Despite the fact that it's a common condition, tongue tie is often overlooked in the early days of life. Many times the symptoms are misinterpreted as part of a different condition, which leaves you struggling to help your child overcome the problem. One of the keys to identifying and addressing tongue tie is to understand the symptoms yourself. Here's a look at what you need to know about tongue tie and how it may exhibit in your baby.

Latching Issues

Infants with tongue tie struggle with a proper breastfeeding latch. You may notice that your baby falls off the breast easier than you'd expect or has trouble forming a proper latch. In some cases, he or she may even gum your nipple when you're nursing.

General Nursing Issues

Babies with tongue tie also struggle with feedings in general. You may notice that he or she isn't able to drain the breast during feedings or chokes on milk during feedings. Gasping for air while nursing is another common symptom. You might notice that your child drifts off to sleep periodically during nursing or spends a lot of time doing extended nursing.

During feedings, you might hear clicking noises while your child is sucking. This happens due to the ineffective latch that's formed. This can also lead to irritation and pain on your nipples. As teeth come in, you might even notice that your baby bites your nipple. This happens in an attempt to maintain the latch on the nipple.

Other General Problems

Babies with tongue tie frequently struggle to hold a bottle or a pacifier. In addition, you might notice that your baby is excessively gassy. Since your child isn't able to latch properly, he or she will swallow a lot of air, leading to the gas problems. Poor eating will also frequently lead to poor weight gain, which your pediatrician may notice. Finally, kids with tongue tie will often drool excessively.

Since tongue tie isn't typically diagnosed unless your child's doctor is specifically looking for it, you need to know what to watch for. With this information, you can more easily identify the symptoms that would warrant a call to the pediatrician or a pediatric dentist for a tongue tie frenectomy. Don't dismiss symptoms just because a care provider doesn't see the connection. Often parents are the first to see the collection of symptoms that point to a condition, so the more you understand, the easier it will be to get a diagnosis and treatment.