Random Question: When Do I Start Teaching My Toddler to Stop Drooling?

Wendolyn, I would talk to the pediatrician. It isn't typical for preschoolers to drool, there are medical conditions that can cause excessive saliva and I'd just want to rule out any medical issue. Good luck!

HI! How is his speech? i would remind him to keep his chin dry.. or say don't forget to swallow-you can give him wristbands (exercise)to wipe the drool.. i wonder if he can feel that he is wet.. maybe he doesn't have the sensation on his chin? can he keep his lips close? maybe he doesn;t have the muscle tone to keep his lips close.. or there are sensory issues that he can't feel the drool pooling in his mouth? just some thoughts...good luck
J.

Have you discussed this with your Pediatrician? Perhaps the drooling is due to low-tone? If that is the case, you can get some exercises that would help strengthen the necessary muscles which should help resolve things. You might want to consider having it looked at by a doctor, particularly if he already has all his teeth. Good luck!

I would definately talk to your doctor about this. Drooling is because the child lacks the swallowing reflex, or the ability to trigger the reflex. This is not normal after the age of about 1. I would call the doctor right away, this is definately something that needs immediate attention.

Most children have stopped drooling before 3 yrs of age. My neice had a drooling problem & we had her checked by the pediatrician & it turned she had allergies! A simple medication was all that was needed to stop the drooling. I would have her checked out for allergies.

Hi Wendolyn. He will probably stop drooling on his own time. Does he snore? Does he have allergies. My sister in law's son drooled for what seemed like forever and he has allergies. Does he have an overactive parotid gland?? I'm not even sure if that is possible. Just a thought.

Mary C

PS congrats on the second baby!!

My son was drooling up until he was 3 1/2 and then it just stopped. It was a problem when he was concentrating, mostly. He just turned 4 and so far so good. Best of luck.

Just curious if you ever spoke to your pediatrician about this. At 3 years old one would think that the drooling would be gone and maybe there is another problem that hasn't been diagnosed or something.

K.

ask the pediatrician if his tonsils are the culprit. Sometimes it's not controlable because the tonsils block the throat to a point where excess saliva cannot get down. it's not uncommon and I have personally known a child who had that problem. after a tonsilectomy, his drooling stopped. something to check into.

he could potentially benefit from speech therapy for oral motor weaknesses, even if his speech is fine.

He will evenutally stop. My oldest son had perpetual wet shirts in the front until 3 yrs old and I have the pictures to prove it!!! Some kids just are more drooly than others. My other two stopped much earlier. It wouldn't hurt to start reminding him, but rest assured it will stop!

I know quite a bit about excessive drooling. I have a 7yr old that goes back and forth with it. There are alot of things that can cause a child to drool excessively. First I recomend talking to your pediatrician about it and start there. Some kids will drool excessively if they have enlarged tonsils and/or adenoids. Some kids drool excessively if they have Reflux, sinus troubles, ashtma etc. Another factor can be developmentally. Alot of people do not realize that excessive drooling can be a sign for the above mentioned things. For example a child with reflux may not always get heartburn, tummy troubles, puking etc. Excessive drooling is also a sign along with extreme hiccups. Enlarged tonsils and adenoids can cause a child to create extra salavia and cause the drooling. You can also have your child tested for developmental delays through your local board of education to rule that out. In the meantime while you play the rule out game, oh so fun... start reminding your child to swallow and wipe, and if you have to, massage his throat when you remind him to swallow so he gets the idea. You can give him crunchy things to eat (like pretzels, apples, carrots, suckers etc) cuz they tend to help promote the natural swallowing technique.
My 7yr(special needs) had to have tonsils and adenoids removed, he has reflux, asthma, prone to sinus infection and several developmental delays including a sensory defecit. He also has behavior issues and is on meds(one of which can also add to excessive drooling) so we use bibs as much as possible and constant reminders to swollow and wipe. He also has several chew toys he uses( they stimulate different areas of the mouth, cheek and gums).I'm not saying that your child has any or all of the above but why not start by trying to rule things out? Some kids are just naturally excessive droolers. If you do the reminders of swallowing and wiping in a way not to make a big deal of it then you shouldn't have to worry about any complexes either. Just a simple " swallow please" should suffice. Good luck.

Hello Wendolyn,
You have received a lot of good advise from people. But I will just add professionally; I am a speech language pathologist, that I agree with Tara C on the use of sippy cups and pacifiers. If there is any oral motor issues or low muscle tone, than they will significantly increase the delay of motor development.

Check with your pediatrician regarding allergies and enlarged tonsils or adenoids.

Give him verbal feedback regarding his wet face and wiping it off.

If you need a speech and language evaluation, I practice privately in home on the UES.

I hope all goes well and for dry shirts :)

Sincerely,
C.

My daughter is delayed in speech and prone to drooling whenever she's concentrating on something, being very physically active, or getting an increase or change in certain supplements. We just tell her that her chin is wet in a nonchalant, matter-of-fact calm way and she wipes with her sleeve. Use old sock cuffs to make sleeve protectors if you want. In our case, we see the whole move as therapeutic because she reaches across midline, then wipes back to the original side.

We also gently remind her if her mouth is just hanging open. It's partly muscle control and partly a focus issue here. Oh, and she's 3 1/2. It is getting MUCH better!

You made me smile. It happened to my youngest son. I told my pediatrician at the 4 year old check-up and he told me that it sometimes happens. The doctor of course checked that my son didn't have any medical problems, which he didn't. That didn't stop it from driving me crazy, and I kept reminding my son to close his mouth and swallow his saliva. When I took him again at 5, the doctor asked about his drooling and then I realized that I hadn't seen him drool for a few months. To which my pediatrician laughed and said to enjoy it until he starts drooling again at old age. I know I'm not giving you any practical advice, but at least you know that he is not the first child to whom it happens. My son, by the way is a physically normal kid, who came home yesterday with a perfect report card, so rest assured that drooling is not a sign of lack of intelligence.

Hi Wendolyn,
As a speech-language pathologist I always have a few questions to ask the parents of my "droolers". 1. Is he still on a sippy cup? Sippy cups are known to promote weak oral musculature and some kids are more prone to drooling when they have a sippy cup always available to them. If he is on a sippy cup I STRONLY suggest that you tranfer him to a straw cup. One with a thin straw rather than the nubby cups. The smaller the straw opening the harder it is for them to suck and therefore the more oral muscles they are using. It's similar to you drinking a milkshake out of a straw (think of how tight your muscles get).
2. Is he using a pacifier? If yes, try to eliminate it. THe pacifier also has the same effect as a sippy cup.
Other suggestions to reduce drooling include:
1. Increase awareness of the drool: Use statements like "Oh johnny look your mouth is wet. What do we do when our mouth is wet? We make it dry!"
2. Make sure your child's mouth is not open at rest. Encourage him to keep his mouth closed.
3. Try to prevent the drool before it's happening. Make sure that he is swallowing when his mouth is possibly full with drool or if you see the drool beginning to form at his mouth. It's important to make sure he's aware that the drool is happening.

Good luck with everything!!!!!!

AHAHAHAHAHHAHAH!!!
LOL

That it terrible LOL

My oldest used to drool aswell, but at some point he just stopped, I think it was when he learned to keep his head UP instead of looking down all the time, it seemed to keep all the cooties on the inside LOL

While they are little and play head down, its like saliva everywhere.

Keep a bib on him at least he will stay dry.

M

You can wipe his face, show him how to wipe his face, and even tell him to swallow. My situation was different, my youngest has special needs, so I had to actually massage his throat to teach him to swallow, but the most important thing is that you don't let him get used to being wet, it will make it 10 times harder to break if he gets usedto the wet feeling.

Asanother mom said, talk to your pediatrician as a first step. It could be a number of things, or nothing. I took care of a little boy from the time he was 15 mos until he was 3 1/2 - he drooled a LOT! In addition to some speech delays, he had some oral motor issues (including the drooling) that were greatly improved with the help of an Early Intervention Speech Therapist.

hi! i had a child in my toddler room when i used to work in the child care field and he was a massive drooler as well. i just kept reminding him to wipe his mouth and he did. he was a smart kid & picked up on it easily..he was only 2 yrs. old. his sleeve was always wet then but it eliminated me from constantly having to wipe the drool myself which may be easier for you to remind him especially if you are out in public. good luck!

Wendolyn,
I would start with a trip to the Dr. It is possible that you son has allergies or need his tonsils and/or adnoids taken out. It could just be that he forgets to swallow and you can gentley remind him to swallow without giving him a complex. Also make sure his nose is clear with frequent blowing because if he is breathing through his mouth and not his nose this can cause drooling.
S.

Hi,

My almost three year old (as of Monday) has had the exact same problem. Does your son have a problem with his speech at all? We ended up taking Kristian to a speech therapist because we could not understand wheat he was saying. After six months in therapy he has made such improvements in his speech and drooling (it hardly happens anymore). We found that he probably was drooling due to poor muscle tone in his cheeks. Now when he does occasionally let some saliva slip we just tell him "dry mouth please" and he does it automatically himself. Your son may just need some gentle reminders and perhaps go to a therapist (perhaps physical) to help with the muscle tone around his mouth.

Best of luck!!

L.

Does he have nasal issues-allergies- where he cannot breathe through his nose? Otherwise I cannot imagine him doing it on purpose.

If it is a bad habit such as while eating than absolutely remind him consistently to stop.

Parents have to start parenting appropriately without worrying about giving their children complexes. It is our job to teach them right from wrong & give them coping methods. It is a child's job to learn right from wrong & use the coping methods properly. Even if he does get a complex, which is worse - the teasing he'll inevitably get in school from nasty mean kids whose parents didn't want to give them a complex therefore never taught them right from wrong or a consciousness of acceptable behaviors. Good luck.

A.

Talk to your pediatrician Wendolyn, because by 3, he really shouldn't be drooling.