Hi, Moms! I was wondering if anyone had any experience or input on drooling in toddlers. My son is 2 1/2 and drools constantly. For a long time, I just thought it was his molars trying to break through, but there is no sign of them. He has been drooling excessively for months now. The front of his shirts are always wet (which I hate since the weather has turned cooler). He literally can just be playing and have drool pool onto the floor. He does use a pacifier (we're just beginning to limit his use of it), but the drooling is present with or without the binky. Is this something I need to bring up to his doctor?
Thanks, Ladies!
Thanks for all the input! My son already receives physical therapy through early intervention, so I am going to call his case coordinator for a speech evaluation. I had never thought it could be a speech issue because his language skills are terrific. But I have had concerns with his ability to handle food textures, including chewing crunchy things. If it turns out not to be a speech issue, I will contact his new pediatrician (his last doctor didn't think anything of the drooling, but then again, I did switch doctors for a reason). [As for the pacifier, my husband and I have agreed to go cold turkey! I am not looking forward to it, but better sooner than later!]
Hi S., My 3 year old still drools also and her pediatrician did not have any concerns however, I would be interested in others thoughts on this. Thanks, A.
The molars could certainly be contributing to the drooling, but I think it is more likely his pacifier is causing it. Personally I would drop the binky asap. He is too old for it and pacifiers can cause excessive drooling in older kids. He is almost preschool age and honestly the pacifier serves no good purpose at this point. He has plenty of other ways to soothe himself, it can impair speech, dental issues, and the drooling thing.
My daughter had this. Talked with a speech therapist. For us, this was not the problem. Took her to the pediatrician and she suggested allergy testing. Turns out, she has allergies and her tonsils/adenoids were very large. We had both of them removed, and her drooling has stopped.
I would start with your pediatrician. They can help figure out the root of the drooling and help you decide where to go from there.
Hi S.-
Do you think that the pacifier might be causing his front teeth to protrude slightly forward, and hence, causing gaps that may allow drool to escape? If this is the case, I would get rid of the the pacifier as soon as possible as it may be altering his bite. I would also bring it up to his Pediadontist since he should be going for a visit in the near future anyway.
Good Luck!
T.
My nephew did this as well. In his case, he was so involved in playing that he would forget to swallow his drool. After having him checked by his doctor to make sure there wasn't a health issue, my sister just reminded him to swallow whenever she saw him drooling. He eventually outgrew it.
Won't hurt to run it by the pediatrician just in case, but we had a little bit of drooling well in advance of popping ALL FOUR molars at once.
How is his speech development? Is he meeting language milestones? If not, please have him evaluated as soon as possible. Verbal apraxia is a neuological condition that affects oral muscle control and one of the symptoms, along with delayed speech development, can be excessive drooling.
Even if his speech development is on target, I would still raise this concern with your pediatrician and request an early intervention evaluation.
Hi S.,
My son was always a drooler and I started to get worried after he turned two and it not only continued but seemed to get worse - like your son the front of his shirt was always wet, etc...after reading different theories on here I started to REALLY get nervous but decided I would just keep an eye on it. He's now completely stopped...out of the blue, on his own...I would just keep an eye on it...if it continues, make mention of it at your 3 year check up!
Hi S. by all means take your son to see his peditrican. Because a 2 1/2 and I would guess he has all his teeth, he shouldn't be drooling like that. butI'm not a doctor so see what the doctor says.
My son will be 25 months this month, only takes a pacifier at nap and bed times, and speaks quite clearly. He too has begun excessive drooling that I had not noticed before. I don't have an answer or solution but if it truly concerns you given what others have said, doesn't hurt to check with doc. I'll probably wait on the molar thing until I do further checks with our doc.
My son was the same way at his age. At the time he was in preschool and his teacher suggested we have him evaluated by a speech therapist. Drooling can be a sign of speech delay. We had him evaluated. He was having a hard time closing his mouth all the way and needed to strengthen some of his facial/jaw muscles. Within a couple of months he was done drooling. Because he was unable to close his mouth all the way he caused problems in forming some sounds. I remember we would have to change shirts several times a day because he would drool so much. Hang in there.
Hi S.,
I think all of these responses are right on target. My 2 year old drools. Our doctor recommended an ear, nose and throat doctor to look for obstructions in his throat and check for allergies. We then contacted Easter Seals which will conduct a free in-home evaluation. Our son now has a speech therapist and an occupational therapist to work on muscles in his mouth. He is speaking well and the drooling is better. Easter Seals will only work with you before the age of 3. If you are interested, begin the process now. Otherwise I believe he can work with a therapist through a school.
Here is the web site. Call the one closest to you. Good luck.http://chicago.easterseals.com/site/PageServer?pagename=I...
Hi S.,
I am completely on the same page with Meredith! My son was not talking at 18 months and we contacted Easter Seals as well. He had an occupational therapist, but is now done with that, but still had speech therapy to work on his muscles in his mouth. Our speech therapist uses an electric toothbrush to stimulate his mouth muscles! His drooling had been cut in half, though he still does it, it is not as bad as it was before!
Good Luck!
