Why Newborn Sneezing Is Totally Normal
One thing about newborns and babies that may surprise you? They sneeze a lot. Though it can be concerning for parents and caregivers, it’s usually nothing to worry about. We tapped a few pediatricians to learn more about this incessant (but cute) affliction. Here’s what to know about newborn sneezing—plus, how to spot signs that something more serious may be at play.
That cute little sound that reverberates out of your little one’s nose several times a day—it’s completely normal. “It’s their primary way to clear out mucus, dust, breast milk and other irritants that can interfere with their breathing,” says Purvi Parikh, MD, a pediatric allergist, immunologist and medical advisor with Allergy & Asthma Network. Moreover, a newborn has small and thin newborn nasal passages, so it’s not uncommon for them to sneeze up to 12 (or more) times a day—and these sneezes can be consecutive.
Mucus and other secretions can make it hard for baby to breathe, explains Amina Ahmed, MD, a pediatrician with Stanford Medicine Children’s Health. Since newborns primarily breathe through their nose, sneezing helps keep their tiny passages clear.
If baby’s sneezing a lot, you may wonder if it’s due to allergies or pets, but Ahmed notes that’s not likely because nasal allergies take time to develop. “Your allergies are a response of the immune system to something in the environment,” and it takes time for the immune system to get sensitized to it, she explains. Newborns haven’t had sufficient time to develop allergies. “Typically they’re not sneezing because they have pollen allergies or cat allergies or dog allergies,” Ahmed says. “It may just be dust or irritants in the environment, and that’s not typical allergies…Parents have to remember they’ve just come to the world—they’re being exposed to different things…Sometimes we just need to give them the space to get used to the environment around them.”
Worried newborn sneezing might be a clue that baby is sick? Ahmed says to watch for other signs of illness, including other sounds they make, like grunting and heavy breathing. If your little one is congested, you’ll hear it in their breathing. That said, she acknowledges it can be tricky for parents to pinpoint if the congestion is just due to some milk intake or a cold. One way to tell the difference is by examining whether baby has other symptoms, including
- A runny nose
- Fever (100.4 Fahrenheit or above for newborns)
- Consistently fast breathing
- Trouble feeding (indicates they can’t breathe)
- Baby cough
- Increased tiredness, lethargy and sleep
“All those would be signs that there’s more going on,” Ahmed says. “So you just don’t want to look at the sneezing or the sound of the sneeze itself, but you also want to look at what else is going on.”
Wondering if there are any remedies for newborn sneezing? Because it’s a normal biological reflex, there’s really nothing parents need to do. “Sometimes no intervention is actually an intervention,” Ahmed says. As long as baby is breathing normally after their sneezing episodes, it’s nothing to worry about.
On the other hand, if baby’s sneezing a lot due to congestion, and you can see some mucus in their nose, you’ll want to suction it out. The preferred method for this is with a nasal suction kit. “[Parents] can usually put a drop off nasal saline in each nostril and then use a suction to suction it out,” Ahmed says. “Most hospitals will teach parents how to do the nasal suction prior to their discharge [after birth].”
If your newborn is sneezing and has other symptoms of a cold or other illness, seek medical attention, Parikh advises, especially if they have a fever of 100.4 Fahrenheit or more. “Fevers definitely are a red flag,” agrees Ahmed. Similarly, if you notice your little one has any rashes on their body, or is having trouble eating or breathing and not waking up to feed, call your pediatrician.
It can be tough to decode if a sneeze is just a sneeze—or something more. But if baby seems unbothered, you needn’t fuss. It’s most likely nothing to sneeze at.
Please note: The Bump and the materials and information it contains are not intended to, and do not constitute, medical or other health advice or diagnosis and should not be used as such. You should always consult with a qualified physician or health professional about your specific circumstances.
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Amina Ahmed, MD, is a pediatrician with Stanford Medicine Children’s Health. She earned her medical degree from Allama Iqbal Medical College in Lahore, Pakistan and completed her residency at the Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Purvi Parikh, MD, FACP, FACAAI, is a pediatric allergist, immunologist and medical advisor with Allergy & Asthma Network, as well as a clinical associate professor in the department of pediatrics at NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York City. She attended medical school at Saint George’s University and completed her residency at Cleveland Clinic Hospital.
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