Snoring and noisy breathing during sleep

This guide is general information only and isn't a substitute for medical advice. If you're concerned about your child's health, or they're unwell, please see a doctor.

A snuffly, snorty sleeper is common and usually harmless, especially with a cold. But snoring is the one sleep symptom we'd rather you over-react to than under-react to, because persistent snoring can point to something a doctor should look at. It's really about knowing when to call your GP.

Do babies and toddlers snore? A quick age guide

Snoring is common in childhood. The Royal Children's Hospital estimates that about 15 to 20 children in every 100 snore, while the more serious obstructive sleep apnoea affects about 2 to 3 in every 100. How much it matters depends a lot on age.

In babies, snoring is common because their noses and faces are small, and more so with a cold or mucus in the nose. Raising Children says that if your baby isn't restless and is feeding and growing well, you don't need to worry about it.

As children grow, the tonsils and adenoids take over the story. They are small at birth and grow across the first years, most quickly between about two and seven, so snoring is common through toddlerhood and preschool, with enlarged tonsils or adenoids the usual cause. By around nine, fewer children snore.

One age-specific flag: in a newborn or very young baby, the tonsils-and-adenoids explanation barely applies yet, so loud snoring deserves more attention than in an older child. Raising Children notes that newborn snoring is fine if it's soft and the baby is sleeping and feeding well, but can be a concern if it's loud and the baby is having difficulty breathing and feeding, which can point to a structural cause such as a problem with the nose or a small lower jaw. Have that checked by your GP.

See your GP if

Beyond the newborn stage, Raising Children advises seeing your GP if your child has snored over a long period, seems more tired than usual, or falls asleep during the day, and to watch for mouth breathing, gasping or struggling for breath, and restless, interrupted sleep.

Snoring that doesn't go away and happens most nights, even when your child is well, can be a sign of obstructive sleep apnoea, especially with mouth breathing or gasping, choking or struggling for breath.

What a GP will do

Your GP will check your child's tonsils, and may refer you to an ear, nose and throat specialist if adenoids, tonsils, a blocked nose or obstructive sleep apnoea could be the cause. They might also arrange an overnight oximetry test, which measures whether oxygen levels drop during the night.

This is not a problem to solve with sleep training. If breathing is the issue, no settling method will fix it. Where sleep apnoea is caused by enlarged tonsils and adenoids, having them removed cures it in about 80 to 90 per cent of children.

The everyday, harmless kind

Babies and young children are noisy sleepers, and a cold will make almost anyone snore for a week. Short-lived noisy breathing with an obvious cold, in a child who is otherwise well and feeding normally, is usually nothing to act on.

Safe sleep still applies

Whatever the cause, the safe sleep basics don't change: back to sleep, in their own safe sleep space, in a clear cot with a firm, flat mattress. Don't tilt or elevate the sleep surface to help breathing, and don't use inclined sleep products or pillows, which carry their own risks.

And if your baby is struggling to breathe, is pale or blue, or is very difficult to rouse, seek emergency medical care immediately.

Sources

• Raising Children Network, Snoring in babies, kids and teenagers
• Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne, Kids Health Info: Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA)
• Raising Children Network, Sleep apnoea in babies and children
• Red Nose Australia, Six safe sleep recommendations
• Red Nose Australia, The dangers of inclined sleep products

Last updated: July 2026. Sources include Red Nose Australia and Raising Children Network where cited above. This guide is general information only. For individual concerns, see your GP or child health nurse.