Patient's question:
A baby who is three months old was moving their mouth non-stop like sucking milk yesterday evening at around nine o'clock. The mouth was moving as if they couldn't care less. The legs were also moving non-stop, and they were restless, playing with themselves and laughing. Is there really a problem?Doctor's answer:
Six months ago, the sucking action of an infant is entirely for the enjoyment of the need to suck, and thus it is particularly evident in artificially fed infants and infants who are hungry. Sucking reflex is an innate unconditional reflex. When the lips of a small infant less than three months old are touched, it will trigger his sucking reflex. This reflex is a natural instinct for survival and is highly excitable. Therefore, infants, especially those less than three months old, often use their fingers as stimuli to enjoy sucking, showing a strong aversion to sucking their fingers. Breastfed infants can suck milk freely and have more time to enjoy the instinct of sucking, so the phenomenon of sucking fingers is less common in breastfed infants.