If your baby sometimes snores or grunts while sleeping, it’s probably nothing to worry about.
Many babies snore when they have a stuffy nose, and a stuffy nose is common in the first few weeks of life.
If your baby has a cold, try a vaporizer or humidifier to make breathing more comfortable.
When to worry: Persistent snoring can sometimes indicate a problem.
What to do: we recommend that you always tell your baby’s doctor about snoring.
Your baby can be checked by a pediatrician. If he deems it necessary, he can refer you to an ENT or chest diseases specialist for further evaluation.
If your baby is sweating a lot
Some babies sweat profusely during deep sleep, soaking their clothes. It’s normal for babies to sweat more than older children and adults because the time they spend in deep sleep is so long.
When to worry: excessive sweating can be a sign of congenital heart disease – especially when eating – as well as various infections and sleep apnea.
What to do: The room your baby sleeps in should be warm but not hot (21-23 degrees). Set the room temperature within a comfortable range for a lightly clothed adult. Dress your baby in the amount of clothing she can comfortably sleep in without a cover.
As a rule, if you are suffocating from the heat in the room you are in, your child is also suffocating.
If it’s cold in the house and your baby is still sweating even though you’ve dressed them lightly, talk to their doctor.
If your baby is rocking or banging his head
Shaking is a method many parents use to calm their child, and then baby can use rocking to calm himself down. Many babies rock on their own, on all fours or when seated.
Head banging, like rocking, is a common behavior some babies use to comfort themselves.
Oddly enough, your baby may hit his head to distract himself from aches and pains – for example, children who are teething or have an ear infection.
Head banging usually starts after the baby is 6 months old and can last for several months or even years, but most children stop it by 3-4 years of age.
This is rarely a sign of any emotional or developmental problem.
When to worry: In rare cases, this can indicate a problem, especially if your baby has developmental delays.
What to do: do not turn into stubbornness, try to distract.
If your baby is grinding their teeth
More than half of babies grind their teeth, especially while they sleep.
Grinding can occur at any age, but is most common in babies with their first teething (usually around 6 months).
While the sound can be annoying, grinding usually doesn’t harm your baby’s teeth.
When to worry: Causes of teeth grinding in babies can include the sensation of new teeth, pain (for example, an earache or teething), and respiratory problems such as nasal congestion.
What to do: Your doctor can control the effect of grinding on the tooth enamel, and refer you to the dentist if necessary.
Very few babies’ teeth are damaged by intense grinding.
If there are pauses in breathing
You’ve probably noticed that your baby’s breathing rhythm has changed while they sleep.
May continue to breathe rapidly after 5-10 seconds of waiting, or may breathe rapidly at first and then slowly.
They call this “periodic breathing,” and it’s common in babies until they’re about 6 months old. This irregular breathing pattern of your baby can occur up to 5 percent of the time he stays asleep.
Some babies have central sleep apnea, which can stop them breathing for up to 20 seconds.
These parts are normal and may be due to immaturity of the center in the brainstem that regulates breathing.
When to worry: But if pauses last longer than 20 seconds, your child’s doctor may want to refer your baby to a specialist for examination and evaluation.
In most cases, a baby’s irregular breathing is nothing to worry about.
It’s also not unusual for a newborn’s hands and feet to appear bluish from time to time – it could happen if your baby is crying or coughing or if he’s a little cold.
However, if your baby’s forehead, tongue, nails, lips, or torso seems CONTINUOUS blue, they may be having trouble getting enough oxygen.
What to do: Getting your baby to sleep on their back is the single most helpful thing you can do to help them breathe easily.
But if your baby stops breathing, gently tap or poke her to see if she’s responding. If she doesn’t respond, she needs immediate help.
If your baby stops breathing and you can’t wake him up, start giving infant cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) right away and have someone call 911 for help. If you are alone, call 911 after two minutes of CPR and continue CPR until help arrives or your baby is breathing again.
