Oral stimulation for your preterm baby

About oral stimulation

Babies naturally explore the world through their mouths. This behavior helps them learn about the size, texture and shape of objects. 

Oral stimulation involves gentle touching and exploration of your baby's mouth and face. Using this as part of your routine supports your baby’s development.

Why oral stimulation matters

Oral stimulation does the following:

• Helps the mouth muscles develop to support early feeding skills and coordination.
• Prevents them becoming uncomfortable with anything in/near their mouth, by using positive touch around the face and mouth.
• Supports the transition from tube to oral (by mouth) feeding.
• Encourages comfort and bonding through touch and smell.

How to offer oral stimulation

You play an important role in supporting your baby's early feeding skills. Follow this advice to offer oral stimulation to your baby.

• By offering skin to skin using your bare chest, you offer positive touch around the face and mouth.
• Gentle touch: use calm, predictable touch around your baby’s mouth and face, especially after any procedures. You can also offer gentle kisses around the face and mouth.
• Mouth care: use colostrum, breast milk, or donor milk for gentle mouth care. If your baby is formula-fed, use sterile water. Ask your nursing team to teach you how best to offer mouth care.
• Offer a pacifier or finger to suck on: sucking helps your baby learn rhythm and prepare for oral feeding.
• Offer the breast or pacifier during NGT (nasogastric tube) feeding: this builds the link between sucking and feeling full.
• Dummy dips: dip a pacifier or your clean finger in breast milk or donor milk and offer it to your baby to suck. This helps with soothing, sucking practice, positive tastes, and pain relief. 
• Feeding time: keep feeding times calm and gentle. Hold your baby or rest your hand softly on their head or tummy while sitting next to their cot. This provides positive touch on their skin.

Using oral stimulation as part of your routine supports your baby’s neurodevelopment. Speak to the neonatal nursing team or your speech and language therapist if you have any questions.