Clicking and noisy
feeding in babies
A clicking or gulping sound during feeding - whether breast or bottle - is one of the most specific early signs of tongue tie. It tells you that the baby is breaking and re-establishing suction repeatedly during the feed rather than maintaining a continuous seal. This is not a minor nuisance - it signals a mechanical problem that affects how efficiently your baby can feed.
The mechanics behind the sound
During normal breastfeeding, the tongue cups the breast, creates continuous negative pressure, and moves in a peristaltic wave to draw milk efficiently. When tongue tie restricts this movement the baby can drop their jaw to achieve suction, the tongue cannot maintain the seal - it loses the seal producing the characteristic click each time suction is broken.
With each loss of seal, the baby ingests air. This is why clicking feeders tend to be gassy, windy, and uncomfortable after feeds - often incorrectly attributed to reflux or colic. Addressing the mechanical root cause rather than the downstream symptoms is the correct clinical approach.
Each click represents a moment where the baby has lost suction. In a normal feed this should not happen - the tongue maintains continuous contact with the breast or bottle teat.
Every seal break allows air in. A clicking feeder typically swallows significant volumes of air per feed, resulting in painful gas, distension, and discomfort that can persist for hours.
Maintaining suction with a restricted tongue requires more muscular effort. Babies tire faster, may pull off the breast repeatedly, and feeds become protracted and frustrating for both parties.
If clicking occurs on bottles as well as the breast, this rules out latch positioning as the cause and points firmly toward an oral motor problem in the infant.
Clicking during feeding is sometimes dismissed as a positioning issue or attributed to fast letdown. While both can cause some noise, persistent clicking across multiple positions and feed types - particularly when accompanied by wind, poor weight gain, or nipple pain - is a reliable clinical indicator of tongue or lip restriction requiring assessment.
What we assess and what we look for
We explore when the clicking started, whether it is present on breast and bottle, associated symptoms such as wind and weight gain, and what interventions have already been tried.
An assessment of tongue elevation, extension, lateralisation, and the quality of the sucking reflex. We also assess lip tie and buccal tie contributions to seal loss.
Observing a feed in real time allows us to see exactly when and why the seal breaks - whether it is tongue-driven, lip-driven, or a combination - and how the infant compensates.
Dr. Roche reviews findings and advises on whether surgical release is indicated, what type of procedure is appropriate for the infant's age, and what rehabilitation will be needed.
About clicking and noisy feeding
Is clicking during feeding always caused by tongue tie?
Not always - fast milk letdown, an oversupply, or poor positioning can also cause noise and spluttering. However, if clicking is consistent, present across positions and feed types, and accompanied by wind or poor weight gain, tongue tie is the most likely structural cause. Our assessment will differentiate between these possibilities.
My baby clicks on bottles - could that still be tongue tie?
Yes. Clicking on bottles is a strong indicator of a structural oral motor problem, because it eliminates breast positioning and letdown as variables. The oral mechanics required to correctly feed from a bottle are equally dependent on good tongue function.
Will clicking resolve on its own as the baby gets older?
Sometimes mild clicking diminishes as infants develop compensatory patterns - but compensation is not the same as resolution. Underlying restriction that is not addressed in infancy tends to present later in life as speech, eating, or airway problems. Early assessment and appropriate treatment gives the potential for the best long-term outcome.
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Talk directly to a clinician about what you are hearing during feeds. We will help you understand whether assessment at NTTC is the right next step.
