This blog was medically reviewed by Andrew Redmann, MD, pediatric otolaryngologist at Children’s Minnesota.
Are you worried about your baby’s noisy breathing? You’re not alone. Many parents notice noisy breathing in infants, and it’s natural to wonder if it’s normal or something serious.
Noticing noisy breathing in your infant can be alarming, especially if you hear stridor in a newborn or your baby’s breathing sounds like phlegm. This guide will help you understand what’s normal, what’s abnormal and when to worry about your baby’s breathing. We always recommend talking with your pediatrician if you have any questions about your baby’s breathing.
What is stridor?
What is stridor in babies? Stridor in newborns and infants is a noisy, harsh, high-pitched sound heard when your baby breathes in. It may sound like your baby is gasping or squeaking.
Is my baby’s noisy breathing normal or serious?
It’s common for parents to worry about abnormal breathing in babies. Many newborns make a variety of breathing sounds, including snorts, gurgles and even newborn squeaking. Most of these noises are harmless, especially in the first months of life, as your baby’s airways are still developing.
Normal sounds in babies
Some breathing sounds with your baby are typical for infants and are not cause for concern. These sounds usually happen because baby’s noses are small, their airways aren’t fully grown or there’s normal mucus. If your baby is alert, feeding well and has normal color, these noises are not typically a sign of trouble.
- Infant snorts and mild congestion, especially during sleep.
- Baby gurgling sound in throat from saliva or mucus.
- Newborn breathing loudly (especially after feeding).
- Baby breathing sounds like snoring while awake or during sleep.
- Newborn fast breathing during sleep – babies often breathe faster or heavier while sleeping.
Abnormal breathing in babies
Here are some more abnormal breathing symptoms in babies and infants. It’s important to always monitor your baby’s symptoms and call your pediatrician if you have questions. If your baby’s breathing is accompanied by blue lips or skin, difficulty feeding, poor weight gain, or pauses in breathing, seek medical attention immediately.
- Labored breathing in infants: visible effort, such as tugging at the neck or stomach.
- Stridor in infants: a persistent high-pitched, harsh or squeaky sound when breathing in.
- Wheezing noise in newborns: especially if it’s continuous or accompanied by rapid breathing.
- Newborn breathing heavy or raspy that doesn’t improve.
- Infant rattling breathing that is persistent or worsening.
Children’s Minnesota has the only pediatric ENT program in the state dedicated exclusively to kids with disorders of the head and neck.
What causes stridor?
The stridor sound can be alarming to parents. It can be caused by a variety of symptoms and conditions including airway swelling or inflammation. Additional causes of stridor include:
- Laryngomalacia
- Croup
- Other causes like bacterial infections, foreign objects or rare airway conditions.
What is laryngomalacia?
Many parents wonder about laryngomalacia and when to worry. Laryngomalacia is a common cause of noisy breathing in infants. It happens when a baby’s voice box (larynx) is soft and floppy. When the baby takes a breath, the part of the larynx above the vocal cords falls in and temporarily blocks the baby’s airway. Babies with laryngomalacia typically make the stridor sound.
Most babies with laryngomalacia do not have trouble breathing or feeding, even though their breathing is noisy. Breathing usually gets noisier when the baby is crying, feeding, sleeping, laying down or has an upper respiratory infection. Around 90% of children with laryngomalacia grow out of it without needing significant treatment.
When should I worry about my baby’s breathing?
Are you wondering when to worry about your baby’s breathing? It’s important to always talk with your pediatrician if you have questions about your baby’s breathing. Worrisome symptoms include blue or pale skin/lips, difficulty feeding, pausing in breathing and worsening stridor.
If your baby has any of these symptoms, or if breathing suddenly gets worse, call your doctor or seek emergency care immediately.
Children’s Minnesota ER, whatever the emergency, we treat it with urgency.
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Diagnosing causes of stridor in infants
Your health care provider will help diagnose stridor by listening to your baby’s breathing, asking about their health and recent illnesses, and performing a physical exam. Sometimes, further imaging like an X-ray is needed. For persistent or severe symptoms, a specialist at our Pediatric Ear, Nose and Throat clinic may be recommended.
Treating causes of stridor in infants
We understand the desire for a straightforward treatment for stridor. However, treating stridor will depend on the cause or causes of stridor in your child. The treatment may be continued monitoring of their breathing or possible medication to help the symptoms. No matter the cause, the kid experts at Children’s Minnesota are here to help.
How the experts at Children’s Minnesota can help
We know that noisy breathing in your infant can be scary as a parent. We hope this article has helped explain the differences in normal and abnormal noisy breathing, what stridor is and how Children’s Minnesota can help. We offer comprehensive care for infants with noisy breathing, stridor and related airway conditions.
Your child’s ears, nose and throat are in good hands with our pediatric ENT team.
