Making the decision about a tongue tie release for your baby can feel overwhelming—and sometimes even filled with guilt. In this post, I share my honest perspective as both a pediatric physical therapist and a mom, plus the exact steps you can take to feel confident in whatever decision you make for your little one.

I don’t remember where I first heard it, but during one of the many TOTS (tethered oral tissues) trainings I took after having my first baby with feeding struggles, a provider said something that I’ll never forget:

“We have to consider the mental health of the baby, too.”

And the context? The over-recommendation of oral tie releases and the way aftercare is handled.

Ah, the tongue tie. Maybe you’ve been told your baby has one, maybe you’ve been told that your baby is fine, and maybe you’ve been told that it would be ridiculous to even consider that your child has a tongue tie that needs to be released…