When friends and family talk to you about having a child they bring up things like bedtime, making memories, and walking or crawling. Those little moments, like drooling, are just as important for your baby’s development.
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It usually begins at around 3 months, around 2 months if your child is like ours, and won’t stop for quite some time. This time is the start of teething, which is when the first set of teeth are breaking through the gums. A huge developmental milestone is beginning and this causes a lot of pain and discomfort for your little one. Along with this pain and discomfort comes an unimaginable amount of drool. As a new father, I was not prepared for the sheer amount of drool that would appear on everything. It was on her clothes, furniture, and even our phones and laptops. It was everywhere. It got me asking…” why?”.
According to the AAP (American Association for Pediatrics) and HealthyChildren.org, this excess in saliva serves a huge purpose. Just like in adults, saliva helps protect teeth, dissolve food, and alleviate the problems associated with stomach acid. Where the saliva, also known as the enzyme ptyalin, plays a huge role for infants is in pain soothing. Since this enzyme breaks down starch into sugar it helps to calm the pain receptors on the gums. And since babies have a lot more tastebuds and receptors on their gums and tongue, this soothing is even more beneficial. The saliva in their mouths also helps transmit important information to the mother during breastfeeding. This information helps the mother’s body know what nutrients her child needs. A communication highway with saliva. Never would have guessed that in a million years! (Source)
Where the drool comes into play is in their muscles. We produce around 2-4 pints of saliva each day, but we are professionals at keeping it from embarrassingly slipping out. Since babies don’t receive full control over the muscles in their mouths until 18-24 months, que the baby drool. So while the drool is most assuredly a nuisance for us parents, your baby needs it more than you know! Just be sure to get some cute pictures, because they are ones for the scrapbook!
Disclaimer
We are just parents and not licensed pediatricians. Please consult your child’s doctor for more information or concerns regarding the material fond in this article. All of our articles are heavily researched, but at the end of the day we are just making information more readable, understandable, and hopefully beneficial for yo and your family.
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