Those little cups that your toddles drink their juice out of may cause speech impediments such as lisps, says expert speech pathologist Sandra Holtzman, MS. She told WebMD, “When a child sucks their thumb, it’s placed on the roof of their mouth, so the tongue is misplaced. They keep their lips apart, which encourages open-mouth breathing, and their teeth are pushed forward or outward.” She goes on to say, “When the tongue is misplaced, she says, a child also can't properly suction saliva or swallow food or liquid.” This is what can cause some of the most common speech problems in children.
Two solutions: Cut back the amount of time your child drinks out of a sippy cup and try using straws more often.
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