Want to learn how to do tongue tie therapy with your baby at home? Of course formal therapy one-on-one with a skilled professional is ideal, but not always possible. This guide will help teach you activities and exercises that can help your baby with tongue tie or lip tie. These exercises are great to do before a tongue tie release and/or lip tie release and also work great as post-op exercises for an optimal result. This guide may also help your baby if you decide not to do a release. If your baby has another condition that involves reduced tongue mobility and oral dysfunction, this guide can help them too!
Babies with tongue tie often have body tension, asymmetries, a high hard palate, a retracted lower jaw, mouth breathing, and/or feeding issues. Older children with a history of tongue tie can have long-term issues if not properly treated. Comprehensive treatment can help to ensure functional feeding, nasal breathing, symmetrical motor skills, and proper speech development.
If formal therapy is not available in your area or if you are stuck on a wait list, this guide is a great first place to start!
If you have identified that your baby has a tongue tie, it is a good time to start working with baby’s mouth and body now! Spending 3-4 weeks doing pre-op exercises is ideal to prepare the tongue muscle and achieve an optimal result. This guide contains activities and exercises for you to do with baby’s tongue, upper lip, roof of the mouth, face, and body. These same activities should be included with baby’s post-operative exercises beginning the following morning after the procedure.
If your baby has feeding issues, please be sure to seek a formal assessment from a lactation consultant or feeding therapist
