Newborn excessive saliva: Drooling and Your Baby – HealthyChildren.org

Опубликовано: March 14, 2023 в 3:56 am

Автор: alexxlab

Категории: Miscellaneous

Reflux (Spitting Up)

Is this your child’s symptom?

Spitting up small amounts of breastmilk or formula. Also called reflux.
Spitting up 1 or 2 mouthfuls of milk at a time
No effort or crying
Normal symptom in half of young babies

Symptoms of Normal Spitting Up

Smaller amounts often occur with burping (“wet burps”)
Larger amounts can occur after overfeeding
Most often seen during or shortly after feedings
Occurs mainly in children under 1 year of age
Begins in the first weeks of life
Caution: normal reflux does not cause any crying

Complications of Spitting Up (GERD)

Most infants are “happy spitters.” Normal spitting up (normal reflux) occurs in half of babies. It does not cause crying or colic.
Normal crying occurs in all babies. Frequent crying (called colic) occurs in 15&percnt; of babies. Crying and colic are not helped by heartburn meds. These meds also have side effects.
If they develop complications, it’s called GERD (gastro-esophageal reflux disease). This occurs in less than 1% of babies.

Symptoms of GERD

GERD problems occur in less than 1% of infants:

Choking on spit up milk
Heartburn from acid on lower esophagus. Infants with this problem cry numerous times per day. They also act very unhappy when they are not crying. They are in almost constant discomfort.
Poor Weight Gain

Cause

Poor closure of the valve at the upper end of the stomach (weak valve)
Main trigger: overfeeding of formula or breastmilk
More than half of all infants have occasional spitting up (“happy spitters”)

Reflux Versus Vomiting: How to Tell

During the first month of life, newborns with true vomiting need to be seen quickly. The causes of vomiting in this age group can be serious. Therefore, it’s important to tell the difference between reflux and true vomiting.

Reflux

The following suggests reflux (normal spitting up):

You’ve been told by a doctor your baby has reflux
Onset early in life (85% by 7 days of life)
Present for several days or weeks
No pain or crying during reflux
No effort with spitting up
No diarrhea
Your baby acts hungry, looks well and acts happy.

Vomiting

The following suggests vomiting:

Uncomfortable during vomiting
New symptom starting today or yesterday
Forceful vomiting
Contains bile (green color)
Diarrhea is also present or
Your baby looks or acts sick.

Pyloric Stenosis (Serious Cause)

This is the most common cause of true vomiting in young babies.
Onset of vomiting age 2 weeks to 2 months
Vomiting is forceful. It shoots out of the baby’s mouth. This is called projectile vomiting.
Right after vomiting, the baby is hungry and wants to feed. (“hungry vomiter”)
Cause: the pylorus is the channel between the stomach and the gut. In these babies, it becomes narrow and tight.
Risk: weight loss or dehydration
Treatment: cured by surgery.

When to Call for Reflux (Spitting Up)

Call Doctor or Seek Care Now

Blood in the spit up
Choked on milk and turned blue or went limp
Age less than 12 weeks and spitting up changes to vomiting (forceful or projectile)
Age less than 1 month old and looks or acts abnormal in any way
Your child looks or acts very sick
You think your child needs to be seen, and the problem is urgent

Contact Doctor Within 24 Hours

You think your child needs to be seen, but the problem is not urgent

Contact Doctor During Office Hours

Chokes a lot on milk
Poor weight gain
Frequent crying
Spitting up is getting worse
Age more than 12 months old
Spitting up does not get better with this advice
You have other questions or concerns

Self Care at Home

Normal reflux (spitting up) with no problems

Seattle Children’s Urgent Care Locations

If your child’s illness or injury is life-threatening, call 911.

Bellevue

Everett

Federal Way

Seattle

Virtual Urgent Care

Care Advice for Spitting Up (Reflux)

What You Should Know About Spitting Up:
- Spitting up occurs in most infants (50&percnt;).
- Almost always doesn’t cause any pain or crying.
- Spitting up does not interfere with normal weight gain.
- Infants with normal reflux do not need any tests or medicines.
- Reflux improves with age.
- Here is some care advice that should help.
Feed Smaller Amounts:
- Skip this advice if age less than 1 month or not gaining weight well.
- Bottlefed Babies. Give smaller amounts per feeding (1 ounce or 30 mL less than you have been). Keep the total feeding time to less than 20 minutes. Reason: Overfeeding or completely filling the stomach always makes spitting up worse.
- Breastfed Babies. If you have a good milk supply, try nursing on 1 side per feeding. Pump the other side. Switch sides you start on at each feeding.
Longer Time Between Feedings:
- Formula. Wait at least 2½ hours between feedings.
- Breastmilk. Wait at least 2 hours between feedings.
- Reason: It takes that long for the stomach to empty itself. Don’t add more milk to a full stomach.
Loose Diapers:
- Do not put the diaper on too tight. It puts added pressure on the stomach.
- Don’t put pressure on the stomach right after meals.
- Also, do not play too hard with your baby during this time.
Upright Position:
- After meals, try to hold your baby in the upright (vertical) position.
- Use a front-pack, backpack, or swing for 30 to 60 minutes after feedings.
- Decrease the time in a sitting position (such as infant seats).
- After 6 months of age, a jumpy seat is helpful. The newer ones are stable.
- During breast or bottle feeds, hold your baby at a slant. Try to keep your baby’s head higher than the stomach.
Less Pacifier Time:
- Frequent sucking on a pacifier can pump the stomach up with swallowed air.
- So can sucking on a bottle with too small a nipple hole.
- The formula should drip 1 drop per second when held upside down. If it doesn’t, the nipple hole may be clogged. Clean the nipple better. You can also make the nipple hole slightly bigger.
Burping:
- Burping is less important than giving smaller feedings. You can burp your baby 2 or 3 times during each feeding.
- Do it when he pauses and looks around. Don’t interrupt his feeding rhythm in order to burp him.
- Burp each time for less than a minute. Stop even if no burp occurs. Some babies don’t need to burp.
Add Rice Cereal to Formula:
- If your baby still spits up large amounts, try thickening the formula. Mix it with rice cereal.
- Start with 1 level teaspoon of rice cereal to each ounce of formula.
Acid Blocking Medicines:
- Prescription medicines that block acid production are not helpful for normal reflux.
- These medicines also can have side effects.
- They do not reduce excessive crying from colic.
- They are only useful for symptoms of heartburn.
What to Expect:
- Reflux gets better with age.
- After learning to sit well, many babies are better by 7 months of age.
Call Your Doctor If:
- Spitting up changes to vomiting (forceful or projectile)
- Poor weight gain
- Your baby does not get better with this advice
- You think your child needs to be seen
- Your child becomes worse

And remember, contact your doctor if your child develops any of the ‘Call Your Doctor’ symptoms.

Disclaimer: this health information is for educational purposes only. You, the reader, assume full responsibility for how you choose to use it.

Last Reviewed: 02/28/2023

Last Revised: 12/30/2022

Excess Drooling in Babies: When to Worry?

5 minutes

Wondering if excess drooling in your baby is normal? We’ll tell you everything you need to know about saliva in children.

Last update: 08 November, 2022

If you feel like bibs and washcloths are no longer enough when it comes to drying up so much saliva, you may be wondering if excess drooling in your baby is normal. But is it really necessary to worry about how much liquid keeps coming out of your child’s mouth?

Here, we’re going to tell you everything you need to know about saliva production in babies so that you’re clear about how long this stage lasts and when you need to do something about it. Don’t miss it!

Why do babies drool?

Drooling isn’t usually a problem at birth, as newborn babies secrete very little saliva. But as time passes, the development of the salivary glands causes more fluid production in the mouth.

Excess drooling in babies usually begins between 2 and 4 months, a period in which the salivary glands begin to function fully. Most responsible for the abundance of drooling is the development of the parotids, two large glands located on each side of the face, below the ears.

The explanation for this phenomenon is simple: The increased production of the liquid and the lack of ability to swallow it in its entirety causes excess saliva to end up coming out of the mouth. In most cases, it’s expelled through the corners of the lips and then it gets on the child’s face, neck, clothing, or bibs.

You may wonder why the child isn’t able to swallow saliva but is able to swallow milk when feeding. Well, in the latter case, the swallowing reflex is triggered due to the effort of the muscles of the mouth during suction.

But this automatic response isn’t activated by saliva produced in the oral cavity, as it’s secreted involuntarily. For this reason, it accumulates in the mouth until it exceeds the capacity and comes out. As time passes, the automatic swallowing reflex fully develops and drooling is greatly reduced.

Common explanations of excess drooling in the baby

Many times, excess drooling in babies has to do with the teething process, but this isn’t always the case. In fact, they’re independent phenomena that can sometimes coincide.

Tooth eruption usually begins a few months after the development of the salivary glands, around the sixth month. At this stage, saliva can help reduce the discomfort caused by tooth eruption, and also, the need for little ones to put everything in their mouths can make drooling more noticeable.

Another event that’s often related to excess saliva in the baby is the incorporation of their first foods, as new flavors on the taste buds stimulate the salivary glands. And the secretion that they produce is very necessary for the process of chewing and swallowing food.

When to worry about excess drooling in babies

Excess drooling in babies is considered normal for 2 years, although the times of each child are different and can persist up to 3 years. As we explained before, the automatic swallowing reflex develops little by little and this is what allows you to control your salivary production.

In turn, within this period of time, there are certain circumstances that cause an increase in the excretion of drool and they are as follows:

Teething
Exploring the hands and objects with the mouth
Infectious symptoms of the respiratory tract (such as colds or herpangina)
Oral thrush
The incorporation of new foods into the diet
Some allergies

These situations are temporary and are considered normal, but if the excessive production of saliva continues for a long time beyond what’s expected, you’ll need to consult the pediatrician. Likewise, if it reappears suddenly after having disappeared or if it manifests itself in older children.

Some nervous system conditions are associated with the inability to swallow saliva or increased saliva production (hypersalivation). For this reason, it’s important to request a consultation when this symptom is accompanied by other manifestations, such as those mentioned below:

Difficulty breathing
Regurgitation of food
Trouble holding their head up
Mouth breathing or the habit of always keeping the mouth open
Fever
Strange odor or color in the saliva

How to treat excess drooling in babies?

Excess drooling in babies is usually a normal situation that doesn’t require any treatment. You just have to wait for the little one to grow up and develop the skills to swallow the saliva they produce.

In any case, you can accompany your child so they go through this stage with greater comfort. For example, putting on a bib and changing it frequently so that the clothing underneath doesn’t get wet and their skin doesn’t get damp. In the long run, this can lead to skin irritations and predispose babies to the development of yeast infections.

When a child begins to incorporate solid foods, it’s very important to motivate them to chew and swallow. This is because exercising the muscles and increasing the sensitivity of the mouth are good stimuli in order to master the ability to swallow. Offering foods with different textures, flavors, and temperatures facilitates this learning.

About excessive drooling, we can say…

Every child is different and there are some who drool more than others. In general, and if it’s not prolonged in time, excessive drooling in babies shouldn’t be a cause for concern. It’s a part of the maturation process of the first year of life. Just the same, if you have any concerns about this stage or you fear that something isn’t going well with your little one, the best idea is to go to the pediatrician.

It might interest you…

I’d rather be sick instead of the baby. Illnesses that parents need to know about

https://ru.sputnik.kg/20200201/samye-rasprostranyonnye-detskie-bolezni-1046876655.html

It would be better if I got sick instead of the baby. Illnesses that parents need to know about

It would be better if I got sick instead of the baby. Illnesses that Parents Need to Know About

“I wish I were sick instead of him!” – all parents in the world say these words at least once in their lives, looking at a sick child. 01.02.2020, Sputnik Kyrgyzstan

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2021-12-14T14:27+0600

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Sputnik Kyrgyzstan

media@sputniknews. com

+74956456601

MIA „Rosiya Segodnya“

2020

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News, society, Kyrgyzstan

News, Kyrgyzstan

Sputnik Kyrgyzstan. According to her, childhood diseases are pathologies that occur from birth to 14 years. An unvaccinated child does not get sick only in rare cases.

Deputy Chief Physician of the Department of Pediatrics of the Family Medicine Center No. 12 Dilarya Iskakova

Rickets

Children under one year old are more likely to suffer from this disease. The disease occurs when there is a lack of vitamin D and is more common in premature babies, as well as in those born in spring or winter. To avoid the risk of rickets in a child during pregnancy, the expectant mother should be more in the sun and eat a proper diet enriched with vitamins. As a measure for the prevention of rickets, sunbathing is used – the sun’s rays are good for the child’s skin. Adults do not get rickets because they are often in the sun.

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The first sign of rickets is hair loss. The child often sweats, itches, and the baby begins to rub against the pillow. The smell of urine becomes sour, itching also appears in the perineum, which can cause blisters on the skin.

If rickets is not treated in time, metabolic disorders begin in the body, there is a lack of calcium and phosphorus. Because of this, the bones of the child become softer – the chest develops incorrectly, the legs are bent, the head may become irregular in shape. In addition, the baby suffers from insomnia.

Children prone to rickets are prescribed preventive treatment and a course of vitamins. Unfortunately, there are still cases when parents resort to the so-called folk methods – they put a cake on the child’s head or feed the donkey with grain from the child’s hat. This is categorically unacceptable – rickets should be treated only under the supervision of a doctor.

Thrush

Children often have excessive salivation. Newborns are especially not protected – they do not have strong immunity. If a child sucks on a dirty nipple, eats contaminated food, or is kissed by an adult, they become infected with thrush. Therefore, you can not kiss small children on the cheeks, it is enough to touch the forehead with your lips.

In this condition, the child drools and may develop sores in the mouth. Also, thrush occurs in children with anemia.

Prevention is strict hygiene and good nutrition enriched with vitamins.

Whooping cough

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This disease is very dangerous for children under two years old, adults endure it quite easily. Whooping cough is an acute bacterial infection characterized by spasmodic coughing fits. The child has difficulty breathing and literally turns blue when coughing. The infection is transmitted by airborne droplets. There is no innate immunity to whooping cough, so the child must receive the vaccine in a timely manner to avoid the disease.

Diarrhea

Diarrhea (diarrhea) is one of the diseases that often occurs in young children. The causes of diarrhea are different – infectious or physiological. Physiological diarrhea in a newborn is due to the fact that he is “tuning” the digestive tract. If an infant under three months of age has stools that match the frequency of feeding and there are no other symptoms, then there is no cause for concern. Infectious diarrhea occurs when infected, most often by viruses. Diarrhea can also occur with dysbacteriosis. In any case, it greatly affects the child’s body, so you need to consult a pediatrician who will prescribe treatment.

Diathesis

Diathesis is the predisposition of the body to the occurrence of pathological reactions or diseases that manifest themselves in childhood.

Diathesis manifests itself with an irrational daily routine, improper care, as well as with frequent infectious diseases. It can also occur with malnutrition during pregnancy and while breastfeeding. Strawberries, eggs, chocolate and other allergens often cause diathesis from foods. In a child, it manifests itself in the form of redness of the skin on the face or in the ear area. If signs of diathesis appear, you should immediately consult a doctor, identify the causes and undergo a course of treatment.

Umbilical cord hernia

Umbilical cord hernia is a defect in the aponeurosis (dense sheath of tendons that plays the role of a muscular frame) in the area of the umbilical ring.

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When a hernia occurs, a protrusion occurs in the umbilical ring. Many parents confuse it with a “wrong” bandaged navel. The protrusion becomes larger during screaming, crying, coughing and physical exertion. It usually appears in children under one year of age. The child may have a swollen stomach, he may suffer from pain. When a hernia appears, you need to consult a surgeon. Most often, the treatment is non-surgical, the umbilical cord is set in place with medical tape.

Spasms

Spasms are involuntary muscle contractions. In children, they appear before the age of three and are associated with the functioning of the central nervous system. When they appear, you should immediately consult a pediatric neurologist.

Flat feet

All newborns have flat feet, so flat feet are not diagnosed until the age of four. The cause of its occurrence can be tight shoes, as well as a lack of movement. The consequences of flat feet can be limping and pain in the legs. The child will not be able to do physical education, and the boys will not be fit for military service. Therefore, attention should be paid to shoes, and the child often needs to walk barefoot for the correct formation of the foot. When flat feet appear, you need to consult a pediatric orthopedist who will identify the cause and prescribe treatment.

Drooling in a baby: increased salivation in a child

But baby and drool are such inseparable concepts that they even came up with a special accessory called a “bib” for them. Although they say that excessive salivation in a child means the imminent appearance of teeth, there may be other reasons. Knowing the reasons why babies drool is important so as not to miss serious illnesses.

Contents of the article

1 Why saliva is needed
2 Features of the baby
3 How to help the baby

Why saliva is needed

The natural secret of the salivary glands, which we call saliva, is vital for every living being. It protects the oral mucosa from drying out, helps dissolve food, plays an important role in swallowing, fights inflammation in the oral cavity, and helps in the formation of speech. This turbid, clear liquid contains enzymes that help prepare food for digestion in the stomach, as well as protect tooth enamel from the acids and alkalis that make up the products. Our sense of taste is also highly dependent on saliva.

Interestingly, on average, each person produces about 360 liters of saliva per year, or about a liter per day.

When a person eats or even just looks at something appetizing, he reflexively salivates. Conversely, much less saliva is released during sleep, fright or other stress, and even with general dehydration.

Peculiarities of the baby

Usually saliva does not interfere with our life, communication, rest. We simply do not notice that they are there, except when we are very hungry. Then they say “I’ll choke on saliva now.” But in a recently born child, profuse salivation is conspicuous and causes certain inconveniences. Why is this happening?

There are several reasons, as already mentioned:

Teeth . This is the most common explanation for excessive secretion of the salivary glands. The baby does not control the process, saliva is secreted by itself in response to inflammation and increased irritation of the gums.
Development imperfection . Since the child is still very small, his body is still forming its basic functions, including salivation. In addition, the baby still does not really know how to swallow, because of this there is a feeling that he is always drooling, like a sharpei.
Food processing . Although the main food of the baby is breast milk, it also needs to be split. Milk contains proteins and carbohydrates, for the assimilation of which enzymes contained in saliva are necessary. This can make it feel like the baby is drooling too much.
Bacteria neutralization . Children from 1 month and older are already beginning to pull anything into their mouths, including non-sterile objects. In this way, a lot of bacteria, both ordinary and pathogenic, enter the mouth. Sometimes ulcers form, that is, stomatitis. They need saliva to heal.
Hypersalivation . Increased salivation in children, which is not associated with age and is a sign of serious disorders in the brain, CNS pathologies, psychopathy and even tumors. In this case, drooling will flow constantly, and you will understand that this is no longer a completely normal process.

If you are concerned about excessive salivation in your child, it is better to take him to the pediatrician. This will help you either calm down or find out what the child is sick with, why he is salivating and what treatment is needed. Most likely, profuse salivation in your child is due to the fact that he has such an age stage.

How to help a baby

If a newborn baby is constantly drooling, this is not pleasant for both you and him. In addition to being in a bad mood or endlessly wet clothes, increased salivation in children can cause severe irritation on the chin and chest. Drooling flows, a rash occurs, and the child becomes even more uncomfortable and uncomfortable. In addition, coughing often occurs due to excess salivation. That is why it is better to prevent all the consequences in advance, providing the baby with proper care. You can take the following actions:

Don’t neglect our grandmother’s bib invention. It is hemmed with waterproof material that will protect the chest from exposure to constant moisture. It is better to stock up on bibs before the baby is born, so that later they are always at hand.
Although there has been a lot of campaigning against the use of pacifiers in recent years, a pacifier can help a lot because it makes it easier for a baby to swallow saliva.
Buy your baby a soft teether toy. It will not only help reduce itching of the gums, but also absorb excess saliva. Remember to wash it regularly and rinse well.
Salivation on the baby’s chin needs to be lubricated with nourishing creams containing vitamins A and E.
If the baby catches a cold and develops a runny nose, things get more complicated. The baby will not be able to breathe through the nose, but it will also be problematic to do this with the mouth, as it is full of saliva.