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Should I be concerned about my baby snoring?

Team AckoFeb 8, 2024

It is blissful to see young babies sleeping peacefully. However, suddenly you may notice your baby having noisy breathing. Yes, your baby is snoring in general, because newborn babies' airways are narrow and filled with lots of bubbly secretions.

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When the air passes through these puddles of secretions or when your baby is breathing, it causes a vibratory sound and you hear your baby snore! This snoring generally diminishes as your baby grows. However, it is a concern if it continues.

Snoring is the sign or a symptom where your baby may have cold an allergy, or an increase in the size of their adenoids or tonsils. It can be a clue that the breathing passages are not as clear as they need to be and the baby has to breathe harder, which produces a sound of snoring.

Managing snoring in Babies

• One of the simple home remedies to ease your baby’s breathing process is to keep the little nasal passages clear. If you notice your baby's nose stuffy, squirt a few drops of salt water nose drops into your baby's nose at least once a day. You can also use saline nasal spray or nasal aspirator to clear the mucus.

• Steaming also helps clear the airways. Standing in a warm shower with your baby helps to ease his breathing. Doing this just before bedtime, helps in sound sleep for your baby.

• You can humidify the air in your baby's bedroom, by running a warm-mist vaporizer. This can be useful during times when central heating dries the bedroom air. Dry air also causes difficulty in breathing.

• Always keep your baby’s room allergy-proof. Remove old toys, dust collectors, and animal dander, from your baby's sleeping environment to avoid infections. Always keep the baby’s surroundings clean. Never have any dust around, use an air purifier if required. Never use deodorant or perfumes in and around the baby. It can cause allergy. Always keep his sleeping room well ventilated.

• Always ensure your baby is in the correct sleep position.

When does snoring become a concern?

• Always observe your baby. If there is an increase in breathing rate of more than 60 secs, take your baby to the doctor.

• If you hear additional noises in the form of wheezing sound or a hoarse breathing sound when she breathes it requires immediate medical attention. This will disturb her sleep due to breathing.

• If you notice your baby is putting in an extra effort to breathe or struggling to catch her breath, you have to visit the doctor. Her nose may also be enlarged or she might be pulling in her chest excessively with each breath.

• If the snoring is accompanied by fever, cough, “colds” and a decrease in appetite, you must visit the doctor.

• If the snoring is very frequent, loud or shrill, do take your baby to the doctor. As per experts, continuous and persistent snoring creates the below-mentioned issues later in life.

• Kids will have reduced attention

• They will have higher levels of social problems

• They will have higher levels of anxiety

• They will display higher levels of depression symptoms

• Kids will be prone to daytime sleepiness

• Kids might have cognitive dysfunctions

• Kids may have problems with memory

• They may have problems with thinking logically and reasoning.

Chronic baby snoring or habitual snorers have to be checked as soon as possible. Persistent snoring can create complex issues later, hence you should take notes of your child’s symptoms when her snoring gets worse.

If your baby snores often like 4 nights of the week or more, or they mouth breathe, or grind their teeth, it requires medical attention. The treatment will involve a review to comprehensively assess the airway and to look for any obstruction and treat accordingly.

While snoring as such doesn’t create complex issues, chronic snoring is a trigger for infections. Do take your child for the checkup to avoid complications at the later stage. The doctor will check the nasal passage of the baby and ensure that the airways are properly structured.

Below are few complications due to structural abnormalities:

• Deviated Nasal Septum/Bone:

In this case, snoring occurs since there is deviation of the nasal septum to either of the sides. The bone that actually divides the two nasal passages is slightly deviated toone side and thereby obstructing one of the nostrils. Thus your baby will snore since heis taking in and moving out all the air through the other nostril.

• Enlarged tonsils and adenoids:

Tonsils are the little bumps on both sides in the back of the throat, which get enlarged due toinfection and thus your kid may be snoring. The child's tonsils and adenoids will naturally shrink as she gets older. Normally enlarged tonsils are rare in newborns and infants.

• Abnormalities in Throat:

Doctors will check the throat to see if there is any abnormal movement of palate or cysts around the throat which is causing the snoring.

• Laryngomalacia:

Here the tissues of the larynx, an organ commonly known as the voice box get softened above the vocal cords, which causes noisy breathing in infants. Since the laryngeal structure is malformed and floppy, it causes the tissues to fall over the airway opening and partially block it, thereby resulting in snoring. This worsens when the baby is agitated, feeding, crying or sleeping on his back. This usually resolves as the baby grows.

However, in case of severe laryngomalacia medication or surgery is advised.

• Respiratory Infection:

If your baby has cold or has caught some allergy, it can block the sinuses resulting in snoring.

Parenting is all about constant care and loads of love. Hence, pay close attention to your instincts and visit your pediatrician if your baby’s snoring is making you anxious.

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Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only, based on industry experience and secondary sources. It is not a substitute for professional advice. Please consult a qualified expert for health or insurance-related decisions. Content is subject to change, refer to current policy wordings for specific ACKO details.

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