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"Dr. G, he chewed one chicken nugget for 45 minutes and then spit it into my hand like it had personally offended him."
That’s how one of my toddler moms started her story. She wasn’t even mad — just emotionally drained, holding a cold nugget and a thousand questions. Why is mealtime so hard?
That same child also only slept if he was on top of her, face down like a baby starfish, snored louder than his dad, and said only two words with total confidence: “No” and “snack.”
It’s funny… until it’s not.
Because here’s what she was really asking me: "Why can’t my toddler eat normal food? Why won’t he sleep? Why is he behind on speech? Am I doing something wrong?"
And the answer was simple — no, she wasn’t. But we did discover that her toddler's eating problems were related to oral restrictions that affected the way he ate, slept, and spoke.
Toddler Eating Problems: The Messy Middle
By this age, you're through the newborn fog — kind of — and expecting things to get easier. But suddenly, your toddler:
Refuses anything that isn’t a pouch, puff, or yogurt tube
Sleeps like a tornado in footie pajamas
Screams every time you brush their teeth
Only chews food like it’s made of rubber
Talks like they’ve created their own language
And the advice you get?
“They’ll grow out of it.”“ Just wait it out.”“ Try giving them broccoli with a smile!”
(Spoiler alert: it’s not the smile. It’s their mouth.)
Toddler Time: When Oral Restrictions Show Themselves Differently
Oral restrictions don't disappear as your baby gets older—they just evolve. In toddlers, the signs often show up in how they speak, eat, and sleep. We look for specific developmental symptoms that might indicate your child's mouth isn't functioning optimally.
Red flags include:
Delayed speech or difficulty with certain sounds (like S, R, L, or TH)
Constant mouth breathing or snoring (yep, even in toddlers!)
Picky eating or aversion to textures
Frequent choking or gagging
Extended mealtimes (where you both end up in tears)
One mom told me, "It's like my toddler is trying to say something in a foreign language—and I'm supposed to be the translator!" That's frustrating for everyone, especially the little one.
Common Symptoms in Toddlers That May Indicate Oral Restrictions:
Speech Development:
Speech delays or unclear pronunciation
Difficulty with certain sounds that should be emerging
Frustrated attempts to communicate
Avoidance of talking in groups or with strangers
Sleep Patterns:
Consistent mouth breathing during sleep
Restless sleep or frequent waking
Snoring or making noise while sleeping
Unusual sleeping positions (like with neck extended)
Eating Behaviors:
Struggling with the transition to solid foods
Gagging or choking on certain textures
Extremely picky eating patterns
Messy eating beyond what's developmentally typical
Preference for soft, pureed foods only
Mealtimes that drag on forever
But Here's the Good News
Toddlers are resilient, and their bodies want to function well. At Agape, we offer kid-friendly, non-invasive therapies that feel more like playtime than dental work.
Our Myobrace® protocol and oral muscle therapies help strengthen the tongue, lips, and jaw, improving speech and eating without surgery. Through our milestone visits, we create a personalized roadmap for your child's development, focusing on early intervention that guides their growth naturally.
During these visits, I'll share what to expect at each stage and how to support your toddler's oral development at home. It's all about empowering you with knowledge while making dentistry a positive experience for your little one.
We'll walk hand-in-hand with your child's speech therapist, myofunctional therapist, or feeding specialist—because you don't have to navigate this alone.
This is Part 2 of a three-part series on identifying oral restrictions in children of different ages. Read Part 1: Infants to learn about symptoms in babies, or continue to Part 3: Children for information about older children.
Contact Agape Pediatric Dentistry
Agape Pediatric Dentistry5185 Peachtree Pkwy, Suite 325Peachtree Corners, GA 30092678-831-5437 | info@agapepediatricdentistry.com
Now accepting new patients from Peachtree Corners, Johns Creek, Duluth, Norcross, Berkeley Lakes, and beyond.