When you have a baby, you should pay attention to any changes in your body, since any symptom can be an indicator that something is not working properly. Although it may seem a lie, through the tongue we can make sure the health status of a baby, since its color helps pediatricians recognize diseases or disorders that are affecting the child. You want to know more?
If you have noticed that your child’s tongue has become more pale or whitish, then we give you the answer to the question you have probably asked yourself: why does my baby have a white tongue? Read carefully and discover that it hides behind the color change of your child’s tongue.
Baby’s tongue
The tone of a baby’s tongue is usually pink or light red, but if you notice that it has lost color, it will become an indicator that something is not working properly. Thanks to examine the tongue of a creature, pediatricians can recognize various diseases and disorders, since this organ gives us many clues and signs. For parents, although the exam is less accurate than that of the doctor, observing the tongue can also help to notice certain problems, although passengers, that the child may be suffering.
Of course, you should not become obsessed, since there are different reasons why you can find abnormalities or a different appearance in your child’s tongue and that they are not indicators of any type of disorder, from breastfeeding to furrows that can cause the Food is stagnant and the child suffers from bad breath. It is not necessary to generate a state of alarm for each anomaly that you find in your baby’s tongue, but it is important that you be attentive to it to avoid infections, bacteria or other diseases. Next, we talk specifically about the color changes of the creature’s tongue.
Whiter tongue
If you notice that your baby’s tongue has acquired a whitish tone, do not listen to popular diagnoses such as “you have a dirty stomach.” The causes of this tone reduction can be diverse. Often, you will notice that the child accumulates traces of saliva in his tongue, of a white tone, and this is not a symptom of any pathology. It may also be that a thin whitish layer appears on the organ, which is an indicator that the saliva has been chemically altered, why? The answers are varied: since the child breathes frequently through the mouth, because he has a cold and occasionally does not breathe through the nose, or because he is taking antibiotics or other medications.
The importance of the baby having a white tongue is that it has other symptoms or lesions, which will act as indicators of other pathologies. The most frequent are:
- Gastroenteritis: during episodes of gastroenteritis, fluids are lost, which results in some dehydration. In the case of babies, dry mouth can warn a whitening of the surface of the tongue. He thinks that this unusual appearance of the tongue may be the consequence of the dryness of the baby’s salivary secretions.
- Muget: this is one of the most common diseases among babies with white tongue and usually appears during the period of breastfeeding. On this occasion, the whitish aspect of the tongue will be observed in the form of spots. It is an infection that produces the so-called candida albicans, a fungus that is installed in the inner part of the mouth affecting lips, cheeks, palate and tongue. You can get confused thinking that they are leftovers of milk but, if you try to remove them, you will notice that they do not detach from your child’s oral cavity. Attention, although it is an infection, you should not be alarmed since it does not have any severity, especially if it is not accompanied by other symptoms such as fever. Of course, it will be important to carry out an antifungal treatment to be able to eliminate the fungus from your child’s mouth that, during this stage, can generate some rejection towards food.
Although these are the two most common diseases for which the baby can present a whiter tongue, there are other causes that can lead to the burning of that organ. Another possibility is that the child lacks hemoglobin, that is, red pigmentation. In this case, if the pale tongue is accompanied by tiredness, the baby could be suffering from anemia.
For whatever reason, it is important that you go to your pediatrician if you notice that your baby’s tongue has turned white. He will be able to offer you a correct diagnosis and adequate treatment so that the creature recovers the tone of its tongue and moves away from any type of infection or pathology.
Red tongue
Although it is much more colorful to observe that a baby’s tongue has been whitened, the very red tone can also denote certain pathologies or disorders in the child. Namely:
- Canker sores: In the event that the salivary glands become inflamed, your baby will be suffering from canker sores, also known as sores or canker sores. Its appearance can be due from an infection to nutritional deficiencies (lack of vitamin B12, iron or folic acid). You will notice that the tongue becomes redder and that reddened or even whitish spots appear on cheek, palate or under the tongue.
- Geographical language:this disorder is benign and asymptomatic. You will notice it because irregular spots appear on your baby’s tongue and get this name because it will look like a map. Although the causes of the disorder are not known, we know that it may be a symptom of allergy or vitamin B deficiency. Although it does not require specific treatment and is not bothersome for the creature, we advise you to go to the doctor to find the cause of the geographical language
As we have already highlighted above, you should observe your baby’s tongue to check that everything is going correctly and that he has no health problems. The changes in the language are usually temporary and, although you should always see a pediatrician in case of doubt, you should not be alarmed unless the child manifests other more severe symptoms.
