PI-176 Suck Training 09/13 Page 1 of 2

File Under Suck TrainingPI-176 (09/98; Revised 06/02, 12/06, 03/07, 08/10, 09/13)University Hospitals ©SMOG 7 / 2 pg.Submitted by: Libby Svoboda

PI-176

Produced by the Department of Nursing Resources11100 Euclid Avenue • Cleveland, Ohio 44106-5000

Suck Training

Your baby’s tongue plays an important role in breast feeding. The baby’s tongue needs to lie on the bottom of the mouth with the tip over the lower gum. As your baby latches toyour breast, his/her tongue helps draw your nipple in and curves gently around the nippleand areola (the pigmented skin around the nipple). Suck training techniques may be helpfulin teaching your baby how to position his/her tongue while feeding

Suck Training

• Wash your hands.• Be sure your fingernails are smooth

and short.• Stroke the middle of your baby’s

lower lip with your index finger toencourage him to open his mouthwidely.

• When your baby opens his mouth,place your finger, with nail sidedown, into the front of your baby’smouth.

• Your baby will suck your finger intohis mouth.

• If your baby’s tongue doesn’t cuparound your finger, stroke the palate(roof of your baby’s mouth), thengently press down on the back ofyour baby’s tongue while strokingthe tongue forward. This will pullyour finger out of your baby’s moutha little bit.

• Allow your baby to suck your fingerback into his mouth.

• Repeat this exercise 3 times or untilyou feel the tongue come forwardover the gum.

Walking Back on the Tongue

• Touch the baby’s cheek with a finger,moving towards her lips. Then brushhis lips a few times with a cleanindex finger to encourage her toopen her mouth.

• Massage the outside of the baby’sgums with the index finger,beginning each stroke at the middleof the baby’s upper or lower gumand moving toward either side.

• When the baby opens her mouth,use the tip of the index finger topress firmly on the top of the tip ofthe baby’s tongue and count slowly tothree before releasing the pressure.

• Release the pressure, keeping thefinger in the baby’s mouth, andmove back a little farther on thetongue, pressing again to a count ofthree.

• Move back on the tongue one or twomore times.

• Try to avoid gagging the baby. If thebaby gags, notice how far back yourfinger was in the baby’s mouth andavoid putting it in that far back thenext time.

PI-176 Suck Training 09/13 Page 2 of 2

• Repeat the entire “tongue walk”three or four times before eachnursing.

Pushing the Tongue Down and Out

• Put a clean upturned index finger(with a trimmed fingernail) into thebaby’s mouth with the fingernail sidepressing gently on the baby’s tongue.

• Leave the finger in that position forabout thirty seconds while the babysucks on it.

• Turn the finger over slowly so thatthe finger pad is on the baby’stongue and push down on his tonguewhile gradually pulling the finger outof his mouth.

• Repeat this exercise several timesbefore latching the baby onto thebreast.

For additional help with suck training,contact a speech and language oroccupational therapist for additional helpwith breastfeeding sucking problems.

For help, call:

University MacDonaldLactation Center

East: 216-595-5354West: 440-250-2035

References:

Riordan, Jan & Wambach, Karen“Breastfeeding and Human Lactation,”4th edition, Jones & Bartlett, 2010