Child in high chair with snack.

Oral Motor Development

Understanding oral motor development can help families and professionals recognize when a child is on track with feeding skills — and when extra support may be needed. These skills build the foundation for safe, efficient eating, speech development, and overall oral health.

Overview for Families

A quick look at how eating skills grow from birth through early childhood:

 

  • Birth – 2 months: Babies use natural reflexes (rooting, sucking, gag) to feed.
  • 2 – 6 months: Feeding shifts from reflexes to more purposeful sucking. Babies open their mouths for a spoon and begin moving purees toward the back of the mouth.
  • 2 – 8 months: Early chewing begins — with up-and-down “munching” and simple side-to-side tongue movements.
  • 7 – 9 months: Lips close fully, tongue moves food side-to-side, and jaw begins diagonal or circular chewing motions.
  • 10 – 12 months: Controlled biting develops, along with more efficient rotary chewing.
  • 12 – 15 months: Children can chew juicy foods and firmer textures without choking.
  • 16 – 24 months: Tongue gathers food pieces into a ball (bolus) for swallowing, and children can handle harder textures.
  • 24 – 48 months: Chewing becomes more coordinated and efficient, supporting a wider variety of foods.

Detailed Development Milestones

  • Term Babies: Rooting, gag, and other feeding reflexes present at birth.
  • 2 – 6 months: Integration of reflexes, transition to volitional sucking, mouth opening for approaching spoon, tongue movement of purees toward the back of the mouth.
  • 2 – 8 months: Munching, lateral tongue movements, and diagonal tongue movements emerge.
  • 7 – 9 months: Full lip closure, tongue lateralization, diagonal rotary and circular rotary jaw movements develop.
  • 10 – 12 months: Controlled biting and rotary chewing established.
  • 12 – 15 months: Ability to chew foods with juice and firmer foods without choking.
  • 16 – 24 months: Tongue gathers broken pieces to form a bolus; improved handling of harder foods.
  • 24 – 48 months: Continued refinement of jaw movements and improved eating efficiency.