Why Your Baby Sleeps With Their Mouth Open | Dr Mary Bourke

Get Rita's free speech pathology guide for parents: https://www.rsspeechpathology.com.au/free-training In this episode of Wine With Wita, Rita sits down with Dr Mary Bourke to talk about chewing, airway health, and what a child's mouth can tell you long before anyone puts a name to it. You have watched your child sleep with their mouth open and wondered whether it means anything. You have been told the teeth grinding is normal, the fussy eating is a phase, the broken nights will sort themselves out. Maybe someone has raised behaviour, or ADHD, and it did not sit right with you. Rita has been in that spot herself, standing in a dentist's office being told her daughter's tongue thrust was hers to solve because she was the speech pathologist. Dr Mary Bourke is a chiropractor of more than 30 years and the CEO of Myo Munchee, the chewing device her father, Australian dentist Dr Kevin Bourke, first developed after noticing how differently jaws grew in people who chewed hard for their food. Mary explains why most facial growth happens in the first four to six years, why chewing is one of the simplest inputs a parent has in that window, and how it connects to sleep, speech and what shows up later in the classroom. She and Rita also cover when the dummy's job is done, why swaddling past six weeks can get in the way of a baby's movement, and what to watch for at three to five months. If you are a parent who has looked at your child sleeping with their mouth open, watched them push food to one side of their plate, or been told it is just behaviour, this episode is for you. In this episode: - Why Rita trained as an orofacial myologist after a dentist told her she should already know - What a tongue thrust is, and how it reshapes a child's teeth and jaw over time - The jawbone on a beach that led to the Myo Munchee, and why Mary's dad kept going - Why children chew far less than they used to, and what that does to jaw growth - The difference between a whole apple and a pretty bento box of cut up fruit - When the dummy has done its job, and what Mary suggests takes its place - Why lips resting open is worth a closer look, and what the tongue is doing instead - How Mary connects early sleep trouble to what turns up later in the classroom - What Mary wants parents watching for at three to five months old Connect with Dr Mary Bourke: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drmarybourke/ Myo Munchee Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myomunchee/ Myo Munchee: https://myomunchee.com/ Handbook for the Human: https://www.handbookforthehuman.com/ Connect with Rita: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/winewithwitapodcast/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@WineWithWitapodcast Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2igo4o3aDACW150Al0aLr1 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/wine-with-wita-speech-pathology-parenting-support/id1743156009 Website: https://www.rsspeechpathology.com.au/ Connection Creates Communication waitlist: https://wine-with-wita.kit.com/connection-waitlist Wita's Weekly Wecap (newsletter): https://wine-with-wita.kit.com/09e84e6753 The purpose of this podcast is to provide information. You must not rely on the information on this podcast as an alternative to speech and language therapy. You must always consult with a Speech Pathologist, GP and/or paediatrician if you have any concerns about your child's communication and/development. Music from #Uppbeat https://uppbeat.io/t/iros-young/rain-of-light License code: LZFCDXTEOYBYGYI0 Wine with Wita is Australia's leading podcast for parents navigating life with children with communication difficulties, disabilities and additional support needs. Hosted by Rita Shamoun, speech pathologist and founder of RS Speech Pathology. New episodes every Friday.