How to correct a child sleeping with his mouth open Reasons why babies sleep with their mouths open

Everyone has different sleeping habits. Some people like to sleep with their mouths open. Sleeping with the mouth open for a long time has many harmful effects. Many babies like to sleep with their mouths open, which makes people very worried and is also very destructive to their appearance.

How to correct a child sleeping with his mouth open

1. Let your baby wear a special mask when sleeping

Use a special veil mask and put it on your baby when he/she sleeps at night, making sure to leave the nostrils outside. This is a correct way to guide your baby to breathe through the nasal cavity. This veil mask must be soft and breathable. It is recommended to buy genuine products from regular pharmacies or hospitals.

2. Strengthen the training of upper and lower lips and cheek muscles

Mothers can use the method of clamping a piece of cardboard between the baby's upper and lower lips, and then quickly pull it out, repeating this method 3 times a day, which is to train the upper and lower lips and cheek muscles. It can help babies improve their abnormal bite conditions.

3. Train your baby to keep his mouth shut and blow air frequently

Blowing air with closed mouth can also train the baby's oral cavity and surrounding muscle groups. For babies under 3 years old, it is recommended that mothers demonstrate and guide them to learn to blow air with closed mouth. For babies over 3 years old, you may teach them to whistle, chew gum and blow bubbles, etc. to exercise their cheek muscles.

4. Encourage your baby to breathe through his nose with his mouth closed

When the baby grows up a little bit, around 4 years old, he can do more outdoor sports. During outdoor activities, mothers can encourage the baby to close his mouth and breathe through his nose, and then gradually develop the habit. These are just practical methods to help mothers correct their children sleeping with their mouths open. However, if the baby breathes through his mouth when he has a stuffy nose, mothers should remember to give him some boiled water before he goes to bed and cover both sides of his nose with a warm towel, which can greatly relieve the symptoms of nasal congestion.

Reasons why babies sleep with their mouths open

1. Bad habits that develop naturally

Sometimes sleeping with the mouth open is a "bad habit" that babies develop naturally. Mothers don't need to worry too much because this bad habit can be corrected.

2. Caused by choking

For babies who have not yet been weaned, it is common for them to have difficulty breathing due to choking on milk and then breathe through their mouths. This condition does not require treatment, just correct the posture when feeding the baby.

3. Nasal congestion caused by cold

Another point is that breathing through the mouth is often a precursor to a baby's cold, so once the mother finds out, she should pay attention to observe the child's physical reaction.

4. Adenoids are too enlarged

The adenoids are located in the nasopharynx behind the baby's nose and above the throat. They belong to the lymphatic tissue. If the baby suffers from rhinitis, tonsillitis, etc., the adenoids will rapidly proliferate and hypertrophy, thereby compressing the respiratory tract and causing the baby to breathe through the mouth.

The dangers of babies sleeping with their mouths open

If the baby sleeps with his mouth open, it means that he is breathing through his mouth. This means that the nasal cavity is missing to filter out bacteria and dust in the air. As a result, the air enters the lungs directly from the mouth, which will cause certain harm to the body (although the home is relatively clean, there will always be guests staying elsewhere or taking a nap outdoors, and what if he is in a not very clean environment...). In addition, it will also cause the following harms:

1. Sunken chin

If the baby sleeps with his mouth open for a long time, it will restrict the development of the mandible, resulting in a receding mandible. More importantly, the area around the mouth is prone to depression and deformation.

2. Long "upturned nose"

Sleeping with the mouth open will cause the baby's adenoids to hypertrophy, which will then squeeze the airway, causing the root of the nose to sink and grow into an "upturned nose".

3. Formation of buck teeth

When sleeping with the mouth open, the baby's upper lip will curl up, the teeth will be uneven, the bite will be abnormal, and buck teeth will form.

4. Slightly affects intellectual development

Breathing through the mouth will result in insufficient oxygen inhaled, which will not only reduce the quality of sleep, but also cause the baby to be in a state of hypoxia during sleep for a long time, which will affect the baby's sleep quality and, in severe cases, affect the development of intelligence.

Be careful about the following bad habits

1. Long-term one-way side sleeping causes "big and small face"

Long-term one-way side sleeping will cause changes in the baby's facial skin texture. It will also affect the baby's bone development, cause dental deformities, and seriously affect the baby's facial appearance. Therefore, mothers should adjust the baby's sleeping position in time when the baby is sleeping.

2. Supporting the chin with your hands causes the face to be crooked

If the baby holds his chin with his hands for a long time, it will affect the blood circulation in the face, which will lead to facial crookedness. Therefore, mothers should stop it in time when they see it, so as to reduce the number and time of the baby's chin holding.

3. Eating on one side causes facial asymmetry

Long-term unilateral eating, especially chewing hard objects such as nuts, can cause problems such as asymmetric bite and enlarged masseter muscles, which can eventually lead to asymmetry of the two sides of the face. Therefore, babies should chew food with the teeth on both sides at the same time when eating.

4. Lip deformity caused by biting lips

It is normal for babies aged 3-4 months to bite their lips, because their sucking is not satisfied. However, if babies still bite their lips after 8 months, mothers should pay attention. Frequent lip biting by babies can easily lead to an imbalance of pressure between the lips and tongue, resulting in lip deformity. For example, biting the upper lip can easily lead to an overbite, while biting the lower lip can easily lead to a thick lower lip.

5. Sitting with your back hunched and head down causes droopy eyelids

Babies are in a critical period of growth. If they develop bad habits of hunching over or sitting with their heads down, it will easily affect their facial appearance, leading to a series of "chain reactions" such as hunchback, shrinking neck, shorter nose, sunken temples, drooping eyelids, and retracted chin. Therefore, as the baby grows up little by little, correct sitting posture is also an indispensable step.