Like thumb-sucking, nose-picking, and crawling to get around, snoring is one of those things that’s unattractive in an adult, but can seem impossibly cute when a baby does it. Unfortunately, snoring isn’t always as harmless as some of those other habits. Even when it’s tiny and cute, there’s the potential for snoring to be a sign of a sleep apnea or another breathing problem that could cause health problems stretching into school-age.
Most snoring is fairly harmless, if a little annoying, but it may sometimes also signal interrupted breathing, which can be dangerous. This is especially true if the snores are accompanied by a cough or wheezing. Snoring has also been linked to neural and behavioral problems, which may result from the disturbed sleep that many snorers have. When Baby is very little, most snoring is generally linked to how tiny their airways are, but as they grow, if their sleep doesn’t start to sound a little quieter, snoring happens regularly, or you can hear it disrupt their breathing, it could be a good idea to check in with Baby’s doctor.
Quick home remedies to try in the meantime to help clear out any obstructions in Baby’s airways include holding them in a steamy shower to help clean out their lungs, making sure the area around Baby’s bed isn’t dusty, and, if the doctor recommends it, clearing out their sinuses with a bulb syringe.
