Can You Share Your Experiences with Infants Who Are Tongue-tied?

My daughter was born with a similar "problem" with the doctor telling me at her birth that they usually do not snip it unless there are problems since the majority of the time there are not. My daughter is now 3 and has never had any problems with eating/drinking and met all of her milestones extremely early, including a full vocabulary. She has had no troubles whatsoever, so I would suggest you wait. Most of the time it isn't necessary and speech therapy will do the trick, using the Birth To Three program or similar would be my recommendation if needed. Again, with my daughter, it was never a problem. I would have hated to have done something for no reason whatsoever.

Tami

I had both of my boys' tongues clipped within the 1st 2 weeks, And have had no problems with eating or drinking. My husband and stepson had it done when they were older and it didn't take as well. They still have problems with it. I would have it done ASAP if I were you.

I once dated a guy in his twenties who was tongue tied. It didn't affect his speech (it did affect his kissing), but he was considering getting it fixed because he couldn't lick his teeth (or lips as someone else mentioned). Evidently, this can be a dental issue with plaque buildup and gingivitis etc. Given the account of someone getting hers fixed at an older age, I'd get it done earlier rather than later.

I had my daughter's snipped when she was about 2 weeks old by a ENT doctor. He almost didn't want to do it but I INSISTED! Main reason I donot want my daughter to grow up with a speech impediment or any sort of issues. She couldn't even get her tongue past her bottom lip. It was a extrememly quick procedure done right there in the office I could have done it honestly. I don't regret doing it and I'm sure my daughter will thank me one day.

They took her tongue clamped it, took a pair of scissors like finger nail cutting scissors and snipped, over and done with in a few seconds. She screamed, bled a little like when you accidently bite your tongue and I gave her a bottle right away which she calmed her down and she fine after that, heartwrenching to watch but very very simple.

My daughter is now 6mos.old and I'm pretty certain she would have had eating issues with solids if we hadn't done this. Then came the time a month or so ago when she learned and figured out she had a tongue and would stick it out,make noises etc, there is NO way she would have been able to do that if I hadn't had her tongue snipped.

I also know a little boy (7) who wasn't snipped til 5 years old and I can't understand a word that comes out of his mouth horrible speech.

My son was also born tongue-tied. He even had a heart shaped tongue because of it. Our pediatrician was also divided on the subject. I consulted a Pediatric Ear, Nose & Throat specialist who offered many more pros to having it cut than cons. In the end, the procedure to clip it was very simple with almost no recovery (our son was 6 weeks old). Clipping it was the right decision for us otherwise he wouldn't have been able to stick his tongue out or even lick an ice cream cone. Good luck!

Our doctor/ midwife also recomended leaving our sons' alone UNLESS he had trouble eating. And then as he gets older talking. WELL, he is now 22 months old and has really started talking a lot!!! So, we won't have to cut his.

On the other hand. My brother had the same thing. My parents waited it out till he was like 2 1/2 or 3 and he was BARELY talking. They went in to the doctor and had the procedure done and he hasn't stopped talking since!!! LOL. But my parents are still glad they waited a while to make sure it was necessary.

Follow your instincts. Waiting will not bother him.

Hi A.,

Our son also had this and his pediatrician left the decision up to us. He was eating just fine and was in the 75% percentile for weight so that was not an issue...he was however having issues breast feeding at the time (turns out it wasn't the tongue tie - he had an unrelated milk intolerance). So anyway we decided to have it snipped when he was about 3 mo. old....its a totally simple procedure...took the our pediatrician all of 2 seconds...our son bled a little but was fine and smiling again in less that a minute.

Like the other moms said do whatever you feel best...I just wanted you to know that its a relatively painless procedure and only takes a few seconds.

Best of luck,
K.

Hi A., my grandson who is now 6years old, was also told he was tonge-tied. They said he would probably have a hard time speaking clearly. They never took him in for surgery, and he speaks just fine. I no they were also told if he fell he could injure his tonge easily. He is a very active boy and so far so good. I hope this helps, good luck.

My daughter was tongue tied when she was little and I didn't realize it until she was 2 weeks old.I was breastfeeding her and she was hurting me cause she had trouble getting milk and wasn't gaining weight.My doctor did snip underneath her tongue and after that I felt much better and so did she.But that was 29 years ago.You can always get a second opinion,but for myself I'm glad I did it,because I didn't want possible problems in the future.Take care and I hope all goes well with your little one.

A.,

I have 3 sons, the first and last were both tongue tied. With my first, we waited and he 'grew ot of it'. That means his frenulum streatched enought that it was no longer a hinderance. He is a bright and well spoken 12 yr old now.

My last son was tongue tied more severly, to the end of his tongue. We waited until he was 3 - 4 years old and through the direction of our speech pathologist and a doctor at Children's, we all decided it was best to be snipped. The procedure was fast and my sone began talking that same day, already sounding better.

My feeling is to be sure to give it enough time to stretch, then consult the proper people to determine that it is necessary. I wouldn't have risked the surgery just for looks, it was determined medically necessary.

Blessings,
H.

My husband and I had the same plan as you do and it turned out well. It was noticed right away after my son was born that he was tongue tied, there was debate on how to proceed even amongst the nurses and doctors. We wanted the procedure done before we left the hospital because we were told it's easier to do when they are younger, so they eat better, speech etc. To make a long story short we went with our pediatricians idea and decided to wait it out. He nursed perfectly and was gaining weight. Around 8 months while eating some table food I noticed blood coming out of his mouth (Extremely scary) well come to find out it broke or came undone all on it's own. It was fun to watch him play with his "new toy" the tongue stick it out etc. I think your plan is perfect, if it is currently not interfering with his life, just wait and see, it may never be an issue for him. Good luck

Hi, A.,
I have two sons who are tongue-tied as is their father. They all speak distinctly and clearly.

The eldest did well in extemperanous speaking in extra-curricular high school speech and, now at age 28, finds himself in leadership roles, speaking in front of groups of people often.

The second son did very well in extra-curricular high school music and speaking opportunities in 4-H. He is often complimented on the fact that his listeners can understand his words when he sings. He too, at age 25, emerges as a leader in groups and is often in speaking roles.

Their father is a teacher and writes and directs plays and often finds himself speaking in front of large groups.

The moral of the story: let it go unless it becomes a definite problem. It has not for us. Hope this helps.

Hi A.....I have no experience with tounget tied babies, but you should do what you think needs to be done! Get the facts from the dr/ent and then trust your gut :) Good luck, I will be praying for you as you make this decision. Don't you wish we had "magical" powers to see what will happen in 2mo/6mo/1yr from now?

C.

My son was born tongue tied. They discovered it in the hospital. The one question I had for the doctors was if it would effect his speech. The doctors said it possibly could, that there was no telling. Without a definite answer we decided to have it snipped. I was also breast feeding and noticed he was able to latch on better. Good luck!

My daughter who is almost 2 now had a tongue tie, and we found out about it at her 1 year old dentist appointment. We had her's fixed at 15 months. It was very traumatic for her, they put her on a papoose board, and she freaked out. It took my husband and a nurse to hold her down while the dentist clipped it, and the procedure itself took around 30 minutes to do because she was wiggling and screaming so much.

It took a couple of days to not bother her, and she dealt with some drooling for about a month afterwards, and also dealing with changing the way that she ate. She still has issues with talking, and even though our doctor is not concerned about it, we are.

I think, knowing what we know now, we would have done a few things differently had we known. We would have done it as soon as possible, and not waited until she was older, it was traumatic for her, because she was old enough to know that she did not like it, but not old enough to understand what they were doing. (She was completely numb, but there was a lot of equipment in her mouth, my husband is clausterphobic and said that is his worst nightmare.) And secondly I would have had her knocked out for it, so that she wouldn't have known what happened instead of the papoose board and numbing. Bottom line, I do not regret having it done, just how we had it done.

My best to you and your son, I hope this helps!

we had our daughters clipped because it was interfering with her nursing. she was about 5 months old. I had to use a nipple shield until then. I wa glad to have her nurse normally. I probably would have left it otherwise.

Our son had this as well. I actually talked with a SLP friend of mine about it who said to leave it alone unless he had speech issues. We left it and he's fine. So...I say follow your mama's gut instinct.

One of my brothers was tongue-tied. They didn't actually notice it until he was about two years old and not talking yet. It didn't interfere with his eating at all - he was always a good eater and very healthy. He bf until he was about a year. It was the lack of speech that caused my parents to have the skin snipped. He had to spend one night in the hospital when he was two in order to have the procedure done. I think your plan is just fine. If it's not bothering him and his speech develops normally, there's no problem. :)

My 3 1/2 year old boy was tongue tied at birth and we had it fixed by an ENT when he was only a few weeks old. If your going to have it snipped do it now and by an ENT MD dont wait the longer you wait the worse it will be. It took less than 30 seconds with a couple drops of blood and no after effects. I am a Nurse not that it matters :) good luck, H.

A.-
My son, too is/was tonuge tied. To be homest, I haven't looked in there in quite a while... He had trouble with nursing because of it at first, but we just worked together to figure it out. He is now 2 1/2 and eats normally and is a CHATTERBOX! I would wait it out and see. Good luck!

A., I myself am 39 and tongue tied also 2 of my 4 children are tongue tied. I was a dental assistant for years and we did refer some pts to have their tongues clipped but only when the parents felt their child was having a hard time with speach or eating. When our now 4 yr old had her adnoids out the Dr. wanted to clip our daughters tongue and I said no she was 13 months old and was having no problem eating and was starting to talk and we were fine with our decision. Our daughter is fine and has no problem with speach or eating as well our 2 yr. old has no problems. Good luck and I hope this helps.

Hello,
I have 2 sons, a 3-year-old and 6-month-old who were both tongue tied at birth. We had them both clipped within a week of birth. I am not usually one to mess with nature because I think most of the time it is not needed. However, our oldest son was very tongue-tied. It almost looked like he was in pain or frustrated while he cried because his tongue couldn't extend at all outside of his mouth. The main reason we had the frenulum clipped is due to the difficulties we encountered nursing. I was very determind to nurse. We had an ENT do the procedure when Mathias was 5 days old. It was very brief and he began nursing immediately.

When our second son, Soren, was born, he was less tongue-tied, but I didn't want to go through the same nursing difficulties, so we had his frenulum clipped in the hospital. He nurses like a champ.

In both cases, the pediatricians/family doctors were hesitant to make the call (even though with Mathias they did think it was severe enough to merit a frenulectomy). We had to seek an ENT to do the procedure.

I guess there are 2 aspects to look at: speech problems and/or feeding issues.It sounds like your son is nursing well. If that is the case, I can't imagine that he is tongue-tied enough to cause a speech impediment down the line. Nursing requires the tongue to be able to move to the roof of the baby's mouth.

Interestingly I spoke with a doctor on this subject a few months ago when I was getting a lot of breast infections early on with my younger son. Her viewpoint is that ALL babies' tongues should be checked and then clipped as a matter of course. She is looking at it from a breastfeeding standpoint, obviously. She is a nationally known family doctor who gets a lot of referrals for breast issues due to nursing. Just thought that was an interesting little tidbit.

Best of luck on your decision.

my son is tongue tied they saw it at birth and said it was our choice to cut or not. our ped, said that 60% of the time a kid falls and it tears on its own then heals no prob. my son eats like a horse and says quiet a few words he is 13 months old and we didnt do the surgery

A majority of newborns that are tongue tied seem to get it snipped while at the hospital, but that's btw. you and your pediatrician? (I work in the family birth center.) They may eat better afterwards, depending on how far up the frenulum stayed connected. Was breast feeding ever painful? The other concern is speech development as they are trying to make noises and form words.

My daughter was tongue tied as well, and I decided to get hers snipped, but it was interfering with her breast-feeding. The one positive I can say about having it done so early is that she won't remember having it done. It would probably be very stressful as a toddler to have it done. It was a very quick procedure and she was fine right after. I definitely don't regret having it done.

My son is tongue tied and it has not affected his eating or weight gain. I did not have it clipped because both the ENT and the speech therapists recommended not to. He is 3 1/2 and does have speech difficulties. However, the speech therapists are not convinced that his speech problems are due to him being tongue tied. In fact, they are sure that those who do get their tongues clipped have a harder time with speech because they do not have that control over their tongue. Now, my son can say every sound, but he does have difficulty blending them. My son can lick his lips and eat ice cream, things that we were told he may have difficulties with. Since he's 3 1/2 I don't know about the whole kissing thing. When he's been tested for speech, the first question I am asked is if I clipped his tongue. When I answer no, they are always relieved that I did not do this and have also told me that it is better to have not done this procedure. I am happy with my decision to not have clipped it. Good luck!

I also had my son cliped at 2 months when it was discovered and I pushed for it to be done too, my hubby knows a guy at work who is tongue and It doesn't bother him he talks fine and everything theonly thing he can't do is lick his lips! but my friends little boy who will be 3, his mom didn't getit done untill he was about 2 and a half because the dr said to wait and see and he now has some speach problems that he is in speach therapy for. I decided to get it done as soon as possiable for my son before he could even start forming words just to be on the safe side, the whole thing took like 20 seconds and he only cried for a second wand went back to sleep. insurance paid most of it.

All 3 of my children were tongue-tied. I had never heard of it before I learned of my first child having it. All three were snipped. My son at 7 months. My 2 year old daughter at 2 weeks and again at 17 months ( when her ear tubes were inserted). They had to do hers 2 times. My 6 month old daughter had it done in the newborn nursery after she was born. The same ENT did all of their tongues. They all had a moderate to severe tie. I was told that speech could be affected as well as feeding. I chose to do it right away to avoid potential problems down the road.
For another opinion, I would see the ENT to find out if the tie is minor, moderate or severe. After seeing them, you should have more information to consider.
The procedure is simple. But, older babies need to be put out. The recovery was easy also. They encourage you to feed the baby right away.
Good Luck!

A.,

I was born tongue tied and it didn't interfere with my eating. My parents didn't have a lot of money, so they didn't have it clipped. I grew up with a slight speech impediment and was made fun of throughout elementary and middle school. When I was 17 and had to have my impacted wisdom teeth removed anyway, the surgeon offered to clip my tongue then. It hurt like HECK and required several stitches at that point. I had to do tongue and speech exercises for months afterwards and I still don't have a lot of mobility in my tongue. It's painful to do things like lick an ice cream cone by sticking my tongue out. My speech problems are mostly gone, but people occasionally hear that I pronounce words differently and ask me where I am from. My friend had a baby born with a tied tongue few years ago. I encouraged her to have it clipped quickly and she did. It was no big deal (very non-invasive procedure) and healed very quickly because he was so little. I am quite biased on this subject, but I would say if there is any way you can do it, have his tongue clipped as soon as possible.

S.