13 Month Old Choking in Sleep

Hi there T.~
I see these cases every day, and I am sorry to worry you more than you need to, you are not overreacting, come on you are a mom and we have that 6th sense .. so go with it. Get it checked by the doctors, if they don't worry, go higher.. this case is called sleep apnea in children.. this child was brought into ER and docs would not listen, and the child died.. he never woke up.. the child was only 2 yrs old. Please go with your first instinct, your child is your life- make sure you get the best help and always pray- God is good and he loves you and will not let anything happen to you or yours. Have him checked with his tonsils as well, if those tonsils get sore- that could also cause sleeplessness like apnea. Take care and you are in my prayers.

1 mom found this helpful

My daughter, who was 3 at the time, was diagnosed with sleep apnea. She would be asleep, then all of of sudden stop breathing for about 5-10 seconds, then gasp for air (kind of a choking sound). I would check with my pediatrician. Better to be safe than sorry!

They took her tonsils and adenoids out once she turned four and we haven't had a problem since.

HI,
yes, it sounds very familiar. It sounds like a sleep apnea.
It is actually dangerous. I do not want to scare you.

Both of my kids have (had) it and my husband too.
It is hereditary.

We went to ENT doctor to check size of tonsils and related stuff. And our pediatrician and family doctor order sleep test to determine what was needed surgery or CPAP machine or both.

All of them had tonsils removed and the sleep apnea got better but my son and my husband still need to use CPAP machine but the pressure is lower after the surgery.

The CPAP machine helps them a lot. They are not so tired in the morning....

MY kids went to Stanford Sleep clinic to be tested overnight. It was all worthed...

Sounds like Sleep Apnea. My daughter had that and had to have her Adnoids removed, tubes put in her ears and that helped her to sleep soundly again (she was not obese..not everyone that has sleep apnea is obese). Later she also had to have her tonsils removed. I would get your son checked right away by an Otolarongologist (ENT)and if you can't get an appt with one right away, I would see your Pediatrician. Sleep Apnea is very serious since it impacts your child's development if they aren't able to rest completely, and more importantly, their breathing is dangerously obstructed. Imagine being woken up every couple of hours, it is very disruptive.

Good Luck,
J in CA

I would take him to your pediatrician and an ENT (Ear, nose, and throat doctor). He may have sleep apnea.

You should have your doc. check him out. Last year my son was doing the same thing. I just figured that it was a cough. I even called the doc and they just said the normal things. Use the humidifier, prop him up when he sleeps, give him lots of fluid. Then after about two weeks I took him in and found out that he had RSV. They had to suction his lungs a few times a day and we were in the hospital for about a week. This is the season for RSV so you should have him checked out if his sleep is still being interuppted. I thought that I was over reacting too, I mean he was perfectly fine when he was awake...just a normal cough. It is always better to be safe than sorry.
Take care,
Steph

Get advice from your doctor right away. It could be something like allergic reaction to milk or something else. I've never heard of sleep apnea in young children, but I agree, it does sound like it. At any rate, the doctor needs to be consulted in order to be sure and have a piece of mind.

this sounds a lot like obstructive sleep apnea. Although, I didn't think that was possible in such a small child, but maybe it is. You should definitely have him checked out at the pediatrician's office.

Besides sleep apnea, I thought of GERD... reflux.

Of course, something to bring up to the doctor, too. Hope you have an appointment for tomorrow!

Barbara E. Herrera, LM, CPM
San Diego

I'm in school to become a psychologist and I've taken a psychological biology class. In the class we learned about night terrors which were caused, in children, by sleep apnea at times. So we learned about sleep apnea in children and this sounds like it may be the case. With sleep apnea in children their lungs are still not completely developed so while they are asleep they lose the signal to continue to breath. So they stop breathing and this wakes the child up gasping for air and they have no idea whats going on.
I'm not trying to worry you, BUT you should talk to the doctor about it. Tell the doctor that you have heard from a couple of sources that it sounds like it may be sleep apnea and request that the doctor test for it. They'll likely send you to a sleep center with your son and they'll have him sleep there for a night with monitors on him to keep track of his vitals including his breathing. There are things that can be done to help if its sleep apnea but the diagnosis has to be made first.

Dear T. R.,
I think your son might be choking on acid that comes up his throat from his stomach. I think doctors call it acid reflux or GERD. Ask your pediatrician about putting him on Prevacid. I use to work in Pediatrics and heard about this all the time (I am not a nurse or doctor). If it is not that it could be sleep apnea, but I don't think that is very common in children unless they are obese. Let me know what happens.
C. R.

Have you taken him to the doctor? My son went through this and it turned out to be croup.

HI, I'm an RN and this is classic sleep apnea. Some kids grow out of it but this is NOT something you wait and see. Call your pediatrician and ask for an apt. There are sleep studies and specialist. It sould be as simple as enlarged adenoids and tonsils. Your child is young enough that you want them to be seen right away to rule out the severity. Elevate your crib matress with towels and pillows but the Pediatrician will give you what nec information and proper techniques.

I've found most of the time mother's know when something is wrong. I'd set up an appointment with his pediatrician or call him/her and ask about it.

T.,

I would talk to his peditrician he might have sleep apnea not to worry. I have it and thats what happens to me in my sleep it could be nothing but better to be safe. Good luck.

Jen

I have not really experienced this but when my 3 year old daughter was a baby, she use to throw up a lot and she would sometimes while sleeping so I make sure I did not have her right on her back, I got on of those positioners and tilt her on the side that way if she ever threw up, it would sip through the side of her mouth to minimize choking. I wish you luck and remember if it persist, go see a dr.

I would suggest calling his Ped. He sound like it may be post nasal drip. If so, the Ped should be able to prescribe or recommend a decongestant for it. Also, putting phone books or 2X4s under the head of the bed will help keep hi slightly elevated, which can relieve some of the discomfort.

Hi T.,

My daughter just had her first natural child 3 months ago and she seems to have a similar problem. We find that if we prop her up on a couple of pillows when she sleeps she doesn't have the problem. i don't know if this will work for you, but it couldn't hurt to give it a try.

Good Luck,
S.

My son had the same symtoms....I took him to an ent, and his tonsils and adnoids were huge. We have since had the surgery, and it's helped alot. Good luck.