You’ve probably been smiling and cooling over your baby, while he sleeps. A sleeping and snoring baby is probably the cutest thing in the world. Does snoring while sleeping indicate any condition or the need for medical intervention?
It is entirely possible that your baby is doing perfectly fine, but understanding about why your little one is snoring could help you sleep better. While snoring in babies is mostly benign, there are some cases where it can get aggravated and only increase in intensity and volume. However, in mostly all cases, it is quite natural as your babies are quite narrow and still developing. Just to be sure though, speak to your doctor about the condition when you visit her next. She will be the best person to judge.
Why do babies snore whiles they sleep?
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Snoring Snoring in babies is a common problem. Babies have quite narrow and small airways, which often get cramped by many other secretions. As your baby breathes, the air enters your baby’s airways and interacts with the secretions that are present there. As a result, it creates all those different noises that you hear, including snoring. In most cases, as your baby grows, the airway becomes bigger, and there will be less restriction inside. As a result, you will hear your baby snore less as the initial months will pass.
• In most cases, your baby’s snoring will stop by itself. In case, it seems to continue and only worsens, then it could indicate some medical condition. However, even such a condition isn’t rare, and with little medical assistance, your baby will stop snoring soon. When such obstructions make it a little difficult for your baby to breathe, it leads to snoring.
• Sometimes, your baby may have a cold which can lead to an allergy or enlarge the size of your baby’s tonsils or adenoids.
• In some cases, it could also be that your baby snores only when the sleep is at its deepest stage. At such a time, the muscles in your baby’s throat could become so relaxed that they make a sound as if your baby’s snoring.
How To Ease Your Baby’s snoring?
Unless and until you are not worried that your baby has some major difficulty in sleeping or breathing due to the snoring, you can try out a few tips at home to see if it eases the snoring. Here are a few options you can try out to stop your baby from snoring:
1. Hosing Your Baby’s Nose:
• Using the practice of hosing the nose means that you use a nasal spray for your baby.
• You can buy a readymade salty nasal spray from the pharmacy after asking your baby’s doctor about it.
• Alternatively, you can also prepare a salty nasal spray for your baby at home. Simply add one quarter tsp of salt to eight ounces of water and mix. Put a few drops of this solution in your baby’s nose till the airway feels a little clear and your baby’s snoring reduces. Make sure you do speak to your baby’s doctor before using the same.
• While you use the nasal spray, also make sure that you take out any residual secretions from your baby’s nose. You can use a nasal aspirator to take out the nasal residue.
2. Change Your Baby’s Sleeping Posture:
• Sometimes, the way your baby sleeps could also cause an obstruction in the free flow of air in your baby’s airways and lead to snoring.
• Your baby may be snoring more while lying down on the tummy, or may be while lying down on the back. On the other hand, your baby may not snore at all while lying down in a side posture and sleeping.
• Notice what posture suits your baby and try to maintain the same to help your baby sleep better and not snore.
• Also, make sure you do not let your baby sleep while lying down on the tummy. It can be especially difficult as your baby will not be able to turn the head and breathe which could also lead to snoring and cause breathing issues.
3. Use A Humidifier:
• Sometimes, if you use a good quality air humidifier, it can help to ease your baby’s snoring, especially if it is due to a clogged nose or airway.
• A humidifier will be especially helpful if the air in your baby’s room becomes too dry, in case the central heating system is on.
• If you want to make the air in your baby’s room a little humid, you need to use a vaporizer that uses warm mist.
• You can also try and give your baby a warm bath before bedtime as the warm and humid air in the bath will help to decongest the nose. It will also help to release any traces of secretion from your baby’s airways and nose and allow your baby to breathe more easily and prevent snoring.
4. Remove Potential Allergens:
• Make sure that you remove all potential sources from your baby’s room or from the nearby area that could be an allergen.
• To make it absolutely safe, remove things such as flowers, carpets, rugs and other such items from the room that can attract dust and lead to allergies.
• Keep your pets away from the room, as pet furs can also sometimes lead to allergy in babies.
5. Keep Your Baby’s Head Elevated:
• If you notice that your baby frequently snores while sleeping, you can try and elevate the head for some time to see if it makes a difference.
• If your baby sleeps in a crib and has not started using a pillow yet, you can place a soft pillow underneath the mattress to avoid the risk of SIDS. If your baby has already started sleeping on a pillow and you know it will not be a problem, you can put another pillow over the existing one.
• Once you let your baby sleep with the head in an elevated position, it will help to open up your baby’s nasal passage and remove any congestion. As a result, your baby will be able to breathe easier and will most likely stop snoring.
