Salivation is a natural physiological process that occurs throughout a person’s life. Special glands located in the oral cavity are responsible for it.
They are capable of producing about 2 liters of saliva per day. Sometimes the amount of saliva produced increases sharply, which significantly affects the quality of life. This is especially common in childhood.
Increased salivation in a child can be caused by various reasons, both natural and pathological. To understand this issue, it is necessary to consider what role saliva plays in the life of a child’s body.
Functions of saliva
Firstly, it is involved in the digestion of food, making it softer and helping it move through the esophagus. The enzymes contained in saliva are capable of breaking down starch and fats. Thus, food enters the stomach already partially digested.
Secondly, saliva plays a protective role, preventing the mouth from drying out and having a bactericidal effect. It helps to wash away food debris, and with it bacteria. Saliva neutralizes many acids and alkalis, protecting tooth enamel from their aggressive effects. It is also able to strengthen the enamel, nourishing it with important microelements (fluorine, phosphorus, calcium).
Thirdly, it helps make teething less painful by reducing inflammation in the gums. And finally, in the first months of a baby’s life, saliva has a special viscosity, which makes breastfeeding easier during natural feeding.
Incipient SARS
Sometimes excessive salivation, accompanied by regular attempts by the baby to put his fingers and fists in his mouth, indicates the onset of an infectious disease such as ARVI, flu, sore throat, etc. In this case, the child has a fever, nasal congestion or mucus discharge from the sinuses. Many babies begin to sneeze and cough.
The main function of saliva is protection against pathogenic microbes and bacteria. This is what causes the increased activity of the salivary glands in babies 2-4 months of age against the background of the onset of ARVI and other inflammatory processes localized in the oral cavity.
In this case, the main help lies in the fight against the causative agent of the disease. The cleanliness of the baby’s hands, pacifiers and toys should be taken with special care during this period, as there is a high risk of harmful microorganisms being introduced into the baby’s body.
Causes of increased salivation in children
Excessive drooling is scientifically called hypersalivation. In children, there are clearly visible age periods when it can occur most intensely.
Important! There is a distinction between true and false hypersalivation.
True hypersalivation is caused by malfunctions of the salivary glands, and false hypersalivation (also called reflex) in childhood is associated with more serious disorders in which swallowing saliva becomes less frequent.
For example, if the sensorimotor arc malfunctions, the interaction between the brain and the oral cavity is difficult. The child's number of spontaneous swallows is reduced, which creates the appearance of profuse drooling. Depending on the age, the causes of increased salivation in children may be different.
Causes of drooling can be physiological and pathological
How to help your child
Despite the fact that most of the causes of increased salivation in infants cannot be corrected, every mother wants to help her child survive a problematic period in his life. This can be done.
- Keep your child's clothes dry. If saliva is released in large quantities, tie him a waterproof “bib”. This way you will save your baby from discomfort and irritation in the neck area.
- When going for walks, offer your baby a pacifier, which will make it easier for him to swallow saliva.
- If your baby is teething, do not limit yourself to simply lubricating the gums with gels. Try to scratch and massage your gums with your finger as often as possible. Just remember that you must wash your hands thoroughly before this procedure.
If your baby grows and develops correctly, then the appearance of increased drooling cannot be avoided. Therefore, the main thing for parents to remember is that all this is short-term, and after a few months you won’t even remember how you had to constantly wipe your baby’s chin and change his clothes. And in order not to get lost in guesswork and make diagnoses yourself, it is better to immediately ask your local pediatrician for advice. Then both you and your baby will be calm.
Newborn period
In newborn babies, salivation is normally absent due to the underdevelopment of the salivary gland apparatus. However, often a mother may notice how, in the first hours of a child’s life, a colorless liquid, very similar to saliva, is actively secreted from his mouth.
Most often, this is how amniotic fluid comes out, which the baby managed to swallow while passing through the birth canal. Normally, this phenomenon should stop a few hours after birth. If drooling continues longer, it is better to inform your pediatrician (neonatologist) about this in order to exclude serious health problems.
How to help your baby
Parents will have to come to terms with and go through the period of slobbering toddler. It is unpleasant for the baby to be slobbery, so parents take special care and care for the baby at this time.
It’s not in vain, apparently, that our great-grandmothers invented bibs for babies. Bibs will help now: the fabric absorbs liquid, blouses remain dry, the skin on the neck and chest is also dry.
Sometimes a baby drools so much when lying down that he chokes and simply choke on it. He may experience a cough, even wheezing. To prevent your child from getting into trouble, place him on his side or tummy, or you can put him on a low pillow. So, the drool will flow down and will not harm the baby.
If a baby sucks on a pacifier, he is able to swallow his saliva. When going for a walk, give your baby a pacifier. Using a pacifier is another way to cope with the problem.
Soon the time for teething comes, the baby's gums itch and itch, he constantly chews something to relieve the itching. Help him, massage his gums with your finger. And in the places where the first teeth appear, press lightly. On the doctor's recommendation, buy a special product and lightly lubricate the gums with it, this will calm the baby.
Drooling at 2–3 months
At the age of about 2 months, a baby may experience profuse salivation, caused by the fact that the salivary glands finally begin to work at full capacity. It is at this age that a child may need his first bib to protect his clothes from getting wet.
The mother also needs to very carefully monitor the condition of the child’s skin, especially the area around the lips and chin. Excessive saliva can irritate baby's delicate skin. To prevent this from happening, it is recommended to lubricate the area around the mouth with baby cream or Vaseline.
Inflammation of the submandibular salivary gland
Closer to 3 months, children become active explorers of the world around them and taste everything. They put fingers, toys and any other objects at hand into their mouths.
The baby's body becomes acquainted with new microflora, which leads to increased secretion of saliva, which performs a protective function. At this age, increased saliva production can also occur against the background of an acute respiratory disease.
Breathing through the nose becomes difficult, and the child has to breathe through the mouth. This causes the nasopharynx to dry out and reflexively release a larger amount of saliva than usual, which moisturizes the air and disinfects it.
Baby care
Excessive salivation requires increased care from parents. Mothers stock up on handkerchiefs or soft napkins to wipe the newborn's mouth and chin.
Even with constant wetting of the chin, dripping drool causes redness, peeling, and a rash on the skin around the mouth and on the chin. Knowledgeable mothers advise using baby cream and lubricating irritated areas several times a day until the skin is restored.
Your doctor will tell you which creams and ointments to relieve irritation on your child’s skin. You need to lubricate delicate skin with the prescribed products very carefully, in a thin layer, so as not to cause even more irritation.
Teething period
Teething usually begins around 6 months of age. The child becomes whiny and irritable. The process of tooth extraction is accompanied by pain and the formation of wounds on the gums. They can greatly disturb the baby, bringing him a lot of suffering.
Salivation helps make pain less intense: saliva has an anti-inflammatory and calming effect. Teething is greatly extended over time and sometimes lasts up to 2 (and even 3) years.
Important! Increased salivation up to 2 years of age is most often caused by natural causes and is physiological.
Why is that bad?
- ✓ Excessive salivation can irritate the skin of the chin and perioral area, causing the child to develop a rash and bothersome irritation.
- ✓ Excess secretion gets on clothes and surrounding objects, the child may feel discomfort, just like the people nearby.
- ✓ Children over 3 years of age may experience psychological discomfort from such a problem. Peers may make fun of him, laugh, the child will be embarrassed by drooling, withdraw into himself.
The concept of “bad” in this case is somewhat contradictory, since in most cases there is no serious threat to the baby’s health. However, anyone would prefer not to have such a problem. Why?
- ✓ Excessive salivation can irritate the skin of the chin and perioral area, causing the child to develop a rash and bothersome irritation.
- ✓ Excess secretion gets on clothes and surrounding objects, the child may feel discomfort, just like the people nearby.
- ✓ Children over 3 years of age may experience psychological discomfort from such a problem. Peers may make fun of him, laugh, the child will be embarrassed by drooling, withdraw into himself.
Increased salivation after 5 years
If a symptom bothers a child at an older age, after 5 years, then this may be a cause for concern on the part of the parents. There are a number of reasons why saliva is produced in large quantities:
- inflammation in the oral cavity (stomatitis, gingivitis, candidiasis);
- infections of the upper respiratory tract and nasopharynx (for example, with adenoids, copious amounts of saliva are produced at night and prevent the baby from sleeping);
- disturbances in the gastrointestinal tract (gastritis, duodenitis, pancreatitis);
- helminthic infestations;
- poisoning with drugs, as well as toxic substances and household chemicals (a life-threatening condition - requires immediate medical attention);
- diseases of the nervous system (especially with damage to the central nervous system, some forms of cerebral palsy, congenital malformations).
If there is increased drooling of any etiology, it is best to show the child to a doctor. Only he will be able to determine the true cause of the symptom and, if necessary, prescribe additional examinations.
It's better to consult
It is recommended to go to the clinic if the child is teething, and in this place the gums are moderately hyperemic and swollen;
Subfebrile (37-37.5) temperature lasts for 2-3 days; mild diarrhea for several days; if “jams” in the corners of the mouth do not heal for a long time. This article will help young parents determine what physiological processes are normal when their child is 3 months old. Are you drooling and have no other symptoms to worry about? So everything is fine. Stock up on napkins and bibs. But if you have noted other causes of salivation listed in the article, try to get an appointment with a doctor. An experienced pediatrician will examine the child, advise the parents and, possibly, prescribe the correct treatment. After all, you shouldn’t self-medicate, even when it comes to the health of an adult. And our children are too dear to us, so at the first suspicion of any disease (and even just if there are any doubts), you must immediately contact a specialist.
What can parents do?
How to relieve your baby’s condition if your newborn is drooling incessantly:
- Tie a bib so that the baby's vest does not get wet and does not rub the baby's neck and chest.
- Sometimes a pacifier helps. It activates the swallowing process. Read how to wean your child off a pacifier here.
- Be sure to promptly remove leaked saliva from the child’s body, then moisturize the skin with baby hypoallergenic cream.
- If your one-month-old baby is drooling non-stop due to indigestion, place him on his tummy more often.
- When teething, the baby should be allowed to bite on a baby “teether” - a toy made of silicone - to reduce itching and inflammation of the gums.
Each child’s toy must be disinfected in a timely manner - this will protect against infectious diseases.
How to avoid irritation from saliva on a child’s face and neck
The most common reason why a baby drools is teething. How to prevent the formation of rashes, pimples and red spots on the baby’s cervix, chin, neck:
Saliva coming from the mouth collects under the pacifier and causes irritation on the chin.
- promptly blot saliva and wash the skin with boiled water;
- change bibs and blouses more often;
- if a one-month-old baby is drooling, a clean diaper should be placed at the head of the crib to absorb liquid;
- lubricate your face, neck, chest with baby oil or cream.
To feed your baby, prepare food that does not damage the gums, has a soft structure, and has a viscous consistency.
