# Sticking out tongue?



## mf_colon

Hi mama's!

I just had a question. My DD is almost 4 months- she is healthy, alert and an overall very good baby.







However, she is always sticking out her tongue. I was just curious to know if this is normal infant behaviour? She is EBF so does that have something to do with it? I know she will probably outgrow it in a few months but was interested in knowing about this from other mothers.

Thanks!


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## Kailey's mom

believe or not that's a key sign that your baby is overstimulated. Kailey did this quite a bit until she was about 6 or 7 months old.


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## merrick

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Kailey's mom* 
believe or not that's a key sign that your baby is overstimulated. Kailey did this quite a bit until she was about 6 or 7 months old.

Wow! I never knew that. DD did this a lot as well when she was younger.


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## boscopup

My first son loved to stick out his tongue in response to us doing it. And he wasn't overstimulated or anything. Just liked to do this new found trick!







It actually became his way of telling someone he liked them later on. LOL.

My second son has never stuck his tongue out, although he started out with a short tongue (made latching on difficult, but we got through it). He *can* stick it out - there's no frenulum problem or anything. He just doesn't want to. Although if I move my tongue side-to-side, he'll sit there and move his tongue around, trying to mimic my tongue movement. Funny to watch.


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## 2 in August

Ds is almost 10mo and does it all the time. Dd did it too. I never heard of the overstimulation idea. I'll have to watch to see if it fits for ds. I think he does it just because he can. He knows that I'll stick mine back out and we make funny faces together and laugh.


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## mamadelbosque

My son _LOVES_ it when you stick out your tongue at him.. and will fairly frequently respond by doing hte samething!! Its quite funny, really... he'll start to laugh, keep sticking his tounge out... and then get upset because he got (predictably







the hiccups!!







:


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## Kailey's mom

here's a link, look under stress signs


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## mbhf

i've never heard of it being a sign of over stimulation. my oldest and my youngest both did this as babies, always while smiling. it is the cutest thing ever and we call it "berry tongue" because their little tongues look like tiny strawberries. they always seem really happy when they do it?


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## LaughingHyena

I don;t know about babies but I've been told that older children (ad adults) often stick thier tounges out when concentrating, especially on fine motor type things. Apparently sticking your tounge out reduces the ammout of brain power used to keep it under control in your mouth, thus freeing up the brain for whatever it is you are cencentrating on.


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## JustKiya

Quote:


Originally Posted by *LaughingHyena* 
I don;t know about babies but I've been told that older children (ad adults) often stick thier tounges out when concentrating, especially on fine motor type things. Apparently sticking your tounge out reduces the ammout of brain power used to keep it under control in your mouth, thus freeing up the brain for whatever it is you are cencentrating on.

Hahaah!! Really?? My mom does this ALL the time, and I catch myself doing it sometimes too - esp. when sewing...


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## fastyfeet

I've heard that tongue sticking can be related to teething. They keep bringing their tongue out to feel the new bumps on their gums.

Seen any signs of teeth?


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## sheilajolene

Quote:


Originally Posted by *fastyfeet* 
I've heard that tongue sticking can be related to teething. They keep bringing their tongue out to feel the new bumps on their gums.

Seen any signs of teeth?

nak
ds does this all the time and is seriously teething.


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## karen1968

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Kailey's mom* 
here's a link, look under stress signs

Those are stress signs for a peemie, though. I'm not sure they would be the same for full-term healthy babies. Anyway, my DS did this a LOT from 2 weeks through about 10 weeks, at all times of day - even when first waking up, which kind of puts the lie to "stress sign." So, maybe it CAN be a stress sign, but doesn't mean that it always is. He's almost 14 weeks and doesn't do it much anymore.


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## frenchie

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Kailey's mom* 
here's a link, look under stress signs

Perhaps this is just a reference to premature babies...at least that's what I gather from the link. My daughter does it all the time....even at the least stimulating time...at night, in bed just chilling.


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## pinksprklybarefoot

My ds seem to do it when he is hungry. Or maybe he is just trying to be cute.









for example:

share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AbMWbNk5aNWLwQ


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## elyag

My DD did this.. only because we taught her though.







She would do it every time we did it.


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## Kailey's mom

Quote:


Originally Posted by *frenchie* 
Perhaps this is just a reference to premature babies...at least that's what I gather from the link. My daughter does it all the time....even at the least stimulating time...at night, in bed just chilling.

Could just be a preemi thing, I don't have any experiencew/sticking out tongue and ft infants







since my dd was a preemi. I can tell you tho when she did this, she also had a disressed look about her, and it was always when people were over, when she was tired, or out in public.


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## 2Sweeties1Angel

My 4 month old sticks her pointy little tongue out all the time and has since birth. I seriously doubt she's overstimulated since we never really do anything. Besides, she cries on the rare occasions she does get overstimulated.


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## mamamille

my dd did this for a while (I think they do it around 4 mo) I think it as trying to taste life- ykwim? also we fostered some dogs last month and she started to stick out her tongue, and not put it back in! It was so funny because she totally was doing what the dogs were doing.


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## BetsyS

I just realized that my son doesn't stick his tongue out!! Ah, for him to wake up from his nap, so I can teach him this new trick.


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## hannah8ball

DD started doing this about 4.5 mos... she was using it like some sort of greeting... someone would say hi, and DD would smile and then stick out her tongue, which, of course, elicited laughs from the adult, so she kept doing it.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/254/5...b9341e97_b.jpg

Now at 5 mos, she just sticks out her tongue when she is trying to get ahold of an elusive toy (or cat)


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## letniaLynne

My mom taught my DD how to do it when she was 7wks old! It was hilarious







Here are a few pics.








Tongue 7wks
Tongue 7wks
Tongue 2mths

It became such a crazy thing that was special between my mom and her that she began greeting my mom by sticking her tongue out. Soo cute


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## ncas72

Oh my...DS is now 10.5 months and he has had his tongue out since he was two weeks old thanks to DH. Both he and DH communicate that way.







The first thing he does when DH gets home is stick his tongue out at him.

2 weeks old

9 months old


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## danna

In many babies it's a sign of wanting to engage. I would take it as a cue that your baby is curious and interested in the world around her!


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