Infant Drooling

Dear Lisa,

Is it normal for a 25 day old baby to be having saliva dribbling from its mouth?

“Worried Mum”

Dear “Worried Mum”,

Typically infants do not have the ability to swallow their saliva efficiently. Just like the rest of the muscles in a baby’s body, the muscles in the head, face, mouth, jaw and neck need to develop. Until their muscles develop, infants tend to drool or salivate and you may find that saliva drips out of their mouth. By the time a baby is between 4 to 6 months old they gain better head and neck control, their suck and swallow improves and they are better able to handle their secretions. It is at this time that you would expect their drooling to diminish, but unfortunately it tends to continue because this is the same time that teething usually begins.

So to answer your question, yes it is normal for newborns to drool. If your baby is consolable, eating well, gaining weight, free from respiratory symptoms and without fever there is no need for concern. One of the most common causes of drooling in infancy is due to teething, but it is unlikely that this is the case with your baby. Six months is the average age for the first tooth eruption and it is not usual for a baby to teeth at one month old. Although, some babies develop teeth earlier and some develop teeth later. There actually have been cases where a baby is born with teeth already in their mouth! The signs of teething include red swollen gums, irritability, rubbing at the gums, crying, difficulty feeding, drooling and restlessness. (1) If you inspect the mouth of a teething child you may feel or see the teeth underneath the gums.

Besides teething, excess salivation or drooling may be due to nausea, mouth sores, an abnormality of the airway, pain in the throat or certain infections. (1) If your baby developed a sudden onset of drooling or excess salivation along with difficulty feeding, labored breathing, stridor (a high pitched inspiratory sound), changes in the sound of his cry, a weak cry, insufficient weight gain, irritability, fever, mouth sores or developmental delay this would call for an evaluation by your healthcare provider as soon as possible.

You can help your baby develop and improve his oral motor skills by allowing him to suck. All babies have a natural need to suck during the first 6 months of life and you can help satisfy this need through the use of a pacifier. Some parents are cautious about introducing a pacifier because they are afraid that it will become a habit. A habit will not occur if you discontinue the pacifier use at 6 months old when an infant naturally overcomes the need to suck.

In most cases an infant’s muscle tone and coordination will improve on its own without intervention. Occasionally, a child doesn't develop increased muscle tone and coordination with age as expected. Instead they develop hypotonia or low muscle tone which results in symptoms such as delayed speech development, persistent drooling, problems feeding, difficulty with the introduction of new foods, and difficulty drinking from a cup. Children with these symptoms should be evaluated by their Doctor or Nurse Practitioner and would benefit from the expertise of a Speech Therapist that specializes in oral-motor therapy.

All Infants should have periodic physical examinations in order to monitor growth and development and screen for health deviations. This is an an opportune time for you to discuss your baby’s behavior, growth and development with his Doctor or Nurse Practitioner.

(1) Chow M, Durand B, Feldman M, Mills M. Handbook of Pediatric Primary Care. Albany, New York:Delmar Publishers Inc. 1984: 674-685.

Lisa-ann Kelly R.N., P.N.P.,C.
Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner

Pediatric Advice About Keeping Your Baby Healthy