Executes lateral tongue movements
Typical Timing & Development Window
Visual Timeline & Milestone Benchmarks
What these numbers mean
The average age babies first begin showing early signs of this skill. Before this, it's simply too early — there's nothing to worry about.
The midpoint age: half of babies have reached this milestone by here, half a little later. It's a typical target, not a deadline.
How spread out the timing is. About two-thirds of babies achieve it within one standard deviation of the median (the shaded band, wk 32–40). Wide bands mean a normal range of variation.
A gentle check-in point. If your baby hasn't shown this by around here, it can be worth mentioning to your pediatrician — most often it's still perfectly fine, just later.
About this milestone
The infant develops the oral-motor capacity to intentionally move food sideways from the center of the mouth over to the gums or early molars for chewing, rather than simply pushing it straight back to swallow.
- 1. Place small pieces of soft food directly onto the side gums or molars to encourage lateral tongue reaching.
- 2. Provide textured or slightly lumpy puru00e9es to challenge tongue coordination during swallowing segments.
- 3. Use long, soft teething toys that the infant can navigate sideways across their mouth cavity.
- 1. Avoid blending all table foods into completely smooth puru00e9es past 8u20139 months, as this delays lateral tongue development.
- 2. Do not leave the child unmonitored; this lateral transition phase carries an adjustment risk for gagging textures.