04/28/2026
Reshare
Most parents don’t realise this is happening during feeds…
Just watch this.
The first baby’s tongue is doing what it needs to do! Wrapped nicely around my finger and holds it well! Moves her tongue in a smooth, wave-like rhythm!
Meanwhile, the other little bubba can’t quite keep it!
Loses suction with every suck (that’s when you’d hear a “click” during feeds), gets that jaw involved (which brings on that chompy uncomfortable feeling at the breast and those pursed tight little lips gripping on for dear life!
Not to mention those cheeky lip blisters and that white coating on the top of the tongue - all point to signs of oral dysfunction and a little one working harder to feed!
If we don’t pay attention to these signs, from the outside…both can look like they’re feeding fine. Yes, one might be a little noisier and messier…but as long as they’re gaining weight, right? (Nope!) 🙅🏽♀️
Because even though they may look the same, they definitely don’t feel the same!
When we look at a baby’s oral function, these patterns become really obvious over time. It’s not just how your baby latches but how their tongue moves, how the lips seal and how much the jaw is trying to compensate.
This is where we start to see things like clicking, leaking milk, shorter (or long sleepy) feeds, refluxy symptoms…the list goes on.
And this is the part that gets missed a lot because you might have been told things like: “it’s mild”, “no need to do anything” “they’ll grow out of it” or “it’ll sort itself out”
But if function is affected…please know that it really matters!
Because babies don’t just grow out of dysfunction
they learn to compensate for it. Just like we would to!
If you watched this and thought “that second one looks like my baby…” trust that gut feeling!
👉🏻 Comment MINI and I’ll send you an oral ties starting point
👉🏻 Comment BOTTLE and I’ll send you an oral ties and bottle feeding starting point (because ties impact bottle feeding too!)
