Airway Fit 4 Life
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This is one of the most important questions for a parent to ask when a child is consistently waking during the night one or more times on a regular basis. Do they wake, then have trouble putting themselves back to sleep? There can be a mix of issues going on here, one of which is that the child has not yet learned to put themself back to sleep after waking. The other key issue is ‘Why did the child wake’.  Was it a micro arousal where instead of drifting back to sleep unawares, they wake instead? Do daytime worries impact nighttime rest? Did an underlying medical issue cause them to wake? Best to explore this with a qualified health professional. 

Many children go through a phase of being too scared because their imagination has ignited and ‘monsters’, which are not real to us, may feel very real to them. It is important not to expose kids to age-inappropriate TV shows or media that may exacerbate these fears Spend time talking about those fears, to help them understand what might be real and what might be imagination without being dismissive of those fears. If simple strategies don’t help it can be helpful to see a child psychologist who has skills with young children. 

Snoring is never ok. The breathing sounds indicate that there is  some  resistance or obstruction to easy silent breathing. It’s important to understand the cause. Being over tired or having a cold can explain it, and as long as it is a rare or unusual occasion.  Otherwise, if a more regular feature of sleep,  find the cause and a way to fix it, asap. You may need experts-health professionals who understand ‘airway health and dysfunctions’ to help you unravel the underlying cause: sleep specialist, dentist, allied health professional who can guide your child to breathe well night and day.

In some cultures, co-sleeping is the norm. In others it is not. Either way, it is a parental-family decision to make that suits your family and your values. It’s also wise to consider,  (if you are co-sleeping), that you are not disrupting each others’ sleep. For this reason some families who choose to co-sleep have a mattress next to the parent’s bed so you are close together but not ‘literally’ in the same bed.  Medical advice is against co-sleeping with infants under 12 months, due to risk of SIDS. 

If you have set up your child’s sleep environment well, and have established routines that you follow each day & each night before bed, it should take ~ 2 weeks for your child’s sleep to settle. Any longer? Start looking for other reasons disrupting your child’s precious sleep. 

There is a lot of talk amongst adult communities about lip taping at night to ensure better breathing. This is usually after a common sense approach to improving day time dysfunctional breathing has been followed and that all other possible causes have been ruled out.  Many adults find lip taping is a real help to kick start their night-time nose breathing habit, once day time breathing is under control. With little ones, the most important focus is to work with qualified health professionals: medical, dental, allied health. Taping a child’s mouth if they are under 5 years of age is not recommended. 

Something so simple for us can be tricky for little people, but nose blowing is possible and there are few ways to get the nose clear! If your infants, toddlers or waddlers are prone to congestion try using a nasal aspirator if they have not yet learned to blow their nose.  Saline nasal rinses also really help, talk to your pharmacist about saline rinses recommended for little people.  There are ‘nose clearing’ exercises that open out the nose and yes, we can also teach kids how to blow their nose- sometimes it starts with feathers!  Check out our lessons on Airway FIt 4 Life. If these things do not clear the congestion, see your GP or specialist. 

Yes! Your child’s airway is a system of bones & soft tissues. Just like the muscles in your body, the muscles in the face, mouth and throat need to be ‘fit for purpose’. Check out our ‘Airway FIt 4 Life Muscles conditioning strategies. That can help to keep the airway healthy, and the bones strong and help them grow!

• If you have difficulty setting up  your child’s sleep environment and routines, reach out for help from an expert  like specially trained early childhood sleep-trained  nurse 
• If you have successfully set up a great sleep environment and routines and  your child’s sleep problem persists, seek expert medical support to unravel the cause 
• If your child is consistently not getting the hours of sleep recommended for age, seek help
• If your child is getting good hours of sleep but is waking unrefreshed and difficult to rouse in the mornings, seek help
• If your child shows day-time symptoms of poor sleep: lack of focused attention, hyperactive behaviour, poor emotional regulation beyond that expected for their age and stage of development, seek help until the problem is resolved
• If there are growth delays or your child gets sick frequently, seek help until the problem is resolved

There are lots of reasons to reach out and seek help.  Sign up for our course Sleep Fit 4 Life to learn more.

Here are some key questions that parents can ask professionals: 

• How can I help my child breathe better? 
• How can I help my child eat better? 
• How can I help my child sleep better?  

‘It’s not just that we do those things, but how that matters.’

If your child needs help in any of these things, you most likely need the support of a multidisciplinary team.

A range of professionals provide support for the many faces of children’s sleep and breathing challenges.  

• Child-health Nurse
• Paediatric
• Psychologist
• Paediatric sleep specialist 
• ENT
• Gastro-Enterologist
• Dentist
• Allied health professional
• Myofunctional Therapist
• GP and others
  

For more information, visit:

Children’s Airway First Foundation (CAFF) 

Children's Airway First Foundation Facebook  

AAPMD-Endeavour Pediatric Section