Is it normal for my child to snore?

Pediatric Otolaryngologist, Nina Shapiro, MD, shares advice for parents who are concerned about their child's snoring on whether it is typical for kids to snore and what to do if it becomes a problem
Is It Normal For Children To Snore?
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Is it normal for my child to snore?

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All children snore at some point. It is normal to have a little bit of snoring. The question is why is your child snoring. And you need to find that out. You may not know. It could be that your child has allergies and during allergy season you might notice that your child snores a little bit more. It may be that they have some blockage in their breathing from their tonsils or their adenoids. That could be why they are snoring. As far as sleepovers go for snoring, it is certainly a concern as kids get a little bit older. They are embarrassed. Their friends may tease them. And again, you need to find out why your child is snoring. If they have allergies, perhaps those allergies can be treated and they may not have so much snoring during sleepovers. If the snoring is more of a problem where they are really struggling to breath at night, regardless of what their friends think, that snoring needs to be addressed and possibly fixed. They may have very big tonsils where their tonsils are causing breathing problems where they may be choking during sleep that beyond snoring it is actually a little bit of sleep apnea. So if that is the problem, then there snoring is going to need to be addressed by their doctor.

Pediatric Otolaryngologist, Nina Shapiro, MD, shares advice for parents who are concerned about their child's snoring on whether it is typical for kids to snore and what to do if it becomes a problem

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Nina Shapiro, MD

Pediatric Otolaryngologist

Dr. Nina Shapiro is the Director of Pediatric Otolaryngology (ear, nose and throat) and an Associate Professor of Surgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.  As the first fellowship-trained pediatric otolaryngologist at the medical center since it was founded in 1955, her presence has put UCLA 'on the map' in her field.  

A graduate of Harvard Medical School and Cornell University College of Arts and Sciences, she also completed her residency training at Harvard.  She then went on to complete additional subspecialty training in pediatric otolaryngology at the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London, and The Children's Hospital of San Diego.

A native of New York, Shapiro has been honored with several prestigious awards, including the American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology Award for Clinical Research, the UCLA Division of Head and Neck Surgery Faculty Teaching Award, and the American Academy of Pediatrics Young Investigators Award.  She has also been named "Super Doctor" by Los Angeles Magazine, and has been listed in "Who's Who in America".  

She has authored over 70 peer-reviewed journal articles, has edited a pediatric otolaryngology textbook, and is the author of the parenting book Take a Deep Breath: Clear the Air for the Health of Your Child, releaseded in January 2012. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two children, and enjoys spending time with them more than anything else in the world.

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Transcription: 
All children snore at some point. It is normal to have a little bit of snoring. The question is why is your child snoring. And you need to find that out. You may not know. It could be that your child has allergies and during allergy season you might notice that your child snores a little bit more. It may be that they have some blockage in their breathing from their tonsils or their adenoids. That could be why they are snoring. As far as sleepovers go for snoring, it is certainly a concern as kids get a little bit older. They are embarrassed. Their friends may tease them. And again, you need to find out why your child is snoring. If they have allergies, perhaps those allergies can be treated and they may not have so much snoring during sleepovers. If the snoring is more of a problem where they are really struggling to breath at night, regardless of what their friends think, that snoring needs to be addressed and possibly fixed. They may have very big tonsils where their tonsils are causing breathing problems where they may be choking during sleep that beyond snoring it is actually a little bit of sleep apnea. So if that is the problem, then there snoring is going to need to be addressed by their doctor.