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Baby Pantยญiยญng When Excitยญed / CrawlingBabies are marยญvelยญlous creaยญtures, arenโt they? We all know what cryยญing means (theyโre wet or hunยญgry or sleepy) but what about those othยญer sounds? What about those weird, wacky noisยญes they make when theyโre excited?They gurยญgle, burp, and gigยญgle, makยญing mysยญteยญriยญous and hilarยญiยญous noisยญes. No wonยญder parยญents can sit starยญing at their baby for hours, both mysยญtiยญfied and enterยญtained by the sounds emitยญting from these wee creatures.But have you noticed someยญthing else your baby does and wonยญdered what on earth it means? Is your baby pantยญiยญng, almost like an excitยญed pupยญpy dog? And do you wonยญder why theyโre doing it and what it means for the physยญiยญcal develยญopยญment of your litยญtle one? And being the devotยญed parยญent you are, you may have wonยญdered whether pantยญiยญng is someยญthing you should be conยญsidยญered about, right?We wonยญdered too, so we decidยญed to invesยญtiยญgate this type of breathยญing in babies โ why they do it, what it sigยญnals and โ most imporยญtantยญly โ whether itโs someยญthing that you as a parยญent should ever worยญry about. (The short answer is: probยญaยญbly not!)In this artiยญcle, we explore pantยญiยญng and explain the reaยญsons babies do this, at what age pantยญiยญng usuยญalยญly begins and when it stops. Weโve researched what the experts say and pass along helpยญful tips for knowยญing when your baby is just breathยญing and when a visยญit to the pediยญaยญtriยญcian might be in order.
When Do Babies Begin Panting?
When Theyโre Newborns
Imagยญine how tiny the lungs of a newยญborn baby are. Itโs no wonยญder they breathe much less deeply than oldยญer babies and todยญdlers and someยญtimes breathe erratically. Parยญents someยญtimes panยญic when they think their baby has momenยญtarยญiยญly stopped breathยญing, and thatโs cerยญtainยญly underยญstandยญable. But most often, this is simยญply part of newยญbornsโ shalยญlow, irregยญuยญlar breathยญing patยญterns. Still, we know it can be alarmยญing. But as your litยญtle grows, youโll notice that their lungs begin takยญing in the air more deeply, and evenยญtuยญalยญly, their breathยญing patยญterns regulate.
Babies Often Pant When Theyโre Crawling
This is the stage of develยญopยญment when babies begin explorยญing the world around them. They get excitยญed by every new encounter, and pantยญiยญng is a comยญmon way for them to express that exciteยญment. They donโt have words at that age, so their mouths and lungs have to talk for them. Pantยญiยญng is a natยญurยญal part of this phase, and there is nothยญing to be alarmed about if youโre baby is doing it.
Babies Sometimes Pant When Theyโre Hungry
Pantยญiยญng may occur if your baby isnโt latched on propยญerยญly or there is a delay in getยญting their botยญtle. Usuยญalยญly, the pantยญiยญng subยญsides as soon as they are nursยญing comยญfortยญably or havยญing a bottle.
When Panting Might Indicate a Problem
Every parยญent is keenยญly aware of their babyโs responsยญes and breathยญing patยญterns. Is there ever a time when pantยญiยญng might indiยญcate a probยญlem? Itโs rare, but watch for these othยญer signs to know what your baby may be tryยญing to tell you by panting.Parยญents know immeยญdiยญateยญly when their baby is in resยญpiยญraยญtoยญry disยญtress, and pantยญiยญng can sigยญniยญfy that they arenโt getยญting enough air. Look for these othยญer physยญiยญcal signs if you have any concerns:
They are pulling on their chest and scowling.
Their skin is bluish and/or clammy.
The babyโs nosยญtrils begin flarยญing, and they seem distressed.
They feel feverยญish to the touch.
They open and close their mouth as if gaspยญing for air.
If any of these physยญiยญcal sympยญtoms appear, get medยญical help immediately.Howยญevยญer, those are the โworst caseโ sceยญnarยญios occaยญsionยญalยญly accomยญpaยญnyยญing pantยญiยญng. Most of the time, babies pant to express delight and exciteยญment. After all, they donโt have a vocabยญuยญlary to express their comยญplex emoยญtions, so they use their breath instead.
Breathing Patterns In Babies
As your baby grows and develยญops, you will notice their breathยญing patยญterns and rhythms change. Hereโs a look at some of the ways babies breathe when theyโre awake and when they are sleeping.
During Sleep, Breathing Rates Slow Down & Speed Up
Dependยญing on their sleep phase, a babyโs breathยญing rate may quickยญen or slow down. Durยญing REM sleep, babies someยญtimes make noisยญes. But once they are in stage four sleep โ the deepยญest โ a babyโs breathยญing slows down conยญsidยญerยญably. All of this is normal.
Babies Donโt Breathe With Their Diaphragms Like Adults Do
You know you breathe with your lungs and diaphragm, but babies breathe with their noses and stomยญachs. Watch your baby breathe while sleepยญing, and youโll notice their tumยญmy going up and down. Breathยญing deeply through the lungs and diaphragm occurs latยญer in physยญiยญcal development.
If Your Baby Has a Fever, Breathing Will Accelerate
When theyโre sick, babies have to work hardยญer to breathe. That means their breathยญing rate increasยญes because fever stimยญuยญlates the resยญpiยญraยญtoยญry musยญcles to increase both the rate and depth of breathยญing. Accordยญing to experts, if your baby takes up to 60 breaths per minute, there is no real cause for alarm.Their musยญcles are simยญply workยญing extra hard to take in deep breaths. Howยญevยญer, you need to feel sure your babyโs getยญting the oxyยญgen they need, so see the docยญtor if you have any reaยญson to susยญpect it isnโt just a minor illยญness makยญing your babyโs breathยญing more laboured.
They Only Use Their Noses To Breathe
When babies are realยญly small, they canโt breathe through their mouths, like oldยญer babies, todยญdlers and adults. (This begins around six months, but some babies start using their mouths to breathe soonยญer). Their breaths are noisยญiยญer than their oldยญer sibยญlings and parยญents. When your baby is excitยญed and hapยญpy, you may notice they start pantยญiยญng because their brains are stimยญuยญlatยญed, and their emoยญtions are heightened.Itโs perยญfectยญly natยญurยญal and usuยญalยญly very cute! And once they begin crawlยญing and respondยญing to othยญer peoยญple and exterยญnal stimยญuยญlaยญtion, the pantยญiยญng may become more noticeable.
Why Babies Pant When They Crawl
Imagยญine how much enerยญgy it takes for an eight or 10-month-old baby to crawl around a room! They expend an enorยญmous amount of it as they begin learnยญing about their world and dealยญing with objects, peoยญple, and everyยญthing else thatโs a part of their lives. Rememยญber that their lungs are still a work in progress, so itโs comยญmon for them to get excitยญed and for their breathยญing to accelยญerยญate and sound like panting.
Other Sounds Babies May Make
In addiยญtion to pantยญiยญng, babies make all kinds of sounds as they grow; some are imporยญtant to be aware of. If you notice that your baby is doing any of the folยญlowยญing, conยญsidยญer a visยญit to the doctor.
Wheezing
If your baby is wheezยญing, it may be a sign of an underยญlyยญing issue that needs attenยญtion. Always be on the safe side by havยญing your physiยญcian lisยญten to the babyโs chest if you have any worยญries about this.
Grunting
This too, may indiยญcate a probยญlem, so ask your docยญtor if it persists.
Stridor
Striยญdor refers to a high pitch, almost whistling sound a baby may be makยญing if they are expeยญriยญencยญing an underยญlyยญing breathยญing probยญlem. If you notice this, book an appointยญment with your doctor.
Laboured Breathing
This is also a sign that someยญthing may be wrong. If your baby is havยญing a hard time breathยญing at any time, take them to the doctor.
In Summary
Although we includยญed imporยญtant inforยญmaยญtion about your babyโs breathยญing patยญterns that might indiยญcate a probยญlem, most of the time, weird noisยญes and pantยญiยญng are simยญply part of a babyโs develยญopยญment. Pantยญiยญng usuยญalยญly indiยญcates delight and excitement.In almost all casยญes, a babyโs pantยญiยญng is perยญfectยญly natยญurยญal, parยญticยญuยญlarยญly when crawlยญing around. With every passยญing day, a baby grows and change, and their breathยญing patยญterns change, too. Relax and enjoy the sounds your baby makes โ they can be very funยญny, espeยญcialยญly when theyโre pantยญiยญng like a pupยญpy dog!
Newborn Breathing: What is Normal & What Is Not โ Video โ St. Louis Childrenโs Hospital
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Please note that all the conยญtents appearยญing on our site are the opinยญion of SeizeYยญourLifeยญToยญday and are intendยญed for inforยญmaยญtionยญal and eduยญcaยญtionยญal use only. None of our conยญtent is meant to replace regยญuยญlar docยญtor visยญits or physiยญcian conยญsulยญtaยญtions. If you have a medยญical quesยญtion or conยญcern, we advise you to speak to a docยญtor as soon as possible.SeizeYยญourLifeยญToยญday and the pubยญlishยญers of our conยญtent do not claim any liaยญbilยญiยญty for any damยญages or health comยญpliยญcaยญtions that may emerge from users folยญlowยญing the inforยญmaยญtion givยญen on our site. All users are advised to speak to their physiยญcian or licensed healthยญcare provider before startยญing any diet, takยญing any supยญpleยญment, or folยญlowยญing any recยญomยญmenยญdaยญtion they find on our site.
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