What to do if your baby always drools

It is normal for babies to drool. At what stage do parents worry about drooling? In many cases, the baby's physical health is something that each of us will observe and pay attention to. Only in this way can the baby grow up more healthily. This is a very good choice. In many cases, let's protect our baby's health well.

Generally speaking, babies drooling is a temporary phenomenon and has certain regularity. The baby's salivary glands are underdeveloped in the neonatal period. In the first week after birth, the saliva secretion is about 50-80ml per day, which is 1/20-1/25 of that of an adult. The amount of saliva secretion of infants only increases to 200-240ml per day and night at about 4 months, and only increases significantly after 5 months.

0-3 months: less saliva

Newborn babies do not drool because their salivary glands are underdeveloped and secrete less saliva. In addition, most babies at this time are breast-fed or fed with milk, so they do not need salivary enzymes to participate in digestion, nor will it stimulate salivary gland secretion.

4-6 months: Starts drooling

Adding starchy foods such as rice noodles to the baby will reflexively stimulate the secretion of the salivary glands. When the baby is 5-6 months old, the saliva secretion will increase significantly. However, the baby's oral cavity volume is relatively small, and the swallowing regulation function is not yet fully developed. The baby cannot swallow the saliva secreted in time, so saliva will flow out.

7-18 months: Drooling

The period when drooling is most frequent is during the baby's teething period. When deciduous teeth erupt, they push out of the gums, causing mild swelling and discomfort in the gum tissue, stimulating the nerves on the gums, and also stimulating the salivary glands to reflexively increase secretion.

Before 2 years old: Stop drooling

Most babies, before the age of two, gradually and effectively control their swallowing movements as their muscle motor functions mature, and their mouths are no longer wet. But some babies continue to drool after they are two years old.

Small sips of water have a big effect

1. Help babies break down and digest starchy foods;

2. Protect the baby's oral mucosa from bacteria and prevent tooth decay;

3. Keep the baby's mouth moist;

4. It is beneficial to improve the baby's chewing and swallowing functions.

Fight against saliva

Although baby drooling is not a serious problem, it may still affect the baby's health if you are not careful. Because the baby's skin is thin and saliva contains some corrosive digestive enzyme acids, when saliva flows to the corners of the mouth, face, neck and even chest skin, it is easy to corrode the skin's stratum corneum, or cause fungal infection due to moisture, resulting in symptoms such as redness, eczema, and inflammation.

Mommy should often help the baby wipe the saliva that accidentally flows out, so as to keep the baby's face and neck dry to avoid the occurrence of eczema.

1. Handkerchief: The handkerchief used to wipe the baby's saliva should be soft and absorbent. It should be made of cotton or a towel and should be washed and ironed frequently. Do not use force when wiping, just wipe the saliva gently to avoid damaging the local skin. Used handkerchiefs should be washed and dried frequently.

2. Bib: Put a bib on your baby to prevent saliva from staining his clothes.

3. Boiled water: Give your baby some boiled water to keep his mouth clean.

4. Cleanliness: The baby’s clothes, pillows, and bedding are often contaminated by saliva, so they should be washed and dried frequently to avoid the breeding of bacteria.

The above is about the problem of babies always drooling. I hope it will be helpful to everyone. In many cases, we are worried about the physical health of our babies. Let’s take good care of our babies. Their physical health is very important to us. So take good care of them, observe their living conditions, and protect their health.