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Baby Pantยญiยญng When Excitยญed / Crawling Babies are marยญvelยญlous creaยญtures, arenโ€™t they? We all know what cryยญing means (theyโ€™re wet or hunยญgry or sleepy) but what about those othยญer sounds? What about those weird, wacky noisยญes they make when theyโ€™re 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 theyโ€™re 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 itโ€™s 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. Weโ€™ve 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 Theyโ€™re Newborns

Imagยญine how tiny the lungs of a newยญborn baby are. Itโ€™s 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 thatโ€™s 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, youโ€™ll notice that their lungs begin takยญing in the air more deeply, and evenยญtuยญalยญly, their breathยญing patยญterns regulate.
  • Babies Often Pant When Theyโ€™re 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 donโ€™t 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 youโ€™re baby is doing it.
  • Babies Sometimes Pant When Theyโ€™re Hungry

Pantยญiยญng may occur if your baby isnโ€™t 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 babyโ€™s responsยญes and breathยญing patยญterns. Is there ever a time when pantยญiยญng might indiยญcate a probยญlem? Itโ€™s 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 arenโ€™t 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 babyโ€™s 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 โ€œworst caseโ€ sceยญnarยญios occaยญsionยญalยญly accomยญpaยญnyยญing pantยญiยญng. Most of the time, babies pant to express delight and exciteยญment. After all, they donโ€™t have a vocabยญuยญlary to express their comยญplex emoยญtions, so they use their breath instead.

Breathing Patterns In Babies

baby panting when excited - why baby panting when excited - why baby panting when crawling As your baby grows and develยญops, you will notice their breathยญing patยญterns and rhythms change. Hereโ€™s a look at some of the ways babies breathe when theyโ€™re awake and when they are sleeping.
  • During Sleep, Breathing Rates Slow Down & Speed Up

Dependยญing on their sleep phase, a babyโ€™s 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 babyโ€™s breathยญing slows down conยญsidยญerยญably. All of this is normal.
  • Babies Donโ€™t 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 youโ€™ll 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 theyโ€™re 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 babyโ€™s getยญting the oxyยญgen they need, so see the docยญtor if you have any reaยญson to susยญpect it isnโ€™t just a minor illยญness makยญing your babyโ€™s breathยญing more laboured.
  • They Only Use Their Noses To Breathe

When babies are realยญly small, they canโ€™t 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. Itโ€™s 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 thatโ€™s a part of their lives. Rememยญber that their lungs are still a work in progress, so itโ€™s comยญmon for them to get excitยญed and for their breathยญing to accelยญerยญate and sound like panting.

Other Sounds Babies May Make

baby panting when excited - why baby panting when excited - why baby panting when crawling 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 babyโ€™s 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 babyโ€™s breathยญing patยญterns that might indiยญcate a probยญlem, most of the time, weird noisยญes and pantยญiยญng are simยญply part of a babyโ€™s develยญopยญment. Pantยญiยญng usuยญalยญly indiยญcates delight and excitement. In almost all casยญes, a babyโ€™s 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 theyโ€™re pantยญiยญng like a pupยญpy dog!

Newborn Breathing: What is Normal & What Is Not โ€” Video โ€” St. Louis Childrenโ€™s Hospital

*Medical Disclaimer

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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