Mouthbreathing in a toddler

[TheBoots]

My DD (18 months) started loudly mouth breathing in November. Before this she breathed completely normally and sucked her thumb to sleep, since it started she's stopped sucking her thumb (because she can't breathe through her nose) and her breathing is really quite loud. I've taken her twice to the GP who has said there's nothing wrong, but I'm concerned about the effect on her teeth (she quite often has bad breath) and have been reading articles that say it can be linked to ADHD type symptoms and underdeveloped facial muscles! Has anyone else had this in their toddlers and did the problem resolve on it's own?

[Cao77]

Definitely ask for an ENT referral, my DS started this at 3 with loud snoring resulting in sleep apnea. He ended up having to have both adenoids and tonsils removed!

[TheBoots]

@Cao77 thanks, that's what I've been thinking but having two different GPs tell me I shouldn't worry made me doubt myself! It's loud enough that other people have commented on it. I'll book another appointment with the GP and ask to be referred.

[Fred578]

I was like this as a child and it turned out I have severe nasal polyps. As an adult I went to the doctor and sorted it myself (I have a steroid nasal spray I use daily) but my parents didn’t do anything about it when I was a child and it made me quite miserable (people taking the piss because I would have to sit with my mouth open so I could breathe and having a cold was a nightmare)

[Toomanyapplesinthefruitbowl]

Push for an ENT referral. Our GP said he’d never heard of sleep apnea in a child until I asked him about it, but referred us anyway. We hadn’t even sat down with the consultant before he said well here’s a child that needs their tonsils and adenoids out!

It’s been life changing for us all

[TheBoots]

Thanks both, will definitely push for ENT. Wish I'd persisted the second time I went to the GP but hindsight is a wonderful thing...

[Namechangeymcnamechange11]

Seconding the push for ENT referral - GP always fobbed us off with DS's snoring. We saw the community paediatric consultant for something else unrelated but DS was asleep in the pushchair and snoring away and she said it was not normal and referred him. We're seeing the ENT in a few weeks, but the paediatric consultant suggested that the likely course of action is tonsils (they are massive) and adenoids out.