Baby Snoring Issues

Newborn baby snoring is normal for a certain period of time. With every passing month - your baby’s airways become more developed - and eventually - the amount of snoring should decrease. During the pre-teething phase - when your baby is manufacturing copious amounts of saliva - you will notice a gurgling sound that may resemble snoring - but this is normal.

After several months - if your baby’s snoring hasn’t diminished - begin recording what you observe in a journal. Make a note of how your child’s breathing sounds each day. Tell your pediatrician if the snoring becomes inflamed or aggravated. Your doctor will probably conduct a polysomnogram to ensure that the snoring isn’t affecting your baby’s breathing.

If you are worried about your baby’s snoring - talk with your doctor. He will examine your child’s nasal passageways to make sure they’re normal and unobstructed. Sometimes the bone that separates the nasal passages blocks one side of the nose - and the baby will make up for the obstruction by breathing more air through the unblocked side. This is rare - but it can be a cause of heavy breathing.

Your pediatrician will also inspect your baby’s tonsils to make sure they’re structurally normal. Enlarged tonsils are a frequent cause of snoring - although this occurs most commonly in older children and seldom in babies.

If these two areas are normal - the doctor will observe your child’s breathing. Laryngomalacia - a condition characterized by slow-forming cartilage in the breathing passages - can cause heavy breathing - but it’s nothing serious. If the small hollow in your child’s neck just above the breastbone slightly collapses during inhalation - your baby probably has Laryngomalacia - but this condition normally disappears by the age of six months.

While it’s always best to check with your doctor if you have questions - your baby’s snoring is probably normal and will be naturally taken care of with time.