WHY WON'T THIS BABY FEED?

High palate clues

Some babies seem to struggle with everything.

The breast.

The bottle.

The dummy.

Even your finger.

Parents often describe a baby who gags easily, feeds for long periods, starts well but gradually begins to struggle, or suddenly plateaus in their weight gain.

In this second episode of the Stop Guessing Series, Johanna Sargeant IBCLC and Katie James IBCLC explore how a high palate and oral sensitivity can quietly affect feeding, and why these babies are often misunderstood.

Rather than focusing on the palate alone, they explain how to recognise the wider pattern of compensations and observations that help build a more complete clinical picture.

In this episode

• Why a high palate is only one piece of the assessment

• The feeding behaviours that often point towards oral sensitivity

• How finger assessment can reveal valuable clinical information

• Why listening carefully to the mother's story is one of your most powerful assessment tools

Continue the learning journey

Download the free Clinical Observation Framework for Babies with Sucking Difficulties.

Inside you'll receive:

✓ The companion observation framework

✓ The complete Stop Guessing Series

✓ Clinical reflections

✓ Invitation to our live Clinical Q&A

Clinical reflection

Think about a baby who seemed to struggle with breastfeeding, bottle feeding and dummy use.

What clues might have suggested that oral sensitivity or a high palate was contributing to the bigger picture?

Coming next

Episode 3

Your Baby Isn't Lazy

About The Latch Revolution

The Latch Revolution creates practical education for healthcare professionals supporting babies with feeding difficulties.

We believe better observation leads to better questions, and better questions often lead to better support.