Can babies choke on vomit while sleeping? Learn more about it here.
What can you read in this article?
- Fact or myth: Can babies choke on vomit while sleeping?
- Myths about baby sleeping on his back
I just fed my baby – she’s so full! And here she is just about to doze off into a peaceful nap… But wait a minute. What if she throws up while sleeping? Can babies choke on vomit while sleeping?
Does this concern sound familiar, moms? Don’t worry, we’ve got some clear answers so that you know how to best position your little one while they are sleeping, to prevent this hazard from occurring.
“Can babies choke on vomit while sleeping?”
I’ve had this concern too, especially since I have an overactive letdown when my children were newborns and they have a tendency to gag or choke when they’ve had too much milk to drink.
However, I thought I was the only one with this concern but as it turns out, this question is valid as a lot of moms are eager to know the answer.
So, is it a yes or a no?
Simply put, that depends on how they sleep. Healthy babies who are sleeping on their backs have a lesser chance of choking on vomit (lungad) compared to babies who sleep on their stomachs or side.
Some parents worry that babies will choke when on their backs, but the baby’s airway anatomy and the gag reflex will keep that from happening.
As a matter of fact, napping on their backs helps to protect the baby’s airway, too. A baby asleep on her back will have her upper respiratory airway positioned on top of the esophagus. The esophagus is the food pipe—a tube that enables food to be brought from the mouth into the stomach.
Babies keep their airways safe from liquids by swallowing any milk that’s vomited out. In fact, the regurgitated milk in the esophagus remains near the bottom level, making it effortless to swallow.
Moreover, most of the time, babies who do sleep on their backs can also rotate their heads and/or safeguard their airways if they do vomit. Back-sleeping in babies doesn’t seem to cause a greater risk for breathing or digestive-related problems when compared to belly-sleeping babies.
The reason for this is that it is tough for fluids to go against gravity and enter the respiratory tract.
Therefore, it’s best to let your baby sleep on their back to minimize the risk of choking.
Can babies choke on vomit while sleeping? It’s much less likely to happen while sleeping on their backs, as this image shows. | Image Source: rednose.com.au screengrab
Babies sleeping on their back is highly advisable not just so they won’t choke on their milk, but also to prevent the risks of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) included in their sleep guidelines that until their first birthday, babies should sleep on their backs for all sleep times—for naps and at night.
Anthony Porto, MD, a board-certified pediatrician and board-certified pediatric gastroenterologist and a member of the AAP stated,
“Back sleeping is the best way to reduce the risk of SIDS and is the recommended position until babies can roll over fully on their own―even for babies with reflux.”
What happens when babies sleep on their side or their tummies
However, in a baby napping on their stomach, the esophagus is positioned on top of their airways. Also, infants tend to enter a deeper sleep while asleep on their stomach and swallow less often.
A baby vomiting milk or fluid can risk the liquid collecting at the airway’s entrance. That makes it likelier for the baby to breathe the liquid into their lungs.
A baby napping on her side faces a similar issue. This sleeping position raises the risk of inhaling fluid into their airway and lungs.
Can babies choke on vomit while sleeping? Possibly, if they sleep on their side or tummy. That’s because the milk flows into airways from the esophagus while lying in this position. | Image Source: rednose.com.au screengrab
In short, parents, let your little one sleep on their back. Not only is it the safest sleeping position, but it also minimizes the risk of choking, as babies swallow and clear fluids better while asleep on their back.
READ MORE:
Ina, ibinahagi ang pagkawala ng kaniyang baby: “He was just sleeping”
Other back-sleeping concerns
The AAP, different medical experts and even your pediatrician would agree that the safest sleeping position for baby is to let her sleep on her back.
However, in reality, a lot of parents might still be concerned about possible dangers that could befall their little ones when letting them sleep on their backs.
Fact or myth: Baby’s head will be flat when he is always sleeping on his back
It’s accurate to say that the structure of your newborn’s head isn’t fully defined yet and her sleeping position has a role to play in how the head is shaped. However, flat heads shouldn’t be a major issue for many back-sleeping babies. That is mainly because you have full control of their position, parents.
The only thing you have to do is rotate the direction your little one is facing every time they lie down on their back — both while sleeping and awake.
Giving your newborn lots of opportunities for tummy time and other positions aside from lying on their back while awake will also reduce the chances of a flat or misshapen head.
Delayed milestones
Some parents might chance upon the information that napping on the back is linked to delayed motor development. In particular, the ability to roll over for the first time. Rest assured, parents, that it all works out in the end.
Overall, making your little one’s muscles stronger so that they can roll or reducing the chances of your little one getting a flat head can be easily achieved if you give your little one a lot of time to crawl on their belly while awake.
How to prevent baby from choking while asleep
For parents whose babies suffer from acid reflux and gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD, choking or gagging from milk or while sleeping is a valid concern. So aside from making your baby sleep on her back, here are some more tips to prevent choking or gagging episodes with your little one:
- After feeding, carry baby in an upright position for at least 20 minutes to give time for the milk to pass through the esophagus and reach baby’s stomach.
- After each feeding session, make sure to burp your baby before putting him on his back to sleep. When you are holding baby upright, let his head rest on your shoulders and make it firm. But gentle taps on his back to let the air bubbles come out.
- Refrain from using baby belly binders or bigkis on your baby. So that his tummy will not be restricted while he is asleep.
- When he is old enough to support his head, give baby plenty of tummy time when awake. When he is on his back and awake, you can also try doing baby bicycles to help the air bubbles come out.
As mentioned earlier, letting baby sleep on his back will not put him at risk of choking on his sleep. But if you are still concerned, especially if he displays symptoms of sleep apnea, acid reflux, or GERD, don’t hesitate to consult your child’s pediatrician about it.
Source:
healthychildren.org, rednose, Sleeptest
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