Check your baby breathing

How often should I check my baby's breathing?

As often as you feel you need to. If your baby is premature, has a chronic lung disease, or another condition such as central sleep apnea, it may help to monitor your baby's breathing. But even if your baby doesn't have a medical problem, you may worry that he could develop one, such as sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).If you feel compelled to check your baby's breathing all the time, you're not alone.

It may help to keep in mind that babies have various stages of slumber – sometimes deep and still, sometimes active, sometimes noisy and snuffly. Your comfort level should grow with your experience as a parent, but it's okay if you continue to make nightly forays into your child's bedroom, just to check on his breathing, for years to come.

Danielle Buckley-Werner remembers feeling panic-stricken every time she put her son to bed during his first months of life.

"I was sure that if I wasn't there to hear him breathe, then he couldn't take a breath," she says. "I was so tired all the time because when he slept, I would watch him. I finally collapsed on the floor of the nursery one afternoon and realized that something had to give if I was going to have the energy to be a good mom."

Buckley-Werner started using a baby monitor when she couldn't be with her son. For the first three months, she and her husband, Daniel, kept the crib in their room so they could easily respond to any coughs, cries, or breathing emergencies – which, thankfully, never arose.

"I can't tell new parents that they shouldn't worry and that constantly checking breathing is insane," says Buckley-Werner. "But depriving yourself of rest and waking your baby up all the time will exhaust everyone. For me, keeping my baby close helped me overcome my fears that he'd stop breathing."

SIDS Consideration 

Newborns and young babies normally have 'periodic breathing' patterns. They also breathe differently when in various stages of sleep. For example, sometimes being still when in a deep sleep, sometimes active and noticeable breathing and sometimes noisy and snuffly. The various stages of sleep are explained in class 11.

A normal breathing pattern for a young baby is to:

-->Breathe for a short period that is fast and deep, then

-->Breathe slower and shallower for a while, then

-->Pause for up to 5 seconds or so, before starting again with progressively fast, deep breaths.

This breathing cycle is normal and changes into more adult like breathing patterns (with occasional sighs), as they mature in the first few months.

Many new parents have concerns about SIDS, often checking their baby's breathing regularly in the early weeks and months. How often you check your baby's breathing is very personal and often comes down to whatever makes you feel comfortable. Try and remember that SIDS is rare and that 1,999 out 2,000 babies will not die from SIDS, with the risks dramatically decreasing after 6 months of age. If you are feeling anxious, take the recommended steps to reduce the risks and perhaps consider learning infant CPR.

If you do feel compelled to check your baby's breathing all the time, this is normal and your comfort level should increase as your child grows. If you suspect your baby has stopped breathing, or simply want to reassure yourself that they are still breathing, you can:

-->Listen, by putting your ear next to your baby's mouth and nose to hear breath sounds.

-->Look at your baby's chest and watch for up and down movements.

-->Feel your baby's chest, by gently placing the palm of your hand on their chest to feel the up and down movements.

-->Feel your baby's breath on your cheek by placing your face close to your baby's mouth and nose (this may be difficult to detect).

If after 5 seconds or so you can't detect any signs of breathing and your baby is limp and unable to be roused or woken (their skin and lips may also look a dusky grey or purple-blue colour, especially if they are fair-skinned), you will need to call an ambulance (dial 000 in Australia) and commence CPR (if you know how to perform CPR).

NOTE: Reading about how to perform infant CPR is not enough to teach you how to do it correctly. The following information is guide only. You should attend an approved course to learn CPR. For example, through St. John's Ambulance, their website is:

This article contains general information only and is not intended to replace advice from a qualified health professional.