15-Month Old Won't Stop Drooling

My 3-year old IS a drooller to, and nothing seems to be causing it or helping either. But since he was about one and a half or two it really started to back off. otherwise is a very healthy boy. its just one of those things some kids have

Hi C.,

Have the doctoc check his thyroid levels not jut a T4 but a T3 too or complete panal. Does he have rough skin, a thick tongue that he seems to suck on, cource hair and drools a lot. Just rule it out a thyroid imbalace OK?

You can call me if you like to know why I'm concerned for your baby boy.

Good Luck ~ F. ###-###-####

One of my 3 children also drooled a lot until around 16 or 17 months. Now, he's 19 months and really just drools when he's teething or doesn't feel well. It does seem that he was just steadily teething, although I was concerned because it also was all the time. My other 2 only drooled periodically and not much after 12 months or so. I guess it just depends on the child. I just changed his shirt frequently, sometimes a few times a day, and waited for things to improve, which they have. If it's still excessive drooling by the next well baby visit you have, why not ask the doctor whether it's a concern?

LORD YES. My daughter was the DROOLIEST BABY EVER. I joked that we should have named her Droolia. We went through hundreds of bibs. So annoying, but it will get better. Disregard some of the alarmist responses you got about consulting specialists if he is under 2 years old. As they get older, their swallow reflex gets better and their mouth musculature matures, and they eventually stop (most, at least). I think my daughter stopped drooling around 10 months, she's 17 months old now and doesn't drool at all. It's particularly bad when they are busting through their front teeth. The mouth develops accessive saliva during those periods to aid the process and it creates a lot of drool. keep him sucking to develop his muscles. There's no controlling it, you just have to accept! :-) You don't say how old your son is, but my guess is that he will outgrow it, if he's over two, ask your pediatrician about it.

My nephew was the same way. Has he used a sippy cup?? Try giving him a cup with a straw. This will help him develop the muscles in his mouth to help him keep him mouth closed while swallowing.

Ask your pediatrician for a referral to a pediatric occupational therapist. It could be low muscle tone which can lead to drooling. There are exercises that can be done for that. My 3 year old boy STILL drools alot - mainly from keeping his mounth open all the time and forgetting to swallow his saliva.

My friend has a son that has a similar problem and found that he wasn't swallowing naturally. My only advise is to have the Ped check to make sure that that reflex is working :-)

my daughter drools a lot as well, but she has cerebral palsy. I'm not saying your son does so don't be alarmed. the reason I mentioned it is that her occupational therapist does a lot of oral stimulation to get her to close her mouth. At least 3 times a day with a wash cloth wipe your son's mouth, coming from the outside towards the mouth, this will help your son's oral muscles realize they have to close. Do the as well when you feed him. But don't worry some kids are drooler longer than others, but if you are really concerned ask your doctor to refer you to an occuaptional therapist, they work with oral stimulation.

I had the same concerns, and this is what our pediatrician said: Drooling is a social behavior, not a natural reflex. He said girls usually start swallowing their own spit much sooner than boys. He said he had seen boys take until they were as old as 2 before they looked around and realized no one else was doing it. Sounds to me like you have one of those boys! Good luck!

Some babies drool more than others, even if it is not as a result of teething. I found some thick, terricloth bibs that helped absorb more than some others did. My 2 year old just started drooling again (I'm sure he's working on his 2nd set of molars). He's frothing at the mouth and blowing bubbles! It's odd to see him drooling (and so much!) again but I know it won't last forever. It should get better soon for your son. I've never heard of a way to control it or stop it. I think you just have to ride it out!

There are a couple of reason why he may be drooling a lot. Is your son congested a lot? If his nose is always stuffed up, he will have to breathe through his mouth a lot, hence the drooling. If this is the case, you'll probably want to take him to the doctor to have his sinuses checked out and you may also want to take him off of all things dairy for several weeks to see if that helps clears up his congestion.

A possible second reason that he may be drooling a lot -- and this was the case with my son -- is low muscle tone in his mouth and jaw and this caused him to have a chronic open mouth posture. A speech therapist worked with him to strengthen the muscles in his mouth and jaw and it's a non-issue for us now.

Many babies drool, You did not say how old the baby was, but if he reaches 2 years and is still drooling, talk to the doctor and see if he should see a speech therapist. They work with drooling problems as well as speech problems. Hopefully you are just an overly concerned mom and he will out grow it. My first son was a drooler for quite a while and needed a bib until about 2 years.
H.

C.,

First of all, you are not alone in the drooling thing. Both my kids were excessive droolers and went through bibs and shirts like you wouldn't believe. Just keep saying to yourself "he won't be drooling when he goes to college". My daughter's was because of teething and being sick for most of the first three years of her life. She is now 13, stopped drooling and is made of steel. As for my son, his was because of very weak muscles in his mouth and tongue. We went to an oral therapist who examined and came up with certain exercises that helped him immensely. We saw her twice a week at first and then once a week. Stopped and then came back. When he switched to a bottle, formula would just poor out the sides of his mouth because he didn't have the strength for proper suction. His babysitter was the one that passed on the oral therapist info so we didn't even see the pediatrician for it and best of all, with the exception of a co-pay, insurance covered it. My son is now 3 3/4 and only drools because he still can't keep his mouth closed all the time and its usually only when he is facing down (that gravity thing). If it is the muscles, this will eventually effect his speech so the earlier you catch it, the better. I can't recommend a therapist here because we lived in Florida when this all happened, but do an internet search or ask on Mommasource for someone local. Have a stack of bibs and keep towels handy. As with pretty much every issue involving kids....this, too, shall pass. Good luck!

My godson was an excessive drooler when he was a baby (he's now 9). For him, it was a result of blockages making it hard for him to breath well and swallow. He had to have his adnoids and tonsils removed and tubes put in his ears. He was 18 months old when he had his surgery, but life up until then was unbearable. Afterward, his drooling and other issues immediately improved. There were other signs besides the drooling and it doesn't sound like you have these other issues leading me to believe this doesn't apply to you. But, it was worth sharing just in case. For my godson, drooling was the least of his issues. Most significant were sleeping problems and eating problems. He was always cranky because he was tired and hungry. I hope you're not experiencing this and the extra drool is just a sign of extra love he has for you. Best wishes!

I would check with his doctor if you haven't already.

My oldest was the same way. I gave up on the bib thing, since he was always so moist. No way to stop it, but he did grow out of it around 2 1/2. He does have a sesitive gag reflex, and is sesitive on taste things. Good luck, I've been there! :-)

Maybe a visit to a neurologist would be useful to eliminate any type of nerve involvement or muscular development issue. Also, speech and occupational therapists maybe a great source of information.
good luck Deb

I researched about the drooling, your not alone there were many many other moms who complained about the baby drooling, no report I found said it was dangerous, and that it would pass. You should research about the drooling so you have more information about it, it might help you with some new ideas how to help or not to worry so much about it.

Blessings

Hi Carolina, you know we swallow many times through out the day, it is instinct, but it sounds you son does not have the instict to swallow yet, if you and i didn't swallow several times a day, we would drool. J.

Dear C.:

My son drools also. The drooling is related to his thumb-sucking: the thumb-sucking messed up his dental bite, which causes his mouth to hang open, which causes him to drool. (I think I have this right.) I should have stopped the thumb-sucking long ago, but didn't realize it was a problem till the speech therapist (yep) told me. Is your kid a thumb-sucker? If so, that may be why he drools. If he is at all delayed in speech, or you think he may be, go to your nearest Regional Center and get him tested - he may be eligible for free speech therapy. The speech therapist will be able to help with the drooling. Or ask your doctor. Believe me, there is probably a reason for the drooling, It is a problem which can be addressed and resolved.

You can call the Westside Regional Center at ###-###-#### and ask for the number of the Regional Center near you.

Sincerely, Andrea

My daughter drooled until she was almost two. Never saw a specialist about it, pediatrician was never concerned. Even if it is poor muscle tone, he would likely grow out of it.