Excessive Slobbering in Toddlers

Slobbering might mess up your toddler's shirts, but it's not necessarily a sign of a problem. It's common for toddlers to drool -- a lot -- sometimes until they reach 4 years old, according to the About Kids Health website. There are several reasons your toddler might be slobbering excessively; if it seems like more drool than normal, check with your tot's pediatrician to make sure no problem exists.

  1. Normal Drooling

    • Toddlers slobber -- it's just a messy fact of life. What might seem like excessive drooling to you could be perfectly normal for him. Slobbering occurs when your toddler can't swallow all his saliva. When your child is getting some new molars, he might be making extra saliva to help combat the pain. However, drooling doesn't always come from too much saliva, but too little swallowing. When he's not teething, he's likely still learning how to make his tongue and throat work together to get all the saliva down.

    Mild Problems

    • Some problems might make a drooling issue worse in your toddler, although correcting the problem often helps with the slobbering. A child with reflux is likely to drool more, according to online health resource MedLine Plus. Temporary sickness such as strep throat, a sinus infection, allergies or a cold can also cause your tot to slobber excessively -- anything that causes her nose to clog makes her leave her mouth open to breathe, which lets more drool escape. Some medications can make a drooling problem worse, so check with your doctor if your toddler recently started a new medicine.

    Serious Problems

    • Excessive drooling might accompany a few serious medical conditions that require treatment from a doctor. If your toddler's tongue or throat muscles are deformed, he might drool more often. He might be autistic or suffer from cerebral palsy. Children with Down syndrome or multiple sclerosis often have issues with slobbering. Drooling might last well past the toddler stage if your child has any of these conditions, but your doctor can help you determine what amount of drooling is normal for your child.

    How to Help

    • Making sure your toddler stays upright with proper posture can help reduce her drooling. Hunched posture or sitting with her mouth open causes the saliva to run out instead of down her throat. Staying away from sugary foods can also help because sugar causes more saliva production. Petroleum jelly around her mouth and chin can cut down on any rash that might form from constant contact with wetness. For excess drooling that requires medical treatment, expect options that range from medicine to Botox injections in the salivary glands to surgery to correct throat deformations.

    2. Previous:

    Next:

    • Marvelous Menus
      Marvelous Menus Required:> Drawing supplies Food pyramid diagram We have some good news—your child has just been hired as a chef at a world-famous restaurant. Now the bad news—the patrons are tired of the outdated menu and are demanding that your
    • Physical Development of 2-Year-Olds
      Two-year-old children will reach many milestones in their physical development during the year. Development varies among children, but the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension and Parents.com say there are some benchmarks typically encou
    • How to Teach Early Childhood Development
      Early childhood development is the time of the most important development in childrens lives. Children go through social, physical, intellectual (cognitive), creative and emotional development. Teaching early childhood development to caregivers, teac