Why do babies always lick their lips?

In real life, many babies always love to lick their lips, which makes their lips appear very tight, dry, red, etc. Many mothers wonder why their babies always lick their lips. Very young babies cannot speak yet, so they can only tell us with their actions. At this time, parents should pay close attention to the changes in their children and the details of their children's actions. Let us learn about why babies always lick their lips.

Reasons why babies love to lick their lips:

This is actually a symptom of cheilitis. The lips do not have sebaceous glands or sweat glands and are easily exposed to the outside for a long time, which can easily cause dryness and cracking. The main symptoms of mild cheilitis are cracking, scaling, dryness, and occasional itching. More serious cases can cause pigmentation, swelling, etc.

If your lips are dry, you cannot lick them to increase moisture. Because saliva is secreted by the salivary glands to moisten the mouth and digest food, it contains substances such as amylase and is relatively viscous. Licking your lips is like applying a layer of paste. When the wind blows, the moisture evaporates and the amylase sticks to your lips, making them drier and even causing lip ulcers.

Lip rupture and bleeding, causing purulent infection.

When your lips are chapped, wash them with hot water and apply a layer of balm or glycerin. Many people like to lick their lips constantly because they feel their lips are dry. This is actually a vicious cycle. Licking your lips when they feel dry will make them drier. Licking them again will make them drier, and it may even cause symptoms such as "tongue licking dermatitis" and "perioral dermatitis".

Regarding the problem of "babies always licking their lips", many people think that cheilitis is an infectious inflammation, so they use some topical ointments. In fact, cheilitis is sterile, so topical ointments are useless. The correct treatment is as follows:

1. Supplement vitamins A and B.

2. Apply topical vitamin E cream or vitamin E capsules.

3. If the child cannot tolerate the early peeling phenomenon, small doses of weak hormones such as hydrocortisone can be used.

4. Develop good living habits, maintain a correct schedule, eat less snacks, etc.

5. Drink more water and eat more vegetables and fruits.

It is recommended to use a single lip balm containing vitamin E and is colorless and odorless. Some lip balms may contain minerals, which may cause allergies in some children. Some may also contain additives that may harm children's delicate skin, so they should not be used without authorization. It is recommended to use harmless and moisturizing honey, which can be applied before going to bed.

This is the end of the topic about babies always licking their lips. Parents should pay close attention to their children's performance and changes in every move of their babies in daily life. If any adverse conditions are found, they should go to a regular hospital for detailed examination as soon as possible. Giving babies more boiled water can reduce heat, and eating more fresh fruits and vegetables can facilitate intestinal absorption.