One question I get often from parents as a speech-language pathologist and feeding therapist is whether tongue ties can affect starting solids? The short answer is yes, it’s possible! Why? Well, when tongue has limited mobility it can impact a baby’s ability to manipulate and consume solid foods effectively. In this blog post, we will explore the implications of tongue ties on starting solid foods further and I will offer strategies to help you navigate this stage with more ease.

3 Ways Tongue Ties Affect Eating Solid Foods

Tongue ties can pose challenges when transitioning to solid foods. Here’s are 3 ways they can affect this stage:

1. Difficulty manipulating and moving foods: Babies with tongue ties have restricted mobility, which can affect their ability move their tongue side to side, and up and down to manage and chew different textures of food. Because of this, a baby may gag excessively, swallow foods whole, pocket foods, spit foods out, or have difficulty clearing foods from their mouth.
2. Difficulty progressing from purees to textured foods: Proper mastication, or chewing, is crucial for breaking down food into manageable pieces for swallowing. Restricted mobility of the tongue can restrict advancing chewing skills. As a result babies may develop a preference for softer or smoother foods as they require less tongue movement. This ultimately can limit a baby’s exposure to a variety of solids foods and result in a very limited repertoire.
3. Sensory challenges: Restricted tongue movement can also affect the baby’s ability to safely explore different food textures and flavors, resulting in aversions and/or reluctance to try new foods, especially to textured foods that may be more difficult to manage.

Tips for Starting Solids

• Optimal Positioning: Ensure your baby is seated in a supportive upright position during mealtime to help them stabilize their whole body and focus their attention and energy on exploring and trying new foods. This can also help minimize the risk of choking. We love high chairs that can grow with your baby like the Abiee Beyond High Chair or Stokee Trip Trap High Chair.
• Modify Food Textures: We love using a combination approach for all babies! This simply means simultaneously offering both smooth foods and solids foods to your baby. You can gradually progress to varying textures at a rate that both you and your baby are comfortable with. For example, you may first offer yogurt and progress to offering yogurt with mashed fruit or sprinkle coconut flakes for added texture. When offering solid foods, it’s best to prepare them long, stick shapes. This helps encourage your baby to take bites on the side towards their back molars and provides opportunities for their tongue to move to the side as they chew.
• Patience and Persistence: Introducing solid foods to any baby, tied or not, is a gradual process. Give yourself and your baby time to practice and adjust to new tastes, textures, and movements involved in eating. Offer a variety of foods and give your baby repeated opportunities to self-feed and explore foods!
• Seek Professional Guidance: If you have concerns about the presence of a tongue tie and it’s affect on your baby’s feeding skills, we encourage you to consult with a feeding therapist such as a speech-language pathologist (SLP) or occupational therapist (OT) who can assess your baby’s oral motor skills and provide you with personalized advice based on their specific need.

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Starting solid foods is an important stage in your baby’s growth and development. While tongue ties can present challenges, with proper support and strategies, you can raise a happy, healthy, and adventurous eater!

Want to learn more? Access the the replay of my Starting Solids + Beyond Workshop today! Or contact me today to set up a consultation.