My Toddler's Tongue?

Hi N.,
My 2 year old son too was tongue-tied when he was born which really affected his nursing. They clipped his frenulum (sp?) in the hospital. The doctors told me it will help his speech in the future.
Also, my sister-in-law actually got her frenulum clipped when she was eight years old. She was unable to say r's and s's. After is was clipped she was able to pronounce those letters. My sister-in-law doesn't remember it happening so I don't know if it was painful for her. My son barely cried and because he was just born it healed instantly. They bounce back so quickly. I hope this information helps.

Hi N.,

My son has a mild tongut-tie and not one doctor has recommened he get it clipped, including his ENT who put in ear tubes. I'm told by a doctor that the procedure is painful and that sometimes it can leave a lot of scarring or even grow back.

He is in speech, but it has nothing to do with his tongue tie. Even our speech therapist recommends against the surgery unless the tongue-tie is severe.

Talk to a doctor or two and see what they think.

Best of luck!

M.

N.,

The little boy I care for was born tongue-tied. It was not noticed right away. He did not latch on well and nursing lasted briefly. Anyway, his parents decided to get his tongue clipped. My good friend said that she seemed to be bothered by it more than the little one. He immediately started sticking out his tongue, making sounds he hadn't before, licked an ice cream cone for the first time, etc. I would recommend it even if your son's is not severe. I know there are people who don't believe licking a lollipop is important, but tell that to a kid who can't and watches everyone else.

B.

Hi N.,

My oldest son is tongue-tied. He is not a severe case though. He does talk a little different but it is not enough to cause any problems. I don't always notice it only sometimes. (but I live with him) Most people ask him what country he is from. (like Britain) Outside of that nobody thinks a thing about it.
It is up to you of course when you do this procedure. Listen when he talks and confirm what you think is severe or not. Some speech classes teach them how to use the back of the tongue instead of the front. But you also have to remember that the older he gets the more he will remember.
Like I said, my son is 19 now and it is not real severe so it has not held him back. Just sounds like he is from another country , (LOL) He actually thinks that is kind of neat when people make that comment.
Listen to him, maybe speak with a speach therapist. They also say with exercises that piece of tongue can stretch which can help. Your child is young, so just listen and pray.
Good luck,
J. J.

Both of my younger daughters are/were tongue tied-I do think it is hereditary b/c their dads tongue is the same way, but he has no issues. With my 2yo we didnt notice it )until after the doctor noticed it in my 1yo)-no problems with speech or anything for my 2yo. When the doc noticed it in the baby she was only a month old-I of course freaked out and had the same concerns as you. The doc told me that now they just like to wait and see-sometimes it grows or snaps on its own. You really wont know what kind of effect it will have on his speech until you get older. My fiances cousin is tongue tied and he talks funny. It comes down to what you feel is best-if your son is eating and drinking fine it really then just becomes an issue of what ifs. He will still be able to lick things-he just may not be able to stick his tongue out at you as far ;) For our situation we have not had anything done with either of the younger two. I think that my 1yo may have to have it snipped in a year or so, but it is still too early for me to tell. Good luck!

My son is tongue-tied and had some trouble nursing at first. A lactation specialist told us to have it clipped, but our pediatrician said it was not necessary. He is now 3 1/2 years old and has no speech concerns. My brother also is tongue-tied and has no speech problems.

My daughter was tongue-tied. I had a hard time nursing (it hurt really bad!) she was my second child so I knew that something was not right. We discovered it at the hospital, but I wanted to research it before having her "clipped". We had her tongue clipped at the 2 wk visit right there in the exam room. She did not like being held down, but the clip itself seemed to be nothing. There was a drop (really just one drop) of blood and that was all. I picked her up and she was fine. Less trama than a shot!! The painful nursing for me was gone in two feedings.
It was so "tight" she could not put her tongue past her lips and it was a little heart shaped. Now you can't tell at all. If I had it to do over, I would have had the DR. do it right there when she was born and we discovered it. It was the right choice for my daughter.

My son and husband are also tongue-tied. My husband has shared with me that they worried if it would affect his speech, but it never has. With my son, I decided to wait to see if it had any negative effects. He didn't seem to have trouble nursing because of it, and so far he doesn't seem to have trouble talking, either. So I'm still going with the wait and see tactic.

At birth, my mom said my dd was tongue tied and the pediatrician never said anything about it. When we began to have speech issues (she really wasn't talking until 2 1/2), her therapist was the one that said hey she is tongue tied. We had her snipped at almost 3 years old, she doesn't remember it and she made a huge jump on words & speech. She does still get pulled out in school for speech 2x a week. The pediatrician told me they don't like to snip unless it is a major problem with speech and that usually kids grow out of it. When my son was 2, we had to go to an ENT b/c he put corn kernals in his ear & had to go under anesthesia for them to get the kernals out. The ENT noticed he was tongue tied as well & said I can snip while I am in there. It wasn't causing any speech issues at that time, but we felt as long as he was under anesthesia, it would be a quick snip, again he doesn't remember it either. They both came through with no problems.

good luck

My husband had this same condition as a baby. It didn't bother him either from what my mother in law has said. The problem may come later when he is learning to talk. He may have a problem pronouncing words. Just have it looked at by your doctor, it is a very simple procedure.

My son's ripped on it's own when he was about 3-4 week's old. My nephew also had one, his doc said that the only reason why we would do anything is if it impairs his speech. So I would talk to the doc and see what the procedure is and how is it in older children. I think if he's been nursing and he talks just fine I wouldn't do anything about it.

Hi N.,
My little girl is tongue tied and is 18 months, as well. Our pediatrician noticed it immediately in the hospital but was against having it clipped until we knew if it was going to cause her any speech problems. I found out that this is hereditary because my husband was tongue tied (with no speech issues) until he was 16 years old. Apparently he entered a marshmallow eating contest and tore the skin on his own - yuck - but he won the contest:) Hope this helps.

This actually happened to my husband but they didn't realize it until he was 3-4 years old. His older sister has always been a talker (and still is!!) so they just assumed he would start talking when he felt like it. Finally, the issue was realized and corrected. To this day my husband has problems saying many words and mumbles alot. It is frustrating for him and for everyone around him. My advice is to act now before any real damage is done!

I noticed my son was tongue tied when he was 4 months old. I noticed he couldn't stick his tongue out all the way so at his next dr's appointment I asked his doctor and he told me he was tongue tied. I was referred to an ENT who did the procedure right there in the office. I, of course, did not stay in the room while they did it (they recommended I didn't stay), but I could hear him crying from across the room. They did numb the area and it only took a minute to do. My son even drank a bottle after we left the dr's office. I am glad that I did that and have not seen any side effects or problems with it since. He was so little he won't ever remember it or the pain and I wanted him to have a "normal" tongue.

We waited to have my son's tongue snipped because our doctor kept saying that it would snap by itself and that was less painful. When my son went into have tubes put in his ears at around 18 months, we finally had it snipped, since both procedures are outpatient. He couldn't eat "hard"foods for about a week but his language exploded afterwards. Not sure if it was the tubes or the tongue snip but it was amazing to see the difference. We had had a lot of toruble with nursing and speech before, so this was the right decisions for us.

Our 3 month old daughter is very mildly tongue-tied. The nurses first noticed it in the hospital right after birth when I complained of sore nipples. But the doctors each had a different opinion about whether or not she really was tongue-tied. After we talked to our family physician and she did some research, she told us that she really recommended waiting. Studies that she looked at did not point to speech problems as a result (only in extreme cases...) and that the procedure could be traumatic and why put the baby through this for no reason? She said we were welcome to get a second opinion with an ENT, but we haven't done this yet because she's eating well, gaining weight... and she does stick her tongue out a little bit. We still are keeping an eye on it....

my son had his clipped at less than 2 weeks old b/c he was not able to latch on well and was losing weight. he was in special care for a few days and they began tube feeding him formula, he was not nursing by the time we left the hospital. the procedure was fast and painless. he didn't even cry. I was scared to death! my husband held him, he only bled a few drops. it really helped with nursing! he is now 17 1/2 months old and babbles a lot, only says a few words but he is an only child and not around other kids. I was told that he will be able to extend his tongue better. my SIL's husband had his done when he was older (3 or 4) due to speech probs and unable to lick an ice cream cone. he said it helped him a lot. best of luck!