One of the most common things that parents notice when they are watching their child is whether or not there is a baby lip quiver.
This can be very alarming to new parents, but it doesn’t have to be if you know what it means.
We look into what causes this quivering and how you should react to it so that your baby remains happy and healthy!
What is baby lip quivering?
Baby lip quivering is a condition that occurs when an infant’s lips shake uncontrollably.
It can be due to any number of factors like being cold, hungry or tired; however, it often subsides by the time they are six months old.
Babies have an immature nervous system and until it is more fully developed, they might have problems controlling some of their muscles. This can include the lip muscles, which is why you might see them quiver.
The shaking may only last for seconds at first but some babies (very few) continue this behavior well into adulthood.
It is called muscle tics, and it causes the lips to continuously shake or twitch.
Some people are able to control when they have a tic attack while others cannot prevent their bodies from shaking at all times.
6 Reasons Why A Baby’s Lip Quivers And Tips To Ease It!
This is something that many people don’t really understand.
Lip quivering can be caused by a few different things, and it depends on what you see your child doing when they are lip quivering for you to know exactly why the behavior is occurring.
There are several reasons why a baby’s lip quivers. They include:
Immature Nervous System Usually Causes a Quivering Lip
The immature nervous system is the most common reason for a quivering lip in a newborn baby.
As mentioned before, this is because their brains and bodies are still developing, so some things in their nervous system like muscle control might not be as strong yet.
This will usually go away as they get older, but until then it is perfectly normal.
Hunger
When a baby is hungry, they may start to quiver because their stomach is empty.
This is one of the most common reasons for this type of quivering and it’s easy to fix!
Just feed your baby some food and they should stop quivering in no time.
Excitement or Happiness
Babies sometimes quiver because they are happy.
Sometimes, when babies are excited about something or feel a lot of happiness, their lips will quiver on the side that feels those emotions.
If you notice your baby’s lip quivering for no apparent reason and not just being hungry, there is a chance that it might be due to this type of excitement.
Cold Causing Lip Quivering
Babies can also start to quiver when they are cold.
In this case, you will need to warm them up and give them some clothes or a blanket to keep them comfortable.
This can even cause baby’s jaw trembling which can be a bit of a shock to see, but is usually nothing to worry about.
Fear Causes Lip Quivering
If a baby is scared or feels threatened, their lip may start quivering as well.
This is usually accompanied by other signs of fear, such as a rapid heartbeat or sweating.
Fatigue Causes Lip Trembling
Sometimes babies will quiver when they are tired.
If this is the case, you should try to get them into bed and give them some rest so that they can recover from their fatigue!
Your Baby Has Wind Causing The Lips Quiver
When babies are gassy, they can sometimes show signs of it by quivering their lips.
This is a common thing for them to do when the gas builds up in their intestines and makes it hard for them to breathe through their nose since there isn’t room due to all of the air that’s coming from inside!
When to Panic About Your Baby’s Lips Quivering!
When your baby’s lip starts to quiver and it doesn’t seem to be caused by any of the reasons above, you should contact your doctor to make sure that there isn’t a medical condition at fault for their quivering.
If they are just tired or cold then it’s nothing to worry about, but if not then you need to take action!
Whilst baby’s lip twitching is normally nothing to worry about, it’s just the child’s nervous system struggling as the baby matures, any other significant symptoms like limbs trembling should be seen by your medical professional.
How To Stop It When A Baby’s Lip Starts Quivering
If your baby’s lip is quivering because they are hungry, then you can easily stop it by feeding them.
If the quivering is due to excitement or happiness, then there isn’t anything that you can do to stop it and it will usually go away on its own.
However, if the quivering is caused by fear or fatigue, then you can follow some steps to help your baby feel less afraid or fatigued.
If your child is scared, try taking them into a quiet room where there aren’t many loud noises and they won’t be frightened by anything that happens around them.
You can also gently rock them in your arms if they seem like they need comfort when sitting still makes them scared.
If your baby is fatigued, try putting them into a comfortable position and rubbing their back or head until they fall asleep. You can also try giving them a pacifier if they usually take one to help them relax.
It’s important that you remember that quivering lips are common in babies and it doesn’t always mean that there is something wrong.
However, if you know the reason why your baby’s lip is quivering and it isn’t because of hunger or excitement/happiness then be sure to contact your doctor or medical professional right away!
He can undertake blood tests to see if they are low in blood sugar or conduct cerebrospinal fluid tests which look at various factors.
When should my baby’s lips stop trembling?
Don’t be alarmed when your baby quivers or even if there are teeth chattering, it’s a perfectly normal reaction in your baby until their nervous system develops.
Around the age of two months old or when they achieve more muscle control, lip quivering should disappear.
If the lip trembling is accompanied by other symptoms or even a birth defect is present then it may be more than an underdeveloped nervous system and might be time to call your child’s doctor.
If trembling lips is the only symptom, then rest assured this is common in newborn babies!
Why does my baby’s bottom lip swell?
If your baby’s lower lip starts to swell up, it could be due to a few different things.
The first thing that you should do is check their face for any signs of injury or cuts on the lips because if there are then you need to take action!
If this isn’t an issue, then read on and discover what else could be causing your baby’s lip to swell.
One of the most common reasons for a baby’s bottom lip swelling up is because they are teething.
When a baby starts to teeth, their gums will become swollen and this can lead to the bottom lip becoming enlarged as well.
If you think that this might be the reason for your baby’s swollen lip, then you should try giving them something to chew on. It doesn’t matter what the teething toy is, so long as it provides some relief for their gums and lips!
If your child still has not started to teeth yet, or they have but this hasn’t caused any swelling of the bottom lip, then you should contact your doctor to make sure that there isn’t an underlying medical condition at fault.
It is also possible for the lips of a baby to swell up due to allergies, so if this happens and it doesn’t go away after giving them some time or trying something else, then your child might be allergic to something! In order for this to be treated, your doctor will need to do some tests.
If you don’t want to wait for an appointment with the doctor or if you think that there isn’t a medical cause behind why your baby’s lip is swelling up then try gently rubbing their gums and lips with a cold compress!
If this doesn’t work, try warming the compress up before rubbing it on their face and see if that makes a difference.
This might not seem like the most effective way to stop your baby’s bottom lip from swelling, but trust us when we say that this really works!
If you have time (and access), run them a warm bath with some salt in it because the heat of the bath and the salt will help to reduce the swelling.
Take Away
We hope this has put your mind at ease as to why your babies lips quiver! Remember if you see the bottom lip quivers, it’s nothing to panic about and a baby quivering is normally a perfectly normal reaction.
If there are birth defects or pregnancy complications you might want to see your Doctor for advice or perhaps some physical therapy if this lasts for an extended period.
