Infant Suck Training Exercises

PRESENTER: Want to have
her in neutral to start.

We always like to start with
a nice, calm baby that's

in this nice awake, alert state.

This is the state for learning.

So we're just going to
start with some cheek rubs.

We're going to go 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

And then squishy
faces 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

Now, we always want to ask
permission to come in the mouth.

So I'm going to pick her
up with my other hand.

And I'm going to
say, can I come in?

Can I come in?

Do you see how she's opening?

So then I'm going to go in.

If her mouth is shut, we're
going to respect her cues.

Then I'm going to
rub on her gums

as if she has teeth
on the bottom.

2, 3, 4, 5.

There we go.

And then I'm going to turn
my finger over and push it up

on the top at the back, where
she's going to eventually have

molars.

And do you see how she's
kind of chewing on my finger?

AUDIENCE: Mm-hmm.

PRESENTER: You want to actually
see her go chew, chew, chew,

chew, chew.

She kind of did a little there.

Let's get your finger
out of your mouth.

And go chew.

[CRIES]

OK.

So if she cries like that,
we're going to respect her cues,

and we're just going
to let her suck.

Because she's telling us,
that's too hard for me.

We're like, OK.

So then we're going to
do a little tug of war.

I'm going to put my finger
on the roof of her mouth,

pushing up on her palate.

And when I push up, that's going
to trigger her suck reflex.

And then I'm going to slowly--

oh, do you see how
she just popped off?

AUDIENCE: Mm-hmm.

PRESENTER: She had no
suction whatsoever.

So I'm going to let her suck,
and then I'm going to slow--

oh.

She's breaking that seal.

So this is the tug of war.

This is to try to get
that tongue stronger.

So suck, suck, suck.

I'm going to slowly pull out.

And she doesn't want to play.

You don't want to
play tug of war?

Suck, suck, suck slow--

there we go.

There's a little bit.

So you can do that tug
of war 5 to 10 times.

She's she's not really into it.

She's just like, whatever.

So then I'm going
to take my finger

and flip it over and just
push down on her tongue

and then pull out.

And the goal is to try to
get her tongue to stick out.

See how it's coming
out over the gums?

AUDIENCE: Mm-hmm.

PRESENTER: Can I come in?

Doo, doo, doo.

AUDIENCE: And you want
it to go over the gum?

PRESENTER: So I'm touching
the middle of her tongue,

and then I'm going
to pull it out.

And usually, you'll see
that tongue stick out

like a little froggy.

AUDIENCE: OK.

PRESENTER: Boop, boop, boop.

Again, I'm asking her
to let me come in.

And--

AUDIENCE: She's saying no.

PRESENTER: --she's
telling me no.

Did you see how her eyes
went from active and engaged

to, like, I'm over it?

AUDIENCE: Yes.

PRESENTER: So this means she is
communicating to me, I'm done.

AUDIENCE: OK.

PRESENTER: OK.

So we're going to
respect her cues.

I'll see one more time if I
can show you a cheek exercise.

Can I come in?

There we go.

Thank you.

So I'm going to go in
her cheek and just pulse.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

Do you see how the
first couple ones,

she closed her
cheeks on my finger

and her tongue kind of moved?

1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

So this side, you saw
she wasn't as active.

AUDIENCE: Yeah.

PRESENTER: So we're
trying to get this side

to do what that side--
this side was perfect.

Hi, little one.

This one really
went [INAUDIBLE].

The muscles contracted.

AUDIENCE: So are these
exercises that prevent

the tie from coming back?

PRESENTER: These are
exercises that help strengthen

and coordinate the tongue.

So we use these as
suck-training exercises

with babies that
have no ties, where

we're trying to teach
strength and range of motion.

And these are great
for babies that

have a tie that we're going to
release to help reteach them

how to use that tongue, to
move the tongue to all planes.

AUDIENCE: Got it.

PRESENTER: And then
there's one more exercise.

We're going to go in, and we're
going to touch the tongue.

And we're going to see if
it follows your finger.

So I'm going to touch
the side of the tongue.

And then I'm going to
tell it to follow me.

So it's follow the leader.

So I'm going to go touch,
touch, touch on the side.

Come follow me.

There it goes.

Touch, touch, touch.

Come follow me.

Touch, touch, touch.

Come follow me.

And then touch, touch, touch.

Come follow me.

Touch touch touch.

See how her tongue's
coming straight out instead

of following on that side?

There it goes.

And then she's getting
better and better.

Now, if she starts
to cry, we're just

going to put our finger back
in and just let her suck.

So the goal is that
our tongue needs

to move side to
side, in and out,

and up and down to have
full range of motion.

So we can teach and
train that tongue

how to do that with
these exercises.

AUDIENCE: Got it.

PRESENTER: All done.

Good job, baby.

AUDIENCE: All right.

Should I stop this?

PRESENTER: Yeah.