A one-month-old baby with a thick white coating on the tongue is usually caused by residual milk stains after breastfeeding or an immature digestive system. In this situation, parents may consider taking the child to a pediatrician for a professional assessment and appropriate care recommendations.
During infancy, due to the incomplete development of salivary glands and insufficient saliva secretion, babies find it difficult to clean the milk stains on their tongues, leading to a thick white coating. This is one of the normal physiological phenomena. Additionally, because an infant’s digestive system is delicate, improper diet or a chill to the abdomen may cause digestive issues, one of the manifestations being a white-coated tongue.
To address the situation mentioned above, mothers can gradually alleviate the issue by adjusting the frequency and timing of breastfeeding, and giving a small amount of clean water after feeding can help reduce the thickness of the tongue coating. When experiencing digestive discomfort, gentle clockwise abdominal massages with the palm can help improve the baby’s discomfort, as directed by a doctor.
In daily care, breastfeeding mothers should maintain healthy eating habits, avoiding greasy and spicy foods to prevent the baby from becoming “heat-stressed” from breastfeeding. Feeding should be done regularly and in appropriate amounts, typically every 2 to 3 hours, with the feeding volume adjusted based on the baby’s weight and caloric needs to avoid overfeeding. At night during sleep, ensure the environment is warm, especially keeping the abdomen warm, to prevent chills that could affect the baby’s intestinal health.
