My 3 yr. old son is never stuffed-up or sniffley at night or during the day. He has no known allergies, and doesn't eat much dairy (too little, in fact, but that's another question!). He is skinny - only 31 lbs and over 3 ft.
He has had, however, his share of ear infections, and his pediatrician says his tonsils are "enormous" (they really are - we can see them, plain as can be, when he opens his mouth wide). he sleeps flat - no pillows, in a cold room with circulating air (BTW, this is very important to have a fan in a baby's room to help prevent SIDS-too many people put a baby in a hot, stuffy, airless room, afraid of drafts, but really you want air to flow - my doctor told me early on in his infancy).
This child snores. Loud. Like Grandpa after Thanksgiving day dinner. Like Dad when he passes out in front of the TV at night, like he's 50 lbs. over weight...when he comes into my room after a bad dream or something, he snores so loud that my husband & I just look at each other in disbelief.
I worry....should I?
Help...
Have his tonsils very well may be the issue.
There still can be sinus issues- deviated septum comes to mind.
You can try to cut out dairy totally. (goats milk is ok)
My 3 1/2 y is just over 3ft and as of yesterday weighs a whopping 33lbs!
I would ask you pediatrician to order a sleep test. This will help determine if there is an airflow issue, sleep apnea, etc. I would also ask for a referral to an Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) specialist.
BTW, sleep apnea is just snoring, but where you actually stop breathing for a certain period - 3 seconds, 5 seconds, over and over.
M.
I would double check with a ENT dr. my niece snored bad when she was little. Turns out that her adnoids and tonsils were too large and she ended up w/ sleep apnea bc of this. She had to get them taken out. Not to say this is the reason why your son is snoring but it could be. doesn't hurt to get it checked.
If his ped has said his tonsils are huge and he has had numerous ear infections , I would think that he needs to have the tonsils removed and possibly tubes in his ears? Has the doctor mentioned this at all? I would ask if not. My friends son has many many ear infections one after the other , he also had huge tonsils and snored really loudly , and in Decmeber he has tubes in and tonsils and adenoids out.....no more infections or illness and the snoring has stopped , and he just seems like a different kid altogether , before the op his speech was not very good at all , and he always had an illness of some sort , even if just a cold , he was never 100% , I would speak to your ped about it.
I would think so, have you done probiotics after all the antibiotics- those antibiotics throw everything off. I would do a huge amount of pro biotics- I like Simplexity's bifidus for little ones. That will be balance his immune system, for starters.
best, k
I would be a little worried only because my child's dentist noticed that my son has large tonsils too. He does not snore but she did ask about it. She said children should not snore. So I would definitely think about getting some professional opinions about it. It can be dangerous for anyone to snore. But worse for kids. Get is checked out!
We went through the same thing with my oldest son. I would make an appointment with a pediatric ENT. They will put a scope up his nose to check the adenoids. Depending on how swollen they are, they may put him on a nasal spray to try to shrink them. If that doesn't work, they will probably suggest surgery. Two of my four kids have had their tonsils and adenoids removed and the recovery isn't too bad. Good luck.
He is probably snoring because of his abnormally large tonsils and I would ask his doctor about the snoring. Does he also have sleep apnea? This is when he snores along for awhile and then it's silent for a few seconds before one begins snoring again. this pattern is repeated over and over and not just a once in awhile thing.
I was recently told that enlarged tonsils can interfere with talking. How is his speech? Is he able to make the correct sounds expected of a 3 yo?
How is his disposition. I've also heard that when one snores they may not get good sleep. I know the person listening doesn't. lol
I would talk with his pediatrician.
My friend paid thousands of dollars to have his adenoids and tonsils removed, he is thin and tall, and he still snores. A lot of the times, it's not caused by adenoids, tonsils, colds or allergies, but due to the build of the nose. If you have narrow breathing passages or a deviated septum, you can remove all the adenoids you want but you'll still snore. A good way of knowing whether it may be the build of the nose is finding out about family history. If your child's nose resembles dad's, ask dad's side of the family if they snore. If they all do, even the thin ones, it's probably due to a deviated septum and/or narrow passages which she also inherited, and snoring is just a nuisance at this point (this is the case with my daughter). Do you really want to put a child through surgery at such a young age over something as innocent as snoring? My daughter snores too (she doesn't have sleep apnea) but as long as she's getting enough sleep to wake up in the morning and be energetic throughout the day, I don't worry about it.
First of all, having the tonsils and adenoids removed has nothing to do with ADHD. ADHD is caused by a problem with the neurotansmitters in the brain and essentially, the synapses are misfiring.
Second, I agree that you should have an ENT specialist look at your child. My son just turned three this week and had his tonsils and adenoids removed 3 weeks ago because they were taking up over 75% of the available space in the sinus cavity. He had sleep apnea, snored, had trouble breathing during activities, and sounded like he had cotton in his mouth when he talked. All of these symptoms are now gone. He went from needing 16 hours of sleep a day to only needing the usual 12 for kids this age.
Tonsillectomies are simple procedures. My oldest also had his done a year ago (for a different reason... he had strep 6 times that winter). Recovery takes about 5-7 days, depending on the temperament of the child.
Hi J.,
It is a concern for a child to snore. From everything that I have read and seen, it can lead to behavioral, and learning problems later because he is not able to get a restful night sleep. It is a sign of sleep apnea and can shorten your life span over years because you are going for short periods without oxygen- which caused brain development problems and more. It is not something to take lightly. Take him to a Dr. who will discuss having his tonsils removed or other remedies.
best of luck.
I agree with the previous post that it might be his tonsils. If they are so large it might restrict airflow. I also wanted to add that I don't normally snore, however, when I lay on the couch, on my back and drift off to sleep. I snore so loud it wakes myself up. Its a horrible loud snore, that wakes me up everytime. LOL. Does he sleep on his back? Oh and I totally agree with you about airflow and stuffy rooms. I wish my in-laws could see that another person says the same thing, because they don't believe me! Good Luck!
My 10yo daughter just had her tonsils and adenoids removed about 2 months ago. She has snored while sleeping for most of her life. Not one doctor or dentists ever noticed or asked questions until recently. I had noticed her tonsils were the size of a pingpong ball but looked like a golf ball. She was always having sinus problems too. I took her to Dr. Lakey at Littleton Regional Hospital in Littleton NH. He asked if she snored while sleeping and I said yes, he then sent her to Dr. Rankin and he set up surgery for her. They really cared about her health and treated her as a person and talked to her and told her what was needed and why. The best doctors that we have ever been to! She has not snored since! She is getting a full nights sleep....finally. Dr. Rankin said that normally he does one scrape of the adenoids and its done, but not with my child...he had to go through 3 times before she was clear. She is lucky she never died while "sleeping" because she couldn't breath. It was the best thing to do for her. So I would suggest you go to the doctor about your son and ask about having his tonsils and possibly his adenoids removed. It is not normal for kids or anyone to snore. Good luck and God bless.
The tonsils and adnoids must be removed. Your child is at HIGH risk of ADHD, Auditory Processing Disorder and other learning disabilites. HIs brain is not receiving enough oxygen at night when it should be recuperating from the day. Processing of sounds is not normal and will impair him in school in the future. Also ask about tubes in the ears while they are in there anyway. This child has HUGE allergies to foods. Check out NAET.com and drfergang.com
My son had the snoring issue and the large tonsils he also had horrible breath and would be exhausted every morning after getting at least 10 hours sleep. He had to have his tonsils and adnoids removed. He sleeps fine now and the bad breath is gone.
hi J.. i am a mom to a three year old son who snores as well. i can only say that with my sons snoreing, usually happens (the loudest when he is conjested with a cold), but, personally if my son was anything like yours, i would probably talk the issue over with your childs pediatrician, and if they say the dont have any concerns, then, i wouldnt really worry about it. there is a possibility though that your childs weight could be affecting this issue.(my personal opinion.) good luck!
My girls now 8 yrs old, had their tonsils and adenoids out right after there 3 b-day. They snored, had constant ear infections, and their tonsil were huge! They had kissing tonsils, where they were so big they touched in the back of their throat when really swollen. They didn't have anymore ear infection after, and no more snoring. My husband has small size everything for breathing, :), and my girls took after him. I would go to an ENT to figure out what might be causing the loud snoring. They are the only ones that can give you a more defiant answer.
