lot of saliva, then it is worth showing the child to the doctor to exclude the development of pathologies. Too much saliva can cause speech development problems. Therefore, it is necessary to show the child to a specialist who prescribes medicines or decoctions to normalize the condition of the baby. Do not self-medicate without consulting a doctor and risk children’s health. Infusions and decoctions of herbs, if given thoughtlessly, can cause a serious allergic reaction.

How to get rid of hypersalivation

It is important to visit a doctor in time for examination, identifying the cause of drooling and adequate treatment. To establish the exact cause, it is necessary to undergo a comprehensive examination. The doctor collects the patient’s life history, symptoms, his working conditions, the presence of bad habits and possible diseases. The dentist carefully examines the oral cavity and identifies diseases of the mucous membrane, teeth or gums. If the specialist did not find any deviations and it turned out that salivation is associated with physiology, then salivation can be reduced due to:

fight bad habits;
exclusion from the diet of spicy and salty foods;
consumption of quince juice;
rinsing the mouth with decoctions of herbs – chamomile, oak bark and sage;
trying to sleep on your back and not on your side;
care of the nasal cavity – before going to bed, it is advisable to rinse it with saline or sea water, breathe over essential oils (camphor or eucalyptus).

Why dogs drool profusely from their mouths – Animal Health

Dogs have been living next to humans for over 10,000 years. During this time, people artificially bred about 400 breeds, from tiny indoor to massive service. Dogs of different breeds have an extensive set of physiological features, among which is the tendency to salivate.

Natural for all mammals, the secretion of the salivary glands performs important functions in the animal’s body – it forms the protection of the oral cavity from the penetration of pathogenic bacteria, promotes more thorough digestion and assimilation of food, moisturizing and softening it. But it also happens that the abundant secretion of the salivary glands, hypersalivation signals problems with the health of the pet.

There are a number of dog breeds for which hypersalivation is a natural function, due to the peculiarities of the anatomical structure – a massive head with a short jaw, loose jowls. These include Great Danes, Boxers, Bulldogs, Sharpei, Mastiffs, Newfoundlands, St. Bernards, Caucasian Shepherd Dogs.

If your dog is drooling, this may be a natural physiological sign. The following causes of excessive salivation are considered normal:

On a hot day, the animal’s body exhibits a protective reaction to overheating;
High physical activity;
Natural reaction to the smell of food;
In females during pregnancy;
In puppies when changing teeth;
Reaction to medical intervention.

At the same time, it should be taken into account that according to the observations of doctors, salivation in the amount of no more than 1 liter per day is considered normal. If a dog drools constantly and too much, the reason may be pathological changes, the presence of diseases. Especially if salivation is accompanied by other alarming symptoms.

Causes of hypersalivation in dogs

The secret of the salivary glands, which are located under the tongue, jaw, near the ears, enters the oral cavity. If a dog drools like water, that is, with a noticeable excess of the norm, this indicates a violation of the natural functions of the glands, excessive production of a secret by them.
A wide range of physiological and psychological factors may contribute to this. Drooling strongly flows in a dog experiencing stressful situations – separation from the owner, especially a long one, a change of permanent residence, the appearance of another pet in the house, frequent and unreasonable punishments from the owners.

A trip to the veterinary clinic can cause a strong mental and emotional experience for a dog. A smart animal realizes that a visit to the doctor does not promise him anything pleasant, excitement causes hypersalivation. For the same reason, salivation may increase before taking medications.

Excessive secretion of the salivary glands is caused by the presence of a number of pathologies and diseases in the animal:

jaw dislocation, malocclusion;

ear injuries, inflammatory processes in the auricles contribute to increased salivation, because large salivary glands are located near the ears;

hypersalivation may indicate a viral infection.

Diseases such as canine distemper, rabies, canine parvovirus enteritis are extremely dangerous, and at the slightest suspicion, you should immediately consult a doctor;

chronic pathologies of internal organs – liver, kidneys, gastrointestinal tract, tumors and ulcers;

poisoning, intoxication from fumes of household chemicals;

allergic reactions accompanied by characteristic symptoms – sneezing, shortness of breath, itching, runny nose;

In case of helminthiasis, increased salivation may additionally be accompanied by vomiting.

The causes of hypersalivation can also be epilepsy, traumatic brain injury, heat stroke, tumors of the salivary glands, portosystemic shunt, disorders in the immune system.

Most characteristic symptoms

To answer the question “why does a dog drool?” it is necessary to find out which diseases are hypersalivation symptoms in each case. For example, if the dog does not eat, drooling, the dog lowers its head, growls, whines, this may indicate problems in the field of dentistry.

If the dog drools and weakness, fever and increased thirst – the symptoms are characteristic of infection with viral infections. When a pet’s thirst and fever are accompanied by vomiting, diarrhea, there is a high probability of poisoning. A variety of causes of hypersalivation also cause differences in the clinical picture.

It is important for dog owners to remember that if, in addition to hypersalivation, there are other signs indicating problems with the health of the pet, it is necessary to urgently contact a veterinary clinic. Only a qualified doctor will be able to make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe an effective treatment. In cases involving viral infections, delay can be life-threatening for the pet.

Diagnosis of increased salivation

When contacting a veterinary clinic with suspected hypersalivation in a dog, it is important to have a vaccination passport with you, confirming the presence of immunity to certain diseases. The doctor needs, first of all, to exclude infection with rabies, as the cause of increased salivation.

Diagnosis in the clinic includes a complete physical and neurological examination of the patient, a number of clinical studies. General and biochemical blood tests, urinalysis, feces are examined, ultrasound, x-rays are performed. If there is a suspicion of a violation of the immune system, a biopsy is performed.

In addition to carrying out diagnostic measures, information about the lifestyle, contacts with other animals, details about the maintenance, feeding of the pet, and medications used by the owners can provide significant assistance in determining the reasons why the dog is drooling from the mouth.

Treatment

The doctor develops a general treatment strategy based on an accurate diagnosis, taking into account the state of health, the age of the animal and other individual factors. In the case when the cause of increased salivation is a foreign object stuck in the mouth, a tumor or a wound, surgical methods of treatment are used.

Hypersalivation is a symptom of one of the diseases listed above, its elimination is carried out in parallel with the treatment of the disease diagnosed in the clinic. Therapeutic methods and drugs are prescribed depending on the clinical picture, may include antibiotics, antiviral agents, maintenance therapy methods.

About Prevention of excessive salivation

The most effective prophylactic remedy is timely vaccination of the animal. The main preventive measures also include sanitary standards for keeping dogs, feeding hygiene, and regular antiparasitic procedures. It is important to limit your pet’s contact with stray animals as much as possible.
Contact your veterinarian immediately if your dog is experiencing persistent excessive salivation. A timely diagnosis and prompt medical assistance significantly increase the chances of a full recovery.

causes of drooling, possible treatment, what to do at home

» 1 month old baby

Why does a baby drool?

Folk wisdom says: if a baby drools, teeth will soon come out. However, doctors do not share this statement, despite profuse salivation at 2-3 months, the first teeth usually appear after the sixth month.

Is it worth it to rush to the doctor and look for problems in excessive salivation?

Why saliva is needed

Your baby’s salivary glands are capable of producing saliva while still in the womb. A couple of months after birth, salivation increases significantly. Thus, nature took care of protecting the child’s body from various infections that enter the mouth.

Another useful quality of saliva that is worth noting is the breakdown of starch into sugar thanks to special enzymes that are part of it. This property has a positive effect on the digestion of food that enters the baby’s stomach. And less painful teething is also her merit.

Increased salivation

Despite the above, there are times when increased salivation is worth paying close attention to. Drooling in a 2 month old baby may be more likely to be associated with a runny nose than teething. If the baby, with abundant salivation, also breathes through the mouth, this may indicate a nose clogged with snot. If there is no runny nose, and the baby is drooling, why not examine his mouth to exclude the presence of sores or inflammation of the oral cavity.

Closer to 6 months, the baby’s salivation can really increase, and this will be the first evidence of the imminent appearance of the first teeth. Effectively wetting the gums, saliva reduces the pain caused by teething. During this period, pay closer attention to the dryness of clothes – frequent change of blouses and the use of a bib are more relevant than ever. More about the developmental features of a 6-month-old baby?

If your chin is irritated from excess moisture, you need to lubricate the delicate skin of the baby several times a day with a cream with vitamins A or E.

Do not forget that at the age of 3 months a baby drools like water also because he does not know how to swallow them, and salivation seems to be increased to parents.

When to rush to the doctor

If the baby is characterized by profuse salivation, mothers may hear: wheezing in the chest or a strong cough. In this case, to exclude a viral infection, it is worth contacting a pediatrician. If coughing and wheezing are due to the fact that a 2-month-old baby is drooling, but it happens that they sometimes accumulate in the larynx, it is quite often to spread the crumbs on the tummy.

If you suspect inflammation, stomatitis, thrush, you should also rush to the doctor because of increased salivation.

After examining the baby, the pediatrician will answer why the baby is drooling. Sometimes very serious diseases can be behind harmless saliva. This may be hypersalivation – increased salivation, which is associated with damage to the central nervous system and even with the presence of a mental illness. A head injury or the presence of a brain tumor can lead to a strong secretion of saliva.

Do not be afraid of increased salivation, most often it is just a physiological feature of the baby. Sometimes there are opposite cases – lack of saliva. Not many children suffer from high temperatures during the period of tooth growth, but still there are cases when the temperature rises above 38-39 degrees. It may also be due to a lack of salivary fluid. Do not worry about this, but be sure to consult a doctor. You may have to spend several days in the hospital under the supervision of doctors.

If a 3-month-old baby is drooling, eliminate the factors that require the intervention of a doctor, buy bibs, stock up on disposable wipes and teethers, and wait until the baby outgrows. Please note that this healthy physiological process can accompany a child up to one and a half years.

Useful video about the timing of teething

Drooling as an alarm sign

The child is salivating

Children often salivate, most adults look at it with emotion, but saliva must be produced in certain quantities, so increased salivation may be the result of some deviations and dysfunctions in the body. Let’s see why saliva is needed in general and what are the causes of hypersalivation (increased salivation) in children of different ages.

Saliva is a clear, colorless liquid secreted by the salivary glands in the mouth. Saliva performs several very important functions:

1. Digestive – saliva contains enzymes that help break down and digest food. With the help of saliva, food is liquefied and softened, a food lump is formed. The main salivary enzymes: amylase and maltase break down polysaccharides, as well as maltose and sucrose to monosaccharides. It is for this reason that fruits are most well absorbed by the human body, because their assimilation occurs even in the oral cavity.

2. The protective function of saliva is to moisten the oral mucosa, preventing it from drying out and cracking. Washing the surface of the oral cavity, saliva also performs an anti-inflammatory function, removing microorganisms and food debris, because it contains bactericidal substances: lysozyme, lactoperoxidase, lactoferrin, mucin, etc.

3. The mineralizing function is that components contained in saliva enter the tooth enamel. Saliva at a normal pH of 6.8-7.0 contains ionic compounds of calcium, phosphorus and fluoride compounds, which saturate tooth enamel with these microelements. With a decrease (increase) in acidity, saliva becomes calcium-deficient.

4. The buffer function of saliva is that it is able to neutralize acids and alkaline compounds in the mouth, thereby protecting tooth enamel from destruction.

The child is salivating

Babies born to mothers who suffered from frequent toxicosis during pregnancy
. there is a decrease in the functions of the salivary glands, reduced mineralization of saliva, and as a result, early caries and other diseases of the oral cavity.

Up to three months, the child has reduced salivation
. therefore, it is during this period that a disease such as thrush is often observed. Approximately between 4 and 6 months, children begin to salivate excessively
. This is due to the eruption of the first teeth. the child’s gums are irritated, so saliva flows out of the mouth, and the mother only manages to change wet blouses and bibs. This is also due to the fact that the baby does not know how to swallow saliva, this skill will appear in the child by about 8-9 months. in some children closer to a year old, then subsequent teething will not be accompanied by hypersalivation. Sometimes salivation is associated with various diseases of the oral cavity, such as stomatitis, so in any case, you should consult a doctor and ask him to examine the baby’s mouth. Sometimes hypersalivation is associated with nervous pathology, brain diseases, but in these cases, as a rule, this is not the only sign of the disease. Pay attention to this when examining a neurologist.

After 1.5-2 years, increased salivation in a baby may be due to the inability to swallow saliva
. this may be due to a malfunction of the articulatory apparatus, which is called dysarthria. Teach your child to swallow saliva, there are special speech therapy exercises for this. If the pathology does not go away by the age of 4, then it is necessary to show the child to a speech therapist. A large amount of saliva prevents the baby from pronouncing words, speech looks slurred, and this can develop social complexes and lead to problems in communicating with peers and teachers.

Increased salivation may also be associated with ENT problems
. for example, with inflammation of the adenoids, sinusitis, when the child cannot breathe through the nose, and his mouth is open all the time. Show the child to the otolaryngologist, he will determine the cause. Sometimes persistent nasal congestion can be related to allergic rhinitis, such as from house dust or a cat allergy.

Often, even if the baby is able to swallow saliva, during the period of molars teething (2-3 years), hypersalivation can be observed, if salivation has passed after the teeth have appeared, then there is no pathology.

Various diseases of the digestive system, such as gastritis, hepatitis, enteritis, can cause increased salivation
. The flow of saliva at night can also be one of the signs of helminthic invasion. In this case, show the crumbs to a gastroenterologist, he will prescribe the necessary tests and determine the causes of the diseases.

Why babies drool

Drooling in a newborn is not such a rare occurrence. Usually they begin to flow strongly in a two- or three-month-old baby. According to popular belief, excessive salivation indicates the imminent appearance of teeth. And this despite the fact that on average the first teeth begin to appear at 6 months.

Why a child may drool

Drooling in a baby at such an early age has a well-defined physiology. To the question: why does a child drool too much, doctors answer: this is a protective reaction of the body. Doctors have determined that the baby is literally drooling like a river in response to a new stage of development, when the baby begins to literally taste everything. It is at 2-3 months that the child begins to pull everything into his mouth – rattles, toys, objects found under his hands, his own legs, etc. Saliva in this situation is a means of protecting the newborn from infections and bacteria that can be on all these objects . Saliva has been shown to have antibacterial properties.

Why are there so many? Doctors say that the salivary glands begin to work more actively, as a result of which the baby drools more. The child still, due to the underdevelopment of many systems, does not know how to swallow them. And it seems that there is too much saliva.

Another cause of increased salivation in a newborn is the child’s diet. Saliva contains special enzymes that help break down starch and turn it into sugar. And this is both energy for development and food for the mind. In addition, saliva can soften and anesthetize the baby’s gums during teething.

When drooling indicates problems

The child drools in large quantities and as a sign of a very serious illness, indicating problems with the movement and development of vital body systems. So, for example, increased salivation in a newborn can signal the formation of tumors in a baby, problems with the central nervous system and the brain. Of course, you should not panic and wonder why this is happening is not necessary. Just show the child to the doctor if you are very worried about excessive salivation in the baby. In this case, consultation with a pediatrician and a neurologist is recommended.

If a newborn has a runny nose and excessive salivation develops against it, special attention should be paid to the treatment of acute respiratory viral infections. After all, the child cannot breathe through the nose, due to its congestion. Breathing through the mouth is also difficult, because the mouth is full of saliva. All this is fraught with hypoxia and a serious breakdown in the child.

Abundant saliva is noted in the infant and with the development of various inflammations in the oral cavity, for example, with stomatitis. So, the mucosa tries to protect itself from bacteria and infection. In some cases, an increase in the number may signal the growth of blood vessels. Sometimes, against the background of increased salivation, mothers are advised to examine the baby for diseases such as hepatitis, enteritis, gastritis, or worms.

How to take care of your baby

Excessive salivation is very unpleasant in terms of physical sensations. Therefore, the task of parents is to help the baby overcome this period as comfortably as possible. It is necessary to use special bibs for the newborn – fabric linings that help absorb saliva and keep clothes dry.

The use of a pacifier makes it easier for the child to cope with excessive salivation, because with its help he can swallow saliva.

If the child’s chin is irritated due to saliva, it should be treated and lubricated with nourishing and moisturizing creams. You can also use ointments with zinc, which have a drying effect.

Be patient – this period of the newborn will not last long. Try to make sure that it does not disturb the well-being of your child.

Is a 2 month old baby drooling? No worries

A huge number of new parents are frightened and worried that a child who has reached the age of two months begins to salivate. Caring parents are looking for the cause of this phenomenon in medical reference books, considering increased salivation as a symptom of diseases or disorders of any processes in the child’s body. But in fact, worries and experiences are absolutely groundless.

2 month old baby drooling

It is worth worrying, on the contrary, if by the third month of life the child has not drooled. But let’s try to figure out why children have increased salivation?
By this time, the child’s salivary glands begin to function intensively, which until then worked in a “sleep mode” and produced only a small vital amount of a viscous fluid. Your child has not yet learned to swallow the resulting saliva, because. earlier, in principle, there was no need for this, therefore, he simply spits out the abundance of saliva that occurs in the oral cavity. In addition, babies love to blow bubbles from their own saliva, so this innovation of the body can also amuse the baby.
The swallowing reflex in a child will form only at 4-5 months, so the child drools on his chin for 2 months, thus coping with its abundance in the oral cavity. And parents should not worry, but on the contrary, they should be happy for the baby who has reached a new level of development.
True, you should not hope too much that the baby will learn to swallow and the salivation will stop. Usually, just by this age, children begin to grow their first milk teeth, which is also accompanied by profuse salivation. It should be borne in mind that saliva begins to flow much earlier than the first tooth erupts outward, so for another two months the baby will drool for this very reason.

Drooling as a warning sign

The answer to the question why a two-month-old baby drools can also be the phenomenon of allergic rhinitis. Such an allergic reaction is manifested by excessive salivation, and it can be caused by pollen from flowering plants, dust, etc.
Distinguishing rhinitis from natural salivation in children is not difficult, because in this case, the flow of saliva may be accompanied by swelling, runny nose, itching in the throat and nose of the child, which will manifest itself in constant coughing or sneezing. If you notice these signs, you should consult a doctor.
But if there are no such symptoms, then be patient and wait, the amount of saliva will gradually decrease, and then the child will completely get rid of the habit of drooling and blisters.

Let’s talk about saliva in a 2 month old baby. Causes of profuse salivation in babies

If a two-month-old baby suddenly drools, then many parents diligently begin to look for swollen gums or teeth that have already crawled out in his mouth.

But the first teeth in children very, very rarely appear in the third month of life. So why then does the baby drool so much and blow bubbles?

Why does a 2 month old baby drool?

1. The beginning of the functioning of the salivary glands.

This is the most common reason. In the third month, the active work of the salivary glands occurs, a large volume of saliva begins to be produced. And the swallowing reflex is fully formed only by 5 months, so the baby simply cannot swallow so much saliva. It is for this reason that saliva flows out.

2. We are waiting for the first tooth.

Despite the fact that the first teeth appear after four to six months, the gums can already begin to prepare
to this event. The teeth gradually begin to move in the gum, preparing to come out in a few months. The body begins to produce an increased amount of saliva to moisten the irritated gums. As soon as the first tooth cuts a hole in the gum, the amount of saliva will decrease.

3. Saliva protects the little organism.

It turns out that the baby’s saliva contains special antibacterial agents
. They help to neutralize infections that enter the mouth. This is an extremely useful and necessary property of saliva. Starting from 2 months, a small child begins to put everything in his mouth.

It can be a rattle, your own hands or your mother’s finger. It is abundant saliva that prevents infections and bacteria from entering the baby’s body. Salivary fluid washes the mouth and flows out along with possible bacteria.

4. Allergic reaction.

Approximately 15% of babies are predisposed to such a disease as allergic rhinitis.
Signs of this disease, in addition to profuse salivation, are also swelling of the mucous membrane, watery eyes, sneezing, itching in the nose. The cause of such rhinitis can be dust, flowering plants, pet hair.

Read here about how a baby develops at 7 months. Norms of weight and height.

In this article, read about the baby’s daily routine at 9 months, about his nutrition, development, feeding.

If you observe all these symptoms in your baby, you should consult a doctor and get advice and appropriate treatment from him.

5. Diseases of the oral cavity.

Sometimes excessive drooling can indicate oral diseases such as thrush or stomatitis.

In addition to increased salivation in these diseases, the child is restless, capricious, will suck badly and white plaque or plaques can be found on the mucous membranes.

If you experience these symptoms, you should immediately contact your pediatrician and seek advice on treatment.

Very rare, but profuse salivation may be one of the signs of serious illness
.

In order not to miss the disease, you should carefully monitor the health of the baby, take all the necessary tests and studies according to age.

A consultation with a neurologist and a pediatrician will clarify the picture and relieve parents of unnecessary suspicions.

Causes of rashes in babies, types of rashes, recommended methods of effective treatment –

Many parents become anxious when their small child suddenly develops saliva blisters in
. It shouldn’t cause any concern at all. Moreover, it is considered an absolute norm. Blowing bubbles is a new skill for the tiny two month old creature.

How to survive such profuse salivation?

And if at first they do not cause any discomfort, then over time, constant drooling wets clothes and can cause inflammation around the mouth and on the chin.

Here are 5 tips for you
. which can and should be used during the “salivary period” of the baby.

Change wet clothes more often.
And let it add more washing to mom, but the baby will always have a comfortable dry breast and neck. Purchase and use a large number of bibs
and change them as needed. In stores, you can now find colorful bibs of various colors and textures. Wipe baby’s face with sterile gauze or a clean soft handkerchief.
In this case, do not rub the already damaged skin of the child. If, nevertheless, irritation appears on the skin, then cracks and pimples should be lubricated with baby cream or sea buckthorn oil. If increased salivation is associated with the eruption of the first teeth, then it is necessary to acquire special teethers or teethers.
Various teething gels have proven themselves very well in this case, they significantly reduce pain and cool the gums. Be patient and get used to your baby’s constant saliva.
After all, children’s drooling is a continuous phenomenon. After six months, active teething will begin and drooling, flowing in a stream, will not disappear anywhere.

Conclusion:
Increased salivation for babies up to a year old is an absolute physiological norm.
If the parents are very concerned about this problem, then you can consult a pediatrician about this.

Over time, the drool that flows like a river from your baby’s chin will certainly decrease, and then completely disappear. And you will remember with nostalgia this “dribbling period” in the life of your child.

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After the birth of a baby and as it matures, something new can be observed in its development every day. It is impossible to ignore the symptoms that are alarming for the mother, for example, increased salivation after the second month of life. The baby drools, which at first does not cause any discomfort to the child, then, after a few days, the salivation becomes more abundant, and the mother has to change clothes more often on the baby. If the child’s chin is constantly under the influence of saliva, then it becomes irritated, inflamed, and then the baby begins to show concern, because irritation and a rash cause him pain. Why the baby drools, and what characterizes this phenomenon, we will consider later in the article.

1. Soon teeth!

The main cause of increased salivation in babies is preparing the gums for teething. This period can start from 2 months and continue during the first year and a half of the baby’s life. The teeth can move even in the gum itself and cause pain to the baby. And saliva softens inflamed gums and has an anti-inflammatory effect, as nature itself intended. In this case, you are unlikely to cope with salivation, but you can help the teeth to be born by buying baby teething toys and special teethers, for example, filled with water. They can be cooled in the refrigerator and given to scratch the gums of the child. Pain will be much less intense.

2. Intensive work of the salivary glands.

The salivary glands are not yet fully formed, and during the first year of life they may “test” their work from time to time. There is too much saliva, the baby is not able to swallow it all, and it flows out. Fortunately, such periods are short-lived and are quite rare, but nevertheless they take place.

3. Bacteria control.

From the age of three months, babies put rattles in their mouths. And the older you get, the more you want to try “by the tooth”. Any dirty object can cause an unpleasant disease in a child – stomatitis. The body wants to get rid of the causative agent of infection by all means, and since saliva has bactericidal properties, the oral cavity is literally washed by saliva from microbes. Hence the complaints of parents about increased salivation in babies.

4. Hypersalivation.

I would like you to never encounter this term in everyday life. In this case, increased salivation may be a sign of a more serious condition. Parents should monitor every change in the behavior and health of the child. It is necessary to consult with a specialist to rule out brain diseases, unequal systems, and the presence of tumors.

Hypersalivation is one of the signs of the disease, usually the primary one, because it is quite difficult to determine the discoordination of movements in infancy, because the baby is still just learning everything. The neurologist and pediatrician will see the picture more clearly, so do not jump to conclusions, but be on the lookout.

What to do and how to help a child with increased salivation?

The fact that the baby is drooling in most cases indicates teething. It is useless to fight this, you cannot influence this process. But it is quite possible for you to make life more comfortable for yourself and your child:

so that clothes do not become saturated with saliva, put on special collars with a waterproof lining for your child; on the street, try to give the child a pacifier, it will help the baby swallow saliva; baby’s gums itch, so you can massage them with a clean index finger, gently pressing on the expected teething areas; gum gel will cool the inflamed areas, relieve redness and in a couple of seconds the child will be calm and not hurt.

Remember that excessive salivation in a child is a temporary phenomenon, with the eruption of the first main teeth, the child will feel much better and saliva will no longer be produced in such a large amount. Wait out this period, and to avoid making false diagnoses, contact a specialist – your local pediatrician. Easy teething to you, be healthy!

After a newborn is born, he develops and matures every day. And parents watch the changes of the child with tenderness. However, there are a number of phenomena that can alert happy mothers. Among them is increased salivation. The fact that the drooling of a two-month-old or three-month-old child flows almost in streams, perhaps no one would have paid attention. But not a single mother can calmly look at the consequences of an increased separation of saliva in a child. Irritation of the chin and diaper rash in the folds on the neck make parents seriously think about the reasons for the increase in the amount of saliva in the baby. This phenomenon is most often observed when . Drooling flows during this period for a number of reasons, the main of which is the banal teething. However, there are more alarming factors that cause a child to drool in bubbles.

The baby drools profusely – causes

To understand whether it is worth panicking and running to the doctor for help, or the baby will stop drooling like a stream on its own after a while, you need to know what caused the salivation. The main reasons why a two-month-old or three-month-old baby is drooling:

Why the salivation has increased does not depend on how much the baby suffers from the consequences of constant dampness of the chin. Therefore, parents should know how to prevent them in a timely manner.

How to help a child

Despite the fact that most of the causes of increased salivation in a baby cannot be corrected, every mother wants to help her child survive the problem period of his life. It can be done.

If your baby grows and develops properly, then the appearance of increased salivation cannot be avoided. Therefore, the main thing for parents to remember is that all this is of a short-term nature, and after a few months you will not even remember how you had to constantly wipe your baby’s chin and change his clothes. And in order not to guess and make diagnoses on your own, it is better to immediately ask your local pediatrician for advice. Then both you and your baby will be calm.

The child is drooling – a similar picture is familiar to all mothers without exception. The thing is that up to 8 months, the baby simply does not know how to swallow saliva, so it has to be wiped off. Having carefully observed the child, you will surely notice that profuse salivation is not a constant phenomenon, but a periodic one. This means that he has a trigger – triggers that moms need to know. Let’s talk about why a child drools and what to do if it becomes a problem. Should I be worried in this case?

Saliva and its functions

It is better to start studying the issue from the very beginning – let’s figure out what saliva is and what functions salivation performs.

Saliva is a colorless transparent liquid, which is the liquid biological medium of the body. It is secreted into the oral cavity through three pairs of large and many small salivary glands of the oral cavity. The main functions of salivation are as follows:

The digestive function of salivation is that the enzymes that are present in saliva help break down, thin and digest food.
The protective function of salivation lies in the fact that saliva moisturizes the human oral mucosa, preventing it from drying out. In addition, it washes away food debris and removes microorganisms.
The remineralizing function of salivation lies in the fact that saliva protects tooth enamel from destruction, not only at the buffer level, but also at the level of additional mineralization.

Learn more about saliva and its functions in the video posted at the end of the article.

The child is drooling: is this normal?

It is believed that he should already learn to swallow saliva on his own, but in reality everything happens much later. In addition, children begin from six months, and here it is never complete without increased salivation. It turns out that if a child drools, this is normal, unless, of course, there are no critical reasons for this.

As usual, the mother is entrusted with an honorary auxiliary function in such cases. And this is not at all small – it is you who can help your child cope with discomfort and avoid unpleasant side problems.

A damp cloth can irritate baby’s skin. To avoid this, it is better to put on the child the so-called “bibs” – special waterproof collars.
An ordinary pacifier can become a real lifesaver, because in the process of sucking, the baby swallows saliva reflexively. Take the pacifier for a walk – then you do not have to wipe the child’s saliva all the time.
If profuse salivation is provoked by teething, offer the child “rodents” or gently massage the gum with your finger – this way you will bring the teeth closer.
Pain in the gums can be dulled by a special cooling gel – in a few seconds after using it, the baby will feel better, and the inflamed area will “calm down” a little

The child is drooling: what is the reason?

If increased salivation is not natural, then its cause must be sought elsewhere. Here are some likely reasons why your child is drooling profusely:

Your child has thrush – examine his mouth for white plaque and characteristic sores (for more on the symptoms of the disease, see the material about). Remember that thrush gives the baby a lot of discomfort – the child can behave capriciously.
There are ENT problems: if a child has snot, he cannot breathe through a stuffy nose. Also, such a situation can arise if the child has a sore throat – inflammation of the mucous membrane in such cases strives to spread, transferring the problem from the category of local to global.
The child develops an allergy – in this case, you will most likely be able to diagnose only a runny nose, and only a doctor can make a correct diagnosis. By the way, allergies to cats and plants are many times less common than allergies to house dust – do not forget about.
The baby has problems with the digestive system. In this case, it is necessary to take tests to exclude the possibility of hepatitis, gastritis, enteritis and other diseases of the digestive system. By the way, if a child drools mainly at night, check for helminthic invasion.

Please note that by the age of 2, children should definitely be able to cope with excessive salivation on their own. If this does not happen, and the child continues to drool, you should contact a speech therapist.

“Why does the child drool?” This question worries many young parents. And this is good, because increased salivation can be a sign of a serious illness. Up to two years, the appearance of a large amount of saliva is the norm. At an older age, this should alert. It makes sense to further examine the child.

Hypersalivation (increased salivation) can occur in children of any age. Various reasons contribute to this. Here are the most common ones:

Why does a one month old baby drool? A month-old baby has a lot of saliva due to the immaturity of the nervous system. By 1.5 months, thanks to this process, this process is getting better, and saliva is released in a smaller volume. Often the cause of hypersalivation at this age are viral infections and allergic rhinitis. If the baby is very restless and does not sleep well, it is better to consult a pediatrician to rule out the presence of such diseases.
Why does a child drool for 2 months? A 2-3 month old baby may have a lot of saliva during feeding, because he has not yet learned to swallow it.
The most common cause of excessive salivation is teething. If you notice that the baby has increased salivation, then this may be the first sign that he will soon have his first tooth. As a rule, at 6 months, but they can appear at 5 and 8 months.

Drooling in a 2-year-old child: main causes

Babies will have most of their teeth by the age of two. The nervous system works more smoothly than that of monthly crumbs. Therefore, the release of a large amount of saliva should alert you. What can it say?

Pathological processes in the oral cavity: stomatitis, viral sialadenitis, etc.
Violation of the central nervous system.
Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, poisoning.

To eliminate hypresalivation in children older than two years, the underlying cause must be addressed. After the inflammatory processes are eliminated and the work of all organs and systems is adjusted, the amount of saliva secreted will decrease.

Increased salivation can also be a sign of a serious neurological disease called dysarthria. If you also notice that the baby cannot cope with solid food, it is difficult for him to fasten buttons and manage small objects, he has a “blurred” speech, urgently contact a neurologist or psychoneurologist. If your child is diagnosed with dysarthria, then medication, general and speech therapy massage, and sessions with a speech therapist will be necessary. The disease is difficult to correct, but it is possible to cope with it.

How to help a child with increased salivation?

Wipe baby’s mouth and face regularly with a sterile handkerchief or soft tissue. Increased moisture in this area can cause microcracks, rashes, irritations, etc.
Wear a bib when feeding.
If your baby is drooling due to teething, thoroughly wash all toys and objects your baby puts in her mouth.
If cracks appear on the lips and around the mouth, lubricate them with olive oil or baby cream. This will relieve irritation and contribute to the rapid healing of wounds.
In the street, give your child a pacifier – it will help him swallow saliva.
Lubricate baby’s gums with cooling gel if saliva is associated with teething.

If the baby has other symptoms: fever, rash, runny nose, cough, you should immediately consult a doctor.

In the human body, there are large and small salivary glands, it is thanks to them that the regulation of salivation occurs. If this rather complicated process proceeds normally without deviations, they are able to secrete up to 2.5 liters of saliva per day. Otherwise, certain disturbances in the functioning of vital systems may be accompanied by salivation – increased secretion of saliva, or in other words, hypersalivation. Also, excessive salivation in a child can be called ptyalism or sialorrhea.

The baby’s hand is always in the mouth, but saliva constantly flows down the chin? The reasons for this can be very different

In the period up to 2 years, children are characterized by excessive functioning of the salivary glands. At this age, this is a physiological feature. The reason may well be cutting milk teeth, which also force the crumbs to suck their own fingers or even fists. When a child drools in large quantities, this often leads to a rash in the mouth area, but it does not need treatment. It just needs to get through this time. Parents should be more attentive to the appearance of profuse salivation after the child is 2 years old, since various pathological causes can cause it.

Drooling in infants and their causes

All newborn babies in the first month are distinguished by the fact that their salivary glands have a rather low level of secretory activity. It is not common for a one-month-old baby to drool a lot with blisters in general, but there are several factors that can cause profuse salivation:

Immaturity of the system that regulates salivation. However, by one and a half months, saliva secreted in large quantities will become normal, since it is by this age that the salivary glands begin to work more actively.
Allergic rhinitis or infection of a bacterial or viral nature. Such reasons are quite likely if there are no other symptoms (for example, the first teeth are climbing in the crumbs, and therefore he sucks his fists all the time).
Birth defects. In this case, you should consult a pediatrician.

When a 2-month-old baby drools, it is most often associated with the inability to swallow them – this physiological process naturally occurs only during feeding. During this period of time, the endocrine glands and salivary glands simultaneously begin to function in the baby’s body. As a result, a three-month-old baby can observe constant streams of saliva, but this is natural, and over time he will learn how to properly handle saliva.

Increased salivation in babies can be caused by illnesses, such as rhinitis

At 3-4 months, excessive salivation can mark the beginning of the growth of milk teeth (we recommend reading: which teeth are cut first?). It is also accompanied by restless behavior, the child endlessly sucks his fingers, and sometimes the entire fist. The formation of the first teeth begins deep in the gum. Overcoming the way up, they injure the gum tissue, which causes a lot of pain, which is why the child sucks his fist and always puts his fingers in his mouth. Saliva helps soften the gums, thus reducing the pain experienced by the child.

After the teeth have already erupted, saliva performs important cleaning functions: thanks to its alkali content, it flushes out food residues after feeding and foreign particles that have entered the mouth due to the fact that the baby sucks on the hands. Thus, they help prevent dental pathologies.

Helping a baby with excessive salivation

The constant flow of saliva in an infant causes discomfort to both the baby and parents. The result of profuse salivation can be not only constantly wet clothes and a bad mood, but also irritation in the chin and chest. Such a rash, which appears as a result of endlessly flowing saliva, causes far from the most pleasant sensations and additional inconvenience. Plus, a large amount of saliva secreted can provoke a cough in the crumbs.

The use of teethers and special gels for gums will relieve itching in the mouth and soothe the baby

To minimize all the resulting consequences, proper care, which includes:

The use of bibs. They have been resorting to their help for a very long time, and due to the presence of a lining made of waterproof materials, they perfectly protect the baby’s chest from constant exposure to moisture. It will not be superfluous to include them in the list of things that need to be purchased even before the baby is born.
Buying a pacifier. In the modern world, many mothers are trying to give up nipples. However, it can be very useful, because with it it becomes much easier for the baby to swallow saliva.
Purchase of teethers. Such inventions are aimed at reducing itchy gums. At the same time, they perfectly absorb excess saliva. It is important to regularly send them to the wash and rinse well.
Use of face creams containing vitamins A and E. Lubrication of irritated areas with them will reduce discomfort.
Laying out the baby on the tummy. Since newborn babies lie on their backs almost all the time, saliva accumulates, as it is difficult for them to flow out of their mouths. Laying the baby on your stomach is a great solution to this problem.
Application of cooling and anesthetic gels. They will relieve itching in the gums, which in turn will lead to a decrease in irritation, and therefore a decrease in saliva.

Despite all the inconvenience associated with excessive salivation, in most cases it is perfectly normal. All children go through this, and parents just need to be patient and, if possible, alleviate the condition of the crumbs.

If you are still concerned about your baby’s continuous salivation, which is accompanied by other unpleasant symptoms, consult a pediatrician

Excessive salivation as a symptom of diseases saliva.

It also describes the measures that can be taken to somehow alleviate his condition:

What worries the child?	Probable causes	Your actions
In the first six months of life, the baby became irritable, tends to gnaw and chew something all the time, pulls any objects into his mouth	Baby teeth eruption process	Soothe your baby with a nipple, special rubber rings or just a cold object
The baby has a headache, a sore throat, a stuffy nose, snot flows, he sneezes, coughs, he has a fever, possibly swollen lymph nodes in his neck	SARS or tonsillitis, sometimes streptococcal	Doctor call and temperature reduction with paracetamol at the required dose
Painful ulcers or white spots appeared on the oral mucosa	Stomatitis	Examination by a pediatrician and prescribing appropriate treatment. At home, you can rinse your mouth with a solution of soda
In the sitting position, the baby takes deep breaths with an open mouth with the presence of noise, while his chin is lowered. A high temperature rises and the child complains of a severe sore throat	Epiglottitis – swelling of the epiglottis. This is the formation that covers the windpipe	Only children older than three years of age are affected by this disease. It is necessary to calm the baby and yourself so as not to aggravate the already difficult breathing and call an ambulance
Sudden fall with twitching of limbs	Convulsions	Immediate call for an ambulance

Other possible causes of excessive salivation in a child who is already two years old may include:

a disease that disrupts the functioning of the salivary glands, such as viral sialadenitis;
helminthic infestation;
diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, including pancreatitis and peptic ulcer;
all kinds of deviations in the work of the central nervous system;
nervous stress.

In children older than two years, drooling may indicate an illness, such as gastrointestinal problems

Based on the functional tests of the sublingual and parotid salivary glands, which are carried out to date, only increased salivation can be diagnosed. In the absence of pathologies, the amount of saliva secreted, which ranges from 1 to 4 ml within 20 minutes, is considered within the normal range. When exceeding 10 milliliters, it is believed that a person has such a pathology as hypersalivation. Its false form can manifest itself, for example, as a result of a trauma to the tongue or bulbar palsy.

In any case, whatever the underlying cause of hypersalivation, the underlying disease must be treated. Elimination of the main problem will entail an independent cessation of salivation.

Hypersalivation

If we consider salivation from a physiological point of view, this process assumes the mutual work of the receptors of the periphery and the brain. The point is that when saliva is collected in the mouth, then the command to swallow it is transmitted through the motor pathways to the brain. When the functioning of the reflex sensorimotor arc is disturbed, as a result of a distortion of sensitivity, or in other words, with hypoesthesia, the flow of information from the oral cavity does not reach the brain. This leads to the fact that the number of involuntary swallows during the day decreases, which means that the amount of saliva increases.

In order to restore reflex swallowing, it is necessary to correct the sensorimotor arc. In order to overcome this problem, you need to try to create conditions under which the brain will again receive sufficient information.

Only a doctor can choose a treatment method for complicated salivation, the main thing is not to let everything take its course, the disease will not go away by itself

Cryotherapy is considered the most effective way to combat hypersalivation. The bottom line is to hold an ice stick on the tongue of the crumbs. Naturally, this approach does not give 100% guarantees, but if salivation does not stop completely, then at least it is significantly reduced. Cryotherapy does not work instantly, but requires endurance and perseverance, but it is less painful than surgery and dental correction.

Reasons to see a doctor

If up to two years of age, increased salivation in children is a physiological norm, then after this age limit, this problem requires the help of specialists. The consultation will clarify whether such a situation is temporary and normal from the point of view of physiology, or, on the contrary, pathological, and one cannot do without medical intervention.

In the case of true hypersalivation, drugs are prescribed that have an anticholinergic effect. These include:

Spasmolitin;
Atropine;
Tifen;
Diprofen and others.

Taking these drugs has a number of side effects that can be an order of magnitude more serious than excessive salivation. Surgery and radiation are also dangerous with abnormalities such as caries or facial asymmetry. Any decisions regarding the treatment of the problem should be made deliberately, choosing methods based on their appropriateness and individual characteristics.

Excessive salivation can provoke dysarthria in an older child – a violation of pronunciation. Speech becomes slurred and unintelligible. This, in turn, slows down the pace of development, which negatively affects its socialization. In such cases, a qualified speech therapy massage may be needed. During this period, the baby should drink more water in order to restore fluid losses in the body. Whatever leads to the problem of salivation, it is important not to let it take its course.

After two months, the baby may notice a lot of saliva. In the future, salivation only increases, which causes discomfort to the crumbs. As a result, clothes and bedding get wet, irritation and inflammation begin on the chin. In addition, saliva falls not only on the chin, but also on the cheeks on the chest.

Therefore, irritation, dryness and inflammation can also occur in such places. Let’s see why the baby drools. We will learn what to do if a baby drools in bubbles or they flow very strongly, how to help the child and make the life of the crumbs more comfortable.

Causes of increased salivation

Teething is the main cause of this phenomenon. The first teeth begin to erupt after three or four, and in some babies even after two months. The teeth move in the gums and cause severe discomfort, while saliva softens this irritation and even relieves inflammation.

At this time, it is important to give your baby chews on special teething toys. Gel cooling teethers help well, which are put in the refrigerator for a while before use. Cold products will soothe the gums, relieve inflammation and itching, and reduce salivation.

In the first year of life, the salivary glands are still being formed, so the newborn may suffer from increased or profuse salivation. Saliva is secreted in large volume, and the baby simply cannot cope with swallowing. This is a temporary phenomenon that does not occur often and disappears with age.

More often you will see thick and viscous saliva in the baby, which helps the baby to suckle. Due to salivation, the baby is comfortable and easy to suck on his mother’s breast, to extract breast milk. In addition, copious drooling occurs when the baby constantly sucks his fingers, bites or chews on his fist, puts objects and toys in his mouth. What to do if the baby sucks his thumb, read here.

Saliva contains enzymes, antibacterial and antiviral substances. Therefore, it is important to protect the baby from various diseases, including stomatitis. The child’s immunity is just being formed, in addition, the baby loves to drag various dirty objects into his mouth. This increases the risk of infections, while saliva, in turn, performs a protective function and disinfects the baby’s mouth, skin and body. Thus, the oral cavity is washed and cleansed of harmful bacteria and microbes.

In each of the above cases, the excessive formation and salivation of the baby gradually decreases and disappears after a year. However, there is a pathological disease that must be treated. In this case, increased salivation is called hypersalivation. It is the primary sign of any pathological disease. With hypersalivation, you need to urgently consult a doctor to establish an accurate diagnosis.

How to help your baby

To reduce skin irritation and skin inflammation, make your baby’s life more comfortable, a number of preventive measures can be taken for excessive salivation, which include the following:

Wipe saliva with hypoallergenic, sterile, natural, fragrance-free soft wipes. Throw away the tissue after each use;
Lightly pat rather than rub the skin on the chin. Friction will only exacerbate irritation;
Practice good hygiene for babies. Wipe the skin of the chin and chest several times with a soft sponge or towel moistened with warm boiled water;
To soften and moisturize the skin, use a special baby cream, milk or lotion. Carefully check the composition and expiration date of the product. It is important that the cream has a natural safe composition and is appropriate for the age of the child. Choose products containing vitamins A and E. They effectively soften the skin, restore and protect the skin;
To protect clothing, hang a special fabric bib or collar with a waterproof lining. They perfectly absorb moisture. Do not tighten the bib around the neck too tight!;

Place a folded diaper under your baby’s head to protect bedding in the crib. Such a diaper will quickly absorb excess saliva;
Lay the baby on the tummy. This procedure has a positive effect on the development of the child, prevents the deformation of the skull and the formation of an umbilical hernia, improves digestion and reduces salivation. In addition, it will help drain the saliva that usually accumulates in the mouth when lying down. It is possible to lay out a newborn on the stomach already in the first week of life;
Regularly change your bib, diaper or clothing as soon as they become very wet, with clean and dry items. Wash bedding and underwear, baby clothes separately from adult clothes and only with safe hypoallergenic products. Since such products are close to the baby’s skin and can easily provoke allergies, aggravate skin irritation on the chin, cheeks or chest;
Watch your baby’s teeth, give special teethers to reduce pain and inflammation. You can also lightly massage the gums with your finger using gentle circular motions. Remember that the finger must be clean!;
Use nipples occasionally as they help baby swallow saliva. But do not give the pacifier too often, otherwise the child will be difficult to wean from it.

As we mentioned earlier, copious amounts of saliva may appear if the child sucks, chews or bites on a fist or finger, this may indicate that the baby wants to eat or drink. In addition, such a process can also be caused due to teething. Do not try to wean the child from sucking, as this is an innate reflex that will eventually go away on its own.

Strict prohibitions or screaming due to the fact that the baby sucks his finger or fist can negatively affect the mental development and nervous state of the baby. In no case do not smear your hands with mustard, garlic, salt and other similar means! They can cause allergies and poisoning in a child, burn the oral cavity and esophagus. Show and pay more attention to the baby. Distract the baby from the bad habit with games, activities, exercises and gymnastics. Try to find out and eliminate the cause of this behavior.

When to see a doctor

Unfortunately, sometimes a child can develop hypersalivation. If you notice too much salivation, as well as blisters of saliva in the baby, contact your pediatrician! This can be a symptom of diseases such as stomatitis or candidiasis, middle ear or nervous system diseases, upper respiratory tract pathologies, hypersensitivity and allergies, digestive and endocrine system diseases, severe poisoning or gingivitis, severe stress and nervous tension in a child.

With stomatitis, you may notice associated symptoms such as white spots and sores on the mucous membrane in the mouth and near the mouth. Each disease causes severe discomfort in the baby. He will sleep badly and often cry, act up, eat poorly. The chair and work of digestion can be broken, temperature rises and puffiness is observed. The examination will help to identify the problem and eliminate the disease at an early stage.

The deviations listed above are rare. Basically, the increased compartment disappears as soon as the work of the salivary glands normalizes, the baby stops putting fingers, a fist or other objects into his mouth, or when most of the teeth erupt. As a rule, the volume of saliva is reduced by the age of one. However, for some children, this problem can torment up to two or three years. In this case, be sure to go to a neurologist.

If a child has a runny nose, it is often associated with increased salivation. The combination of profuse salivation and runny nose speaks of a cold, SARS, tonsillitis, allergies. In this case, be sure to consult a doctor so that he can diagnose and prescribe the right suitable treatment.

Be careful, because with a cold, the baby cannot breathe fully, and due to the accumulation of saliva, breathing through the mouth will be difficult. As a result, the child will not be able to breathe normally. How to treat a runny nose in a baby, read the link

After the birth of a baby and as it matures, every day something new can be observed in its development. It is impossible to ignore the symptoms that are alarming for the mother, for example, increased salivation after the second month of life. The baby drools, which at first does not cause any discomfort to the child, then, after a few days, the salivation becomes more abundant, and the mother has to change clothes more often on the baby. If the child’s chin is constantly under the influence of saliva, then it becomes irritated, inflamed, and then the baby begins to show concern, because irritation and a rash cause him pain. Why the baby drools, and what characterizes this phenomenon, we will consider later in the article.

1. Soon teeth!

2. Intensive work of the salivary glands.

3. Bacteria control.

4. Hypersalivation.

What to do and how to help a child with increased salivation?

The fact that the baby is drooling in most cases indicates teething. It is useless to fight this, you cannot influence this process. But to make life more comfortable for yourself and your child – it is quite possible for you too:

so that clothes do not become saturated with saliva, put on special collars with a waterproof lining for your child;
on the street, try to give the child a pacifier, it will help the baby swallow saliva;
baby’s gums are itchy, so you can massage them with a clean forefinger, gently applying pressure to the expected teething areas;
gum gel will cool the inflamed areas, relieve redness and in a couple of seconds the child will be calm and not hurt.

Remember that excessive salivation in a child is a temporary phenomenon, with the eruption of the first main teeth, the child will be much easier and saliva will no longer be released in such a large amount. Wait out this period, and to avoid making false diagnoses, contact a specialist – your local pediatrician. Easy teething to you, be healthy!

Why does the child drool and should something be done about it

Why does the child drool? Have you experienced this as a parent? Was it a cause for your concern? Surely, yes, because hypersalivation (the scientific name for this phenomenon) is observed in 99% of babies. That is, from this we can conclude that salivation in babies is a normal physiological phenomenon, which, by and large, does not require any “actions” on the part of parents. But it’s hard not to worry, isn’t it?

My husband and I were looking for the answer to the question why the child is drooling. Somewhere up to a year and a half, Seva salivated almost around the clock. That is, my son’s bib was then an obligatory “clothing item”, without which we could not do either at home or on a walk. Naturally, this worried me, and I understood that I needed to look for the cause. With this, I went to the pediatrician, who, it would seem, should have dotted the “i”.

When I asked why the child is drooling like a river, the pediatrician somehow looked at me in surprise and asked me a question: “How old is your baby? Up to 2 years, increased salivation is the norm. And it is not always advisable to look for the cause in this case. In general, she sent me off. What was left for me to do? Well, there were two options: either go to another doctor, or figure it out yourself. And I decided to start with the latter.

Having studied enough information about the causes of increased salivation in children, I was convinced that until the age of 2, in principle, this condition “does not indicate anything bad”. That is, from birth to 2 years, the release of a large amount of saliva in a baby is the norm. Let’s now look at the so-called “physiological” reasons why a child drools.

Salivation control immaturity. A very tiny (2-4-month-old) toddler, and even an older child, still cannot control salivation like an adult, cannot constantly swallow the saliva that accumulates, and therefore it turns out that they simply flow out of his mouth. Everything returns to normal in the period from 18 to 24 months.
Teething. Salivation can increase significantly from the age of six months. The reason for this is the appearance of the first teeth in the baby. As soon as the clove is completely erupted, profuse salivation stops.
Concentration of attention. No matter how strange it may sound, but long-term developmental activities, games, although occasionally, can be the reason why a child drools. It is also easy to explain this. If a child is passionate, concentrated on something “important”, it is difficult for him to control his own salivation. Therefore, it turns out that his saliva flows involuntarily.
Nutrition. If there are some acidic foods in the child’s diet (to which the child’s body has not yet had time to “get used to”), then it is quite possible that they cause increased salivation in the baby.

Did I manage to reassure you a little with the above information? If not, then read on.

Why does a child drool – what is salivation good for?

Obviously, moms and dads who are trying to find out why a child is drooling have two goals (or one of them). The first goal is to calm yourself, the second is to try to get rid of it. But, since the cause of increased salivation in the vast majority of cases is physiological factors, therefore, it will not work to get rid of this (at least until the child grows up). But as an additional “sedative”, I provide you with the information below for review.

It turns out that abundant salivation is not only not dangerous, but even beneficial for the baby, because:

saliva helps the baby create a vacuum when sucking milk;
it also “participates” in the breakdown of starch contained in milk into sugars, which contributes to better digestion of food in a small stomach;
saliva also protects the baby’s oral cavity from drying out and the reproduction of pathogens.

By and large, parents who are faced with the problem of excessive salivation in a child under the age of 1. 5-2 years should not worry, but be glad that everything is fine with the baby. And do not look for any problems on your head, and do not run around the doctors asking why the child is drooling. The main thing that parents should do is to take care of the comfort of the baby during this period, at least stock up on bibs or bibs. Indeed, from walking in clothes wet from saliva, there is little pleasure, to put it mildly.

Why does a child drool – when medical attention is needed?

Of course, not all situations with increased salivation can be attributed to “physiology”. The reasons why a child is drooling (especially if the peanut is more than 2-3 years old) can also be pathological conditions. Let’s look at them too.

Diseases of the oral mucosa. This includes stomatitis, and thrush, and other viral infections that affect the functioning of the salivary glands. In these cases, parents may notice how the child drools spontaneously, but not profusely. That is, increased salivation for diseases of the oral cavity is not typical.
Serious diseases of the nervous system. This is cerebral palsy, and autism, and neuritis of the facial nerve, and encephalitis, and other “byaka”. But it should be understood that diseases of this kind have “their own” pronounced symptoms. And salivation cannot be the main symptom of such diseases under any circumstances.
Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Very often, the reason why a child drools like a “river” is diseases such as gastritis, enteritis, etc.
Helminthiasis. Oh, where without these worms! And they are “involved” in salivation. Real parasites! Yes, it seems like the worms “do not threaten” the life of the child directly, but how much trouble they entail – we already know. (Those who have forgotten can re-read the article on helminthiasis in children here).
Dysarthria. Salivation in children can also be caused by weak masticatory muscles.

Be that as it may, only a doctor can determine the cause of this phenomenon. Therefore, unambiguously, one should seek medical help if all the baby’s teeth have erupted, and the age when, from the point of view of physiology, he cannot control the process of salivation, has long been left behind.

The first thing to do is to go to the pediatrician. And if necessary, he will already refer you and your child to a narrow specialist – a neuropathologist, gastroenterologist, dentist or even a speech therapist. You may need to take tests, as well as undergo other additional examinations. That is, further tactics for the treatment of increased salivation will depend on what caused it to appear and what diagnosis the attending physician will ultimately make for you.

Why does the child drool – how we coped

Well, let’s put it this way, in the situation with profuse salivation in my son, we did nothing special. We didn’t run to the doctors in search of an answer to the question of why the child was drooling (with the exception of the only time when the pediatrician, to put it mildly, “rejected me”), and we didn’t take any tests. Why is that? Well, firstly, Seva’s teeth were actively erupting then, right one after the other. And secondly, the age of the son (and his son drooled somewhere up to 1.5 years old) “indicated” the physiological cause of salivation, that is, the immaturity of control over this very salivation. And since I had no other reasons for concern, I decided that time would help us.

My son’s everything stopped somehow even suddenly, I would say. And already closer to two years, we finally forgot what a bib is. Therefore, the only way I can help you, as a mother whose son also drooled, is to tell you how to care for the baby so that he does not feel discomfort.

Bib or bib required. With it, you will always be sure that your baby’s blouse or T-shirt is dry, and at the same time “protect” both the neck of the little one and his chest from these “annoying” saliva.
Promptly treat emerging skin irritations. It is clear that with prolonged contact of the delicate skin of a child with saliva, irritation and a rash may appear in areas such as the chin, cheeks, and lower lip. Therefore, I always had creams containing vitamin E on hand. By the way, you can even use them for prevention purposes. They saw that the child was salivating, but try to blot them immediately with a soft towel or napkin. Well, then you can apply cream to these areas.
Use special teethers. If you understand that increased salivation in a child is a consequence of teething, then teethers will come to your aid. I cooled them for 10-15 minutes in the refrigerator, and then gave them to my son. They helped reduce itching in a child, thereby reducing the “activity” of salivation. Alternatively, special cooling gels can also be used.
Keep your child’s toys and other things that he likes to put in his mouth clean. Why is it important? Catching stomatitis through dirty objects is as easy as shelling pears. And with abundant salivation, only this was not enough. Not only will drooling then flow even more intensely, but you will also have to treat stomatitis, which is quite painful in children.

4 month old drooling: Nothing found for Wp Content Uploads 4 Month Developmental Handout_Updated 2017 Pdf

Nothing found for Wp Content Uploads 4 Month Developmental Handout_Updated 2017 Pdf

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Drooling Information | Mount Sinai

Considerations

Causes

Home Care

When to Contact a Medical Professional

What to Expect at Your Office Visit

Causes Of Baby Drooling, How It Helps & Tips To Manage

How Does Drooling Help Babies?

What Causes Excessive Drooling In Babies?

Should You See A Doctor If Your Baby Drools A Lot?

Does Excessive Drooling In Babies Require Treatment?

How To Manage Excessive Drooling At Home?

References:

Causes, Risk Factors, and Treatments

Age

Diet

Neurological disorders

Other conditions

Therapy

Appliance or dental device

Medications

Botox injections

Surgical treatment

What Are The Causes Of Baby Drooling?

What Is Drooling?

What Causes Drooling?

Age

Diet

Teething

Open Mouth Posture

Staying Focused for Long

Food

Neurological Disorders

Side Effects of Medication

Other Conditions

Is Drooling Common in Babies?

Drooling in Babies Between 1 and 24 Months of Age

6 Months

9 Months

15 Months

18 Months

24 Months

What Is Excessive Drooling in Babies?

Why Does My Toddler Drool Non-Stop?

How Is Drooling Treated?

Therapy

Appliance or Dental Device

Medications

Botox Injections

Surgical Treatment

Does Drooling Play an Important Role in Baby’s Development?

What Is a Drool Rash?

When to Consult a Doctor

Conclusion

Is my baby sick? Or teething? How can I tell?

Get your little one’s sleep back on track.

Isn’t it always “teething”?

Don’t be fooled by “teething” symptoms that are not actually due to teething.

So when do babies start teething?

How can I tell if my baby is teething?

Can teething cause vomiting?

Can teething cause fever?

How to help a teething baby sleep better

So what SHOULD you look for if you suspect your baby is unwell?

Here is what happened to me and my little Charlie (when she was around 4 months old):

Conclusion

what to do? — Pro Palliative

First teeth. Qualified help for parents and children and rehabilitation treatment of the Scientific Center for Children’s Health of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences Ph.

Why do adults and children drool during sleep?

What factors influence salivation during sleep

Causes of nighttime salivation in children

How to get rid of hypersalivation

Why dogs drool profusely from their mouths – Animal Health