my 2 and a half month daughter is ALWAYS sticking out her tongue ever since she was born and i'm a bit concerned because her pediatrician told me this is rare and there could be something mentally wrong with her but its too soon to check for that. she said that as long as my baby doesn't drool 24/7 and eats right she should be fine. she actually seems like a perfectly healthy happy baby but i'm still kind of worried and would like to know if anyone's baby does this since birth and still does and if they grew up to be completely normal?!?!? this is my first baby. what could this sticking out of the tongue mean??
Don't panic! When my niece was a baby we thought the same thing. Her tongue was constantly hanging out of her mouth and she lived in a bib until she was close to a year old because she drooled so much. She also kept her hands clenched in fists and constantly twirled them. Her pediatrician kept saying she was fine, just part of how she was developing and not to worry. She is now six years old, super smart, and totally normal.
Hi R.,
I would say if she seems normal in every other way, this could just be a quirk of hers that she will grow out of. I wonder though if her tongue has been examined. I would assume it has since you asked your ped about it, but you never know so I thought I'd ask so you can make sure.
My daughter was born with "tongue-tie" as it is commonly called (I forget the medical name just now) which could possibly cause a baby to jut her tongue out of her mouth as you describe. This is because the little piece of skin under the tongue is too long and keeps her tongue from moving freely. It can cause feeding problems. It doesn't sound like your baby has this, but thought I'd mention it in case so you can check. It is fairly easily rectified if you do find this, so not to worry too much.
Good luck. There are so many things for us moms to worry about. Your daughter is probably just experimenting to keep you on your toes and in preparation for all the worry yet to come!
Wow! I had two of my babies did this and there was never a comment made by my doc or any problems with my babies. I would go to a different Ped. and get a second opinion. I don't think you have anything to worry about.
If the doc. cannot tell if there is a problem until she is older then why in the world did he/she even bring it up now? Is he/she trying to make you crazy? Just check in with another doc. to make yourself feel better, this one may not be a good match for you.
Good luck!
My daughter did it all the time. When she got older she would stick her tongue out and touch her nose. We would just call her "Little Michael Jorden" since he seemed to have his tongue out every time he took a shot. She's 21 years old and is just fine. Still has a freakishly long tongue though.LOL!
My daughter did the same thing. She didn't have problems with feeding and didn't have any signs of developmental delays, so the pediatrician reassured us she was fine. She is now 19 months and occasionally still sticks her tongue out, but not like she used to. She doesn't have any other problems either. So, I guess the pediatrician was right, it was just a quirk. If you're not feeling like your pediatrician helped you with your concerns though, talk with the pediatrician, the nurse, or another pediatrician until you get your concerns taken care of. Some physicians need some prompting to remember their bedside manners.
She is still a tiny baby. I would not worry about it. Doctors have opinions like everyone else. That does not mean they are always correct.
It may just be her quirk. But I would also get her checked for being "tongue-tied." If she has this with her tongue, they may want to do a very minor snip procedure to correct that.
