He usually breathe through this mouth. I have taken him to his doctor but he (the doctor) finds him "good". What should I do?
Breathing through mouth (usually with snoring) results in bad breath (think dry mouth). Doctor should have mentioned this. Very common.
ENT for excessive snoring.
Take him to an ENT.
Tonsils and adenoids are causing the snoring.
The bad breath might be tonsil stones.
I agree to take him to an ear, nose and throat specialist. If the pediatrician won't refer you (although he or she should if you insist you want another opinion), then call your health insurance company and ask for some names of people who accept your insurance.
Tonsils & adenoids can often be the cause, and it's important to look into possible sleep interruption due to this or due to sleep apnea. Snoring from various causes can get in the way of proper sleep. This is a common diagnosis and while it shouldn't frighten you, you should look into reasonable treatments.
Have you had other instances of your pediatrician dismissing your concerns? If an ENT finds a problem and your pediatrician accepts it, great. If you find the pediatrician is dismissive of you or of other findings by other physicians, you should consider switching pediatricians.
Welcome to Mamapedia, G.!
Your toddler really shouldn't be snoring. He's really young for that.
He should be seen by a Pediatric ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) doctor to find out if his tonsils and adenoids are causing him breathing problems.
Then I would PUSH HARD for a sleep study to be done. We had one done on our son when he was 12 - he needed his tonsils and adenoids out and we had to find a sleep pattern for him. He is a "night owl" naturally. .He typically doesn't fall asleep until 1130. So he doesn't get enough sleep.
I'd tell my pediatrician that "GOOD" isn't good enough. The "FISH ODOR" is NOT normal and the cause needs to be found. It could be he has a sinus infection. Or something else. But i'd tell the pediatrician to CARE about my son. And I'd see a Pediatric ENT.
ENT. Take him to a pediatric ENT. If you have a smart phone with a recorder, video or record him as he sleeps/snores and show it to the doctor. He probably needs to have his tonsils removed.
If he snores very loudly I would ask your doctor to refer you to a sleep specialist. I don't know what your doctor checked to find him "good". Was the doc referring to no sinus congestion or what? A sleep specialist would check him for sleep apnea, which at his age would likely (or should!) require you to stay the night with him. If it's sleep apnea, you don't want to mess with that because it means you stop breathing several times during the night (life-threatening!) But snoring in itself means something is causing your son not to breathe regularly.
Please don't ignore it or accept it if a doctor won't do anything about it. When a person snores that loudly and doesn't wake themselves up, and they're not getting the oxygen they need, they can be such a heavy sleeper that they can't wake up--all the while their brain is screaming for oxygen. So PLEASE don't put it off and don't accept it if your doc says not to worry about it. As for the "fish odor", SOME odor is to be expected, since the mouth is drying out and has no saliva to wash around the mouth. And sleeping with the mouth open and getting dried out like that is not only unpleasant, but it invites bacteria to really do a number on the teeth.
Enough said? See what can be done and do it now.. Your child needs you for this.
Ask your doctor for a referral to a pediatric ENT. It doesn't hurt to have it checked out. One of my girls was a snorer, starting around 2. She has always breathed through her mouth and yeah, the bad breathe can be fishy. My daughter didn't start experiencing sleep apnea until she was about 3 1/2. She her adenoids and tonsils removed just after her 4th birthday.
A friend of mine thought she would need the same for her son. But he was "good". She had a study done and the way he slept caused obstruction of his airway, causing him to snore. He ended up sleeping on a really flat pillow, with a small wedge placed between the mattress and bedframe (no boxspring) and it stopped.
Get a second opinion or see a specialist.
H8 there, is your toddler around 2nd hand smoke? Possibly? Maybe at babysitters? It sounds like allergy to cig smoke from what a co-worker had happen w her daugjter. Only, the fish smell? Sounds like infection.
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H8 there, is your toddler around 2nd hand smoke? Possibly? Maybe at babysitters? It sounds like allergy to cig smoke from what a co-worker had happen w her daugjter. Only, the fish smell? Sounds like infection.
