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Sneezing In Newborns Is Normal
Newborns, they really should come with an instruction manual, but they don't. One of the most common questions I get about newborns is about sneezing and stuffy noses. Parents are concerned that their newborn has allergies or a cold within days of being born. Well, they haven't been alive long enough, and they haven't been exposed to enough things to develop true allergies. The exception would be milk protein, but that presents as bloody diarrhea in a newborn.
Sneezing is actually a reflex in newborns. It helps clear dirt and mucus from their tiny little noses. All babies have stuffy noses, too, because their noses are so tiny that even the smallest little booger makes it sound like they're snorting. Babies can't breathe out of their mouths until they are 6 to 12 months old. So they need their noses clear to breathe.
Using Saline and Suctioning Helps Your Baby Breathe More Easily
If they have too much in their nose, that's where you, as parents, can use a drop of nasal saline in each nostril and then suction the baby's nose out. I tell parents to get comfortable with doing this because kids can't really blow their noses until they are a few years old. And with the number of colds their child is going to get in the first two years of life, as they build up their immune systems, they're going to need their parents to suck out all the snot a lot.
In respiratory virus season, which is usually September to April, little babies can get sick, but the treatment is the same: nose suctioning and a cool mist humidifier to help loosen up the mucus.
When to Call the Pediatrician
If your baby seems to have a lot of difficulty breathing through their nose, then have them see their pediatrician to see if there are any other causes or if they need a referral to an ear, nose, and throat specialist.
More Answers to Your Questions on Keeping Your Kid Healthy and Happy
Latest trends and issues in children's health on the Healthy Kids Zone with Dr. Cindy Gellner
