(And why this Seemingly Small Detail Can Make a BIG Difference)
If you’ve ever watched your child zone out on the couch, mouth slightly open, tongue kind of “hanging out” in the bottom of the mouth and thought “Is that… normal?”, you’re not alone.
Tongue resting posture is one of those small details that doesn’t get much attention… until it starts connecting a few dots: mouth breathing, messy eating, speech sound differences, restless sleep, or a kiddo who always seems “stuffy.”
The good news? This isn’t about perfect posture or telling your child to “try harder.” Tongue posture is a skill + system thing. And when you understand what’s going on, you can finally address the why behind the pattern.
So where should the tongue rest?
At rest, the tongue should be:
✔ Gently up against the roof of the mouth (the hard palate)
✔ Lips closed
✔ Breathing through the nose
That’s it. No clenching. No forcing. No “hold it there as long as you can.”
Just a relaxed, natural rest position.
What “up” really means (and what it doesn’t)
When we say the tongue should be “up,” we don’t mean:
✔ pushing hard into the roof of the mouth
✔ clenching the jaw
✔ holding tension in the face
✔ pressing the tongue against the teeth
A helpful cue is: the tongue tip rests lightly behind the front teeth (not on them), in a spot many clinicians call “the spot,” while the rest of the tongue relaxes along the palate.
Think: resting and relaxed, not forced and bracing.
Why tongue resting position matters
The tongue is a powerful muscle. And where it “lives” at rest can influence how the whole mouth and airway function over time.
Healthy tongue posture can support:
✔ Easier nasal breathing
✔ Balanced jaw and facial growth
✔ Clearer speech sound production
✔ More efficient chewing and swallowing
✔ Better sleep quality
This is one of those “small patterns → big impact” situations. Rest posture happens all day and all night. That repetition matters.
When the tongue rests low: signs you might notice
A low tongue posture (tongue resting down in the bottom of the mouth) can show up in ways that are surprisingly easy to miss because each sign can look “normal” on its own.
You might notice:
✔ Mouth breathing or an open-mouth rest posture
✔ Chronic congestion/ “always stuffy” breathing
✔ Feeding fatigue (tiring quickly while eating)
✔ Messy eating or trouble managing food in the mouth
✔ Speech sound differences (like a persistent lisp or unclear sounds)
✔ Snoring noisy breathing at night, or restless sleep
✔ Dry lips or frequent lip licking (common add-on)
These patterns are common and often connected.
This isn’t about “trying harder”
This part is important:
Tongue posture isn’t a reminder issue. It’s a skill + system issue.
If a child’s body is set up for mouth breathing, low tone, poor coordination, or restricted movement, they can’t “remind” their way into a stable rest posture.
Tongue resting position is influenced by things like:
✔ Breathing patterns (especially chronic mouth breathing)
✔ Muscle tone and coordination
✔ Oral habits (thumb sucking, pacifier history, open-mouth posture)
✔ Structure (palate shape, dental development, airway space)
✔ Regulation and sleep (stress, fatigue, sensory needs)
So if your child can “do it for a second” but it never sticks… that’s not defiance. That’s a system that needs support.
How myofunctional therapy helps
Myofunctional therapy focuses on functional oral patterns. This means how the tongue, lips, jaw, and breath work together during everyday life.
At The Mouth Rehab, we use myofunctional therapy to support:
✔ Tongue strength, coordination, and endurance
✔ Lip closure at rest
✔ Nasal breathing patterns
✔ Functional oral posture
✔ Chewing and swallowing mechanics
The goal isn’t to “train a pose.”
The goal is to help the body develop the strength, coordination, and habits needed so the tongue can rest where it should naturally, in a way that supports breathing, feeding, speech, and sleep.
When should you reach out?
You don’t need to have every sign on a checklist to ask questions.
Consider reaching out if:
✔ your child mouth-breathes most days
✔ sleep feels restless (snoring, waking, noisy breathing)
✔ eating is consistently messy, tiring, or stressful
✔ speech sound differences aren’t improving as expected
✔ you’ve had that “this might be part of the puzzle” feeling for a while
Trust that instinct. Parents notice patterns first.
Wondering if tongue posture is affecting your child?
✨At The Mouth Rehab, we focus on function, not quick fixes. If you’re noticing patterns with breathing, feeding, speech, or sleep, we’d love to help you connect the dots.
