If you place your hand on your baby's chest, you may feel a gentle rattle. This is a vibration from their larynx. Other possible causes of congestion include allergies or other respiratory infections (Chirico et al 2014), such as a cold, the flu or coronavirus (Covid-19).
You might also hear a rattling sound in your child's chest, which is caused by loose mucus moving around when your child breathes. It is often possible for you to hear your baby wheezing as he or she breathes, but sometimes the sound is so faint that it can only be heard through a stethoscope.
A ruttle is a coarse, crackling sound which some babies make even when they are well. It is caused by secretions ( snot, saliva, gunk etc) being allowed to pool in the back of the throat. Babies can allow this fluid to collect there but adults would have to cough it out or swallow it down.
One of the main causes of noisy breathing, or stridor, is called laryngomalacia—a long name for a condition that usually is harmless and resolves on its own. Laryngomalacia is caused by floppy tissue falling over the larynx (voice box) and partially blocking the airway when a child breathes in.
Clap (percuss) your child's chest or back with your cupped hand. This loosens mucus and helps it move. Be sure the area is covered with thin clothing or a cloth.
Symptom: You feel a "rattling" in your child's chest when you hold her. It Could Be: Congestion -- mucus vibrating in her upper airway when she breathes, which is nothing to worry about. Most of the time, it's not actually coming from her chest; it just feels that way. Mention it to your doctor in the morning.
Infants who survive episodes of respiratory or cardiorespiratory arrest have been described as having aborted, or “near-miss,” SIDS events, which are generally presumed to represent a variant of true SIDS. Although “near-miss” occurrences may be repetitive, death rarely occurs in infancy.
fast and/or difficult breathing – your child's breathing will become hard work, and you may see the ribs or skin under the neck 'sucking in' or nostrils flaring when they are breathing; younger babies may bob their heads when breathing. cough. irritability or more tired than usual.
The doctor will check your child's breathing and listen for a hallmark crackling sound that often indicates walking pneumonia. If needed, a chest X-ray or tests of mucus samples from the throat or nose might be done to confirm the diagnosis.
Wheezing: When your baby has chest congestion, you will likely hear a wheezing sound with their respiratory cycle. This is because the blocked airways may be inflamed due to mucus accumulation. The wheeze will sound like a faint whistle.
The best way to check your baby's temperature is to feel their chest. Baby's chest should feel warm. A lot of development is happening in the core of newborns so blood is naturally diverted to this area.
When your pediatrician listens to your baby's lungs, if they have RSV and bronchiolitis, it actually sounds like Rice Krispies in the lungs; it's just all crackly. Quite often, pediatricians are able to get a good idea if your child has RSV or not just based on the symptoms.
Seek medical care if your child has any of the following symptoms of RSV: Difficulty breathing or fast breathing with tugging of the chest muscles. Gray or blue-tinged skin color (this typically shows up on the lips and fingernails) Wheezing–a high-pitched noise usually heard when a child exhales.
Symptoms of NRDS
blue-coloured lips, fingers and toes. rapid, shallow breathing. flaring nostrils. a grunting sound when breathing.
Infants with severe RSV will have short, shallow and rapid breathing. This can be identified by "caving-in" of the chest in between the ribs and under the ribs (chest wall retractions), "spreading-out" of the nostrils with every breath (nasal flaring), and abnormally fast breathing.
RSV in Infants & Toddlers
Children with RSV typically have two to four days of upper respiratory tract symptoms, such as fever and runny nose/congestion. These are then followed by lower respiratory tract symptoms, like increasing wheezing cough that sounds wet and forceful with increased work breathing.
Both rRT-PCR and antigen detection tests are effective methods for diagnosing RSV infection in infants and young children. The RSV sensitivity of antigen detection tests generally ranges from 80% to 90% in this age group.
Dr. Weil adds that compared with a common cold, RSV may affect the chest in children, who have small airways, as opposed to up in the nose and sinuses. The virus may lead to an overproduction of mucus in the lungs that can be very sticky and thick, according to the Respiratory Syncytial Virus Consortium in Europe.
You want to make sure that a baby rattle is at least 2” in diameter so they can't choke on it. Also, check to make sure there are no sharp edges. Plus, never accept a hand me down rattle for baby. It may be worn and have chips, rough edges, or even parts that may break off and pose a choking risk.