my 22 month old son swallows his tongue?

Question

if my 22 month old son does not get what he wants he starts screaming, and when he gets really bad he holds his breath and ends up swallowing his tongue.. its happened twice now but the last time it happened he went floppy and really scared us.. every time he cries we are constantly worrying that he'll do it again. please dont reply with stupid answers as this is a serious question.

he does swallow his tongue, his tongue flips back and virtually disappears. we have trouble trying to get it to flip back the right way.

Answer 1

Oh thats horrid for parents that is, its a hard question too as its finding a middle where you dont overspoil him as then he'll play on it have you tried distracting him i was given this advice from a nursery nurse and it works for me as i have a head banging biter!!! and we just pick him up and say things like oh look at the birdies/planes/cars/firman sam anything or i know shall we draw shall we make dinner are you going to help and it sounds simple and i know its not but in time its worked for me you can but ry good luck xx

Answer 2

Breath holding during a temper tantrum is actually pretty common. Do not give in or he will continue with the behavior. Try blowing on his face to make him breath, this works with many children, or pat him on the back until he calms down enough to breath normally. It is a reflex to breath so it is very difficult for him to actually hurt himself doing this. And unless he has a very long tongue, which the doctor would have said something about. it is impossible to swallow your tongue. That is a wives tale. When a person is unconscious the tongue will slide back and limit air flow but it is not swallowed. Tilting the head back puts the tongue back in cavity between the teeth.Stay calm and ask him what he wants and to use his words. The more freaked out you are, the more he will be. Unfortunatly this is the terible twos and temper tantrums are part of it. This is the age where there vocabulary is no where near their menal speed and frustrations are very high.

If he does stop breathing (and i don't think he will) of course call 911 and consult you doctor about way to deal with it.

Good luck!

Answer 3

when i yell at my son who is 21/2 to keep him away from something dangerous, or when he really hurts himself, he'll cry really hard, start to turn blue (a little) before he takes in the next breath. he has never passed out, but darn close, and in my son's instance, it isn't a temper tantrum, just when he's startled/scared or injured. I have 2 older children who have never done this, so I understand. I am not a proponent of "spanking" per say, however, (I can't say that I have never spanked my kids) I don't think spanking your kids butt in this instance will help. I agree with the above answer that this probably just a stage. What makes you think he is swallowing his tongue? That isn't possible, even with a seizure. Talk to the doc, that is the first step. Maybe keep track of what triggers these episodes, any other signs or symptoms before hand (headache, crying episode, wetting himself-hard to tell with diapers, staring into "space". The doctor will want details. Good luck.

Answer 4

Speak to your GP or nurse about this....they should be able to offer advice!

however dont be afraid to confront your child else you'll have more difficulties as you get older. Just be aware of what he does so you can make sure the area is sfe and you are there to step in!

Also when he gets into temper try distracting him (but not giving in) away from the behaviour! X

Answer 5

It's impossible to swallow your tongue. He isn't going to swallow his tongue and choke on it.
But his holding his breath is something you should tell his pediatrician. The doctor can tell you what to do when he does that to snap him out of his fit.
That's what he is doing. Throwing a temper tantrum.
He isn't going to hurt himself by holding his breath.
He will pass out and start breathing again. He won't die.
And it's not physically possible to swallow your tongue.
This is a stage he is going through. Sounds like he is in the terrible two's already.
Good luck and don't panic.

Answer 6

I work with students elemantary aged who have significant developmental disisbilities. And all credit should go to lol21t she has it right. it is a natural stage for any baby to go though. I by no mean want to tell you how to raise your child but one stratagy used on young children and older students who are non verbal is to use visuals (pictures instead of words) somthing like a tounge with the universal hash mark though it. also for any infant/toddler i suggest basic sign language its quicker and easier to learn then spoken english ( i do not mean it as a subsitute for speaking but as a suplement) just be mindful of all child behaviors as licking by its self is not a problem it could be but one symptom of somthing larger such as autism (affecting 1 in 4 babies today) if you are concerd about this research autism and its symptoms if concerns presist talk to your pediatrition

Answer 7

if this question is such a serious issue to you then why ask on a forum like this when you know all that is going to come back to you is go to your gp/dr etc
- as a worried parent i would have gone to the dr/gp rather then sit at my pc asking the general public for advice!!

Answer 8

First of all when your son starts to hold his breath you need to get serious with him. No nice mommy and daddy. Now I don't mean beat the kid when i say you need to smack him when he does that. Kids need to know that that is not something to do. They need to understand they are doing wrong. So when your boy starts to hold his breath smack his but just hard enough to get his attention maybe leave a little and i mean little sting. he needs to know that he cant get everything he wants.

Answer 9

talk to you doctor about it. my Daughter used to hold her breath too. the doctor said to keep a squirt gun handy. when the tantrums start, squirt the child with it. you would be surprised how quickly they change their attitude. it only takes a couple of times for them to figure out, their going to get wet if they don't knock it off.

Answer 10

It sounds like he may be having some sort of seizure. I think you should have him checked by the doctor, explaining the symptoms.