While carrying around so many drool-catching bibs may take up more real-estate in your diaper bag, it’s important to remember that drooling, and even an abundance of drool, can be healthy. Is there anything I can do to stem the drool flow? Basically, your baby develops the muscles and digestive saliva just as soon as she needs it to eat solid foods. When your baby develops motor skills like chewing on her hands, motor receptors in her mouth send signals to the brain to initiate saliva production, a sign that she may be ready to eat. While it’s true that drooling is very common for children around 2-3 months old, and typically lasts until a child reaches 12-15 months-s (roughly the same age that teething begins) drooling merely means your baby’s salivary glands are starting to fire up after not being needed as much when eating easy-to-digest milk. ![]() ![]() But there’s not necessarily a direct connection. I heard an increase in drool means my baby’s teeth are on the way.Īccording to some, drooling is considered a classic sign that your baby’s teeth are getting ready to push through the gums. Hence: baby = drool faucet.Īt KinderCare, we’re committed to building warm, welcoming and supportive classrooms for children of all abilities, backgrounds and experiences. Babies, however, don’t develop full control over their swallowing muscles and the muscles around the mouth until they are between 18 and 24 months. Saliva glands in your mouth produce around 2-4 pints of saliva every day: Adults don’t notice as much because we’re pros at keeping accumulation down by swallowing (and a row of mature teeth act like a dam to keep the flow in). Why does so much drool fall out of my baby’s mouth and onto her shirt? While drool can be, well, wet, that saliva protects your babies’ gut and may also protect her toys and other objects with disease-preventing proteins and antibodies. Great! Saliva is vital for digestion-which is why your mouth waters when you smell a delicious dinner on the stove. Researchers believe a baby’s excess drool production is connected to a developing digestive system-so the appearance of drool is likely a sign that your baby’s digestive system is in full development mode. I swear the drool started coming out of my baby overnight. Here are some of the burning questions we’ve heard about drool, and the, ahem, easy-to-digest answers:ġ. Sure, non-stop drool can be messy, but it’s not just a slick, slippery hassle-infant saliva serves some very important purposes in your little one’s development. Make sure you see a qualified practitioner, who is registered with a professional organisation.Photo by YinYang / iStockBibs aren’t just for meal time! By the time your baby is around two months old, you may find yourself with more and more soggy blankets, drool rags, and onesies. Some of these have the welcome side-effect of drying your mouth.Ĭomplementary therapies, such as chiropractic treatment, reflexology or homeopathy may help you to feel better, though there’s no evidence that they work. Your GP may recommend anti-sickness drugs that can be used safely to treat nausea or vomiting. There are medical treatments that can help you. If you’re producing so much saliva that it’s interfering with your life, or disrupting your sleep, see your doctor. You could also try our tips for reducing morning sickness. Place a towel over your pillow at night if you dribble a lot in your sleep.Use a mouthwash that’s safe for pregnancy.Brush your teeth with extra-minty toothpaste.Suck on a sharp-flavoured, boiled sweet.Suck on a mint or chew mint-flavoured gum.Suck on a lemon or lime, or put a few drops of lemon or lime essential oil on a tissue to sniff to help you with nausea.Keep these to just a few, as it's best not to overdo your salt intake. Suck on salted peanuts or cashew nuts.This also has the benefit of keeping you hydrated, which is important during pregnancy. Use tissues, or a flannel, to spit into and wipe your mouth. ![]() Or stick a straw in an empty drinks can or carton - you can spit into it when people think you're sipping. There aren’t any cures for excessive saliva, but you could try these tips to get you through: Unfortunately, for some women, it may not go away until they’ve had their baby. Feel tired, because you're not sleeping well.Įxcessive saliva usually starts to dry up during the second trimester.Have slightly pouchy cheeks, because your salivary glands are swollen.Feel self-conscious when talking because of the amount of saliva in your mouth.
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