A child is born with a developed sucking reflex. If the baby cannot satisfy him with the help of the nipple or the mother's breast, he unconsciously begins to look for alternatives - sucking the tongue or thumb.
Why does the baby suck his tongue
A child is born with a pronounced sucking reflex, which not only helps to eat, but also relieves teething pain, soothes. Babies who are weaned early and who have been deprived of their nipples for any reason are often prone to addictions such as tongue or thumb sucking. The baby does this unconsciously, most often before bedtime. Parents are often worried that the baby's bad habit will not disappear over time, but will only get worse. It happens that the child continues to suck his tongue in kindergarten and school. To prevent this, you need to help get rid of it as early as possible.
In order to wean the baby from sucking his tongue, in no case should you hit him on the lips, scold him in front of strangers. This can negatively affect the child's psyche and develop an inferiority complex.
How to wean a baby's tongue from sucking
Babies often fully satisfy the sucking reflex. But babies who have been transferred to artificial feeding since birth usually need a nipple. Experts say that it does not affect the development of the speech apparatus in any way, and therefore is absolutely harmless. If parents notice that the newborn is sucking on the tongue before bedtime or during the day, they can safely offer him a pacifier. The main thing is that its size and shape fully satisfy the baby. At 5-6 months, the first teeth begin to erupt in children, in order to relieve the pain of the crumbs and wean him from his addiction, you can use rubber teethers with a special cooling liquid. The baby's mouth will be occupied with an interesting new toy, so the need to suck the tongue will disappear by itself.
The baby sucks on the tongue unconsciously, this allows him to feel protected, as if he is at his mother's breast.
How to wean a student's tongue from sucking
If a child has not weaned himself from a bad habit before going to kindergarten or school, it will not be easy to get rid of it. Parents should notice exactly when the baby begins to suck his tongue - when he is nervous, thinks about something, falls asleep, etc. At these moments, you need to offer the child an alternative activity, for example, fingering in the hand of a couple or rolling balls. As soon as adults see that the baby is about to suck his tongue, you need to immediately pull it off, without focusing on this. An excellent option would be exciting joint activities - reading books, rhythmic games, jumping rope, etc. It will be easier for a child to get rid of a bad habit if he feels the care, love and support of his parents.
