Excessive drooling of almost 3 year old

[ThomsonandThompson]

My DS (2 years 7 months) has been drooling excessively for the past 2 months. We constantly change tops. I have checked his gums and I think all his teeth are out, so I am not sure it is teething. Everything goes in his mouth as he seems to need to calm whatever it is that he is feeling. He is non-verbal so he cannot tell me what it wrong. I kept thinking it will go away and/or it is teething, but now I am worried. He keeps sticking all his fingers in his mouth.

Should I take him to the GP? I am just worried I will get the default "go away and it will get better" and just look stupid or a time waster.

Any pointers would be appreciated?

My DD2 was like this, and needed to wear bibs to stop shirts getting soaked.

At 2.5 she was still on 3 bottles of milk a day (complicated early history).

We found it improved a lot when she turned 3 after the milk/bottles had been phased out.

She has poor muscle tone and delayed motor skills. Also delayed verbally but linking 3 words by age 3. Default 'resting' position for mouth was slightly open. Probably only in last 2 years (she is now 11) that I have been able to stop having to occasionally remind her to suck dribble in when she is concentrating.

Have you had general development checks? Pre-verbal at 2.7 should be being flagged up somewhere I should think.

Is he potty trained? I only ask because DS1 was like this and it literally stopped within a day of him being potty trained. We think it was linked to control, but never saw a doctor so could be speculation

Thank you very much! Yes he does possibly have poor muscle tone, unstable gait (how the reports put it) and hypermobility, however, his drooling had stopped. Now it has picked up again and everything goes into his mouth.

Interesting, he still has his one bottle in the morning and one before bedtime. I will phase those out.

They don't know what his "condition" is. It's under review. Lots of muscle/neurological issues have been ruled out so none of the obvious glaring conditions.

There are things you can do to help muscle tone in mouth such as blow bubbles through a straw. I'm sure google can come up with a list.

However you can't really 'solve' things like this as far as I understand. More do exercises/activities that help improve.

DD2 now age 11 is still behind in motor skills, but she can ride a bike and swim, and do hamma beads.

Thank you so much again. He is not potty trained as he does not show any of the signs of being ready. We are waiting for when he is 3 to have a proper go at that.

I will keep an aye on it for next month and then maybe brave a trip to the GP. Will update if anything is identified or mentioned

DD wasn't potty trained until 3.5. Again motor skills issue.

Speech delay and speech issues are often linked to motor skills.
Even now age 11 DD struggles to sing along to fast songs as she can't get her mouth around the words fast enough.

If you are not under a paediatrician then I think definitely worth seeing GP, and sooner rather than later as there may well be long waiting lists. (e.g. We waited for 6 months for DD's first set of speech therapy from referral)

We had an excellent book 'Baby Talk' by Dr Sally Ward. Excellent at explaining how to encourage speech, but also where developmentally a child should be, what toys they needed etc. Very readable, not like a text book. maybe your local library could source it for you.

Speak to slt get full oromotor assessment.
You can try patches to dry up the drool

Also physio as can be related to posture