# Babies can't breathe through their mouths? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 19, 2012, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babies-cant-breathe-through-their-mouths/641507 "2012-11-19T14:52:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2012, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babies-cant-breathe-through-their-mouths/641507/1 "2012-11-19T14:52:43Z")
Someone posted this on Facebook recently and it seems unlikely to me. A search brings up a lot of opinions, but not many facts. Snopes has nothing. I saw something saying that babies can only breathe through their noses because it prevents them from choking while nursing. :dubious: Any of our resident medicos know the real deal? ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2012, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babies-cant-breathe-through-their-mouths/641507/2 "2012-11-19T14:58:00Z")
They mouth breathe when they cry/scream/screamcry. No doubt about that. eta: On reading a few yahoo answers threads, it seems that the consensus is that babies can’t _choose_ to breathe through their mouths, which makes sense. They default to nose breathing and get very uncomfortable when they get stuffy. It’s distressing to hear them try to suck air in through their stuff noses while breastfeeding. None of my kids ever got to the point where they couldn’t eat, but a lot of times it was hard to convince them to nurse if they were stuffy. I never tested it, but I imagine the reflex is still there to mouth breathe if all else fails. ---
**Author:** ![Baracus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2bfe46/32.png) [@Baracus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baracus)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2012, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babies-cant-breathe-through-their-mouths/641507/3 "2012-11-19T14:59:05Z")
Why do you need “medico” to answer this question? Anybody who has had a baby can tell you that they can breathe through their mouths. This is especially evident when they have a nose stopping cold or are screaming their lungs out. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2012, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babies-cant-breathe-through-their-mouths/641507/4 "2012-11-19T15:09:59Z")
> [@Baracus](#): > > Why do you need “medico” to answer this question? Anybody who has had a baby can tell you that they can breathe through their mouths. This is especially evident when they have a nose stopping cold or are screaming their lungs out. Because I’m looking for something other than an opinion. That’s why it’s in this forum. It seems obvious to me that it’s bullshit, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2012, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babies-cant-breathe-through-their-mouths/641507/5 "2012-11-19T16:38:31Z")
Infants will breath through their mouth when their nose is blocked, and breath through their nose when their mouth is blocked. All things being equal and unblocked: When they’re still and quiet, they tend to breath through their noses. As they get more active/agitated, they begin to breath more through their mouths. QtM, Medico ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2012, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babies-cant-breathe-through-their-mouths/641507/6 "2012-11-19T16:46:19Z")
In other words, the same as older members of the same species. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2012, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babies-cant-breathe-through-their-mouths/641507/7 "2012-11-19T16:50:49Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > In other words, the same as older members of the same species. Well, there was a hullaballoo a while back about infants being “obligate nasal breathers” despite the fact that they did breath through their mouths when crying or agitated. Experts went on to explain that ‘obligate’ didn’t mean they _had to_, just that they _tended to_ breath through their noses. Fancy explanations about soft palate development and protection of airway was invoked, but there wasn’t much real science behind the assertion, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2012, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babies-cant-breathe-through-their-mouths/641507/8 "2012-11-19T17:01:16Z")
I should clarify that newborns do ‘default’ to nasal breathing, unless a reason for mouth breathing presents itself, such as nasal obstruction or increased oxygen demand. Some infants born with facial abnormalities that result in nasal obstruction can have difficulties in managing to mouth breath constantly. ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2012, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babies-cant-breathe-through-their-mouths/641507/9 "2012-11-19T17:30:59Z")
The related thing that I’d understood to be true was that babies, unlike adults, can breathe through their noses while taking in sustenance (i.e. milk) through their mouths, and that as they grow the geometry of their larynx/esophagus changes so that it is no longer possible. Is that true, or have I been misinformed. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2012, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babies-cant-breathe-through-their-mouths/641507/10 "2012-11-19T17:39:16Z")
Damn. I was going to suggest that this would be easy enough to disprove experimentally. All we need is a baby. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2012, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babies-cant-breathe-through-their-mouths/641507/11 "2012-11-19T18:03:11Z")
> [@leahcim](#): > > The related thing that I’d understood to be true was that babies, unlike adults, can breathe through their noses while taking in sustenance (i.e. milk) through their mouths, and that as they grow the geometry of their larynx/esophagus changes so that it is no longer possible. > > Is that true, or have I been misinformed. I heard that as well, a long time ago. I recently tried to find out if that was true, but my Googling failed. I probably was even going to start a thread here but forgot! ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2012, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babies-cant-breathe-through-their-mouths/641507/12 "2012-11-19T18:09:25Z")
> [@leahcim](#): > > The related thing that I’d understood to be true was that babies, unlike adults, can breathe through their noses while taking in sustenance (i.e. milk) through their mouths, and that as they grow the geometry of their larynx/esophagus changes so that it is no longer possible. > > Is that true, or have I been misinformed. They hold their breath while they swallow, just like adults. http: [//www.youtube.com/watch?v=\_T36u5by1\_A](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_T36u5by1_A) ^^^ potentially NSFW link of a human breast being sucked on (by a baby). You can hear the baby swallow at about the 9 second mark. I didn’t watch much beyond that. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2012, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babies-cant-breathe-through-their-mouths/641507/13 "2012-11-19T18:11:33Z")
Seriously? Don’t you think that if babies could be suffocated by just holding their noses shut, it would be a BIG, WELL KNOWN DANGER!!! and not a rumor? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2012, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babies-cant-breathe-through-their-mouths/641507/14 "2012-11-19T21:56:32Z")
When I googled “babies can’t breathe through their mouths”, there were a staggering number of hits indicating that this is a widely-believed meme, hence my questions. It would appear that, like many such beliefs, there is a grain of truth in it that has transformed itself into a “ducks’ quacks don’t echo” sort of thing. Your (and my) incredulity notwithstanding, it’s good to get an answer from somebody who actually knows the facts rather than just another “you’re teh stoopid” comment. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2012, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babies-cant-breathe-through-their-mouths/641507/15 "2012-11-19T23:22:46Z")
[Apnea of prematurity](http://www.cpnonline.org/CRS/CRS/pa_apnea_pep.htm) I experienced it as an infant. I was in the backseat when my mother pulled up at a gas station. She happened to glance down at me while filling the tank and to her horror saw that I had turned into a smurf. The gas station attendant gave me CPR and then I was whisked away to the hospital. I had lots of mucous in my nasal passageways, and my undeveloped baby brain hadn’t figured out the obvious solution. This is what the doctor told my mother, at least. I am so happy I didn’t die. That would have made for an embarrassing obituary. “Tragically killed by boogers.” ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2012, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babies-cant-breathe-through-their-mouths/641507/16 "2012-11-19T23:34:07Z")
Babies are [obligate nasal breathers](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4032139). It doesn’t mean they can’t breathe through their mouths, it’s just much more difficult for them. Their tongues are bigger in relation to their airway. ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2012, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babies-cant-breathe-through-their-mouths/641507/17 "2012-11-19T23:42:52Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Damn. I was going to suggest that this would be easy enough to disprove experimentally. All we need is a baby. Hmmm… and how do we make or procure a baby? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babies-cant-breathe-through-their-mouths/641507/18 "2012-11-20T00:07:15Z")
> [@picunurse](#): > > Babies are [obligate nasal breathers](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4032139). It doesn’t mean they can’t breathe through their mouths, it’s just much more difficult for them. Their tongues are bigger in relation to their airway. Take-home message from that paper: > [@](#): > > These results demonstrate that newborn infants may use the oral airway for ventilation, both spontaneously and in response to complete nasal occlusion. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babies-cant-breathe-through-their-mouths/641507/19 "2012-11-20T00:13:04Z")
> [@moriah](#): > > > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > > > Damn. I was going to suggest that this would be easy enough to disprove experimentally. All we need is a baby. > > Hmmm… and how do we make or procure a baby? Well, I was thinking one could just show up at a day care center and tell them that you need their cooperation for a science experiment. I’d volunteer to do this, but am sadly prevented from doing so. (Damned restraining order.) ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babies-cant-breathe-through-their-mouths/641507/20 "2012-11-20T00:31:44Z")
The motto of the NICU: “A crying baby is a breathing baby.” But yes, they tend not to breathe through their mouths unless they’re crying. It’s not like they think, “Oh, I can’t breathe, so I’ll cry,” but more likely they get just a shade hypercapnic (excess carbon dioxide) which is painful. So what does a baby do when it’s in pain? It cries. And then it blows off that excess carbon dioxide and doesn’t hurt anymore. Which makes colds extra miserable for everyone. Baby can’t breathe, so baby cries. Now baby is breathing, but also crying. Soothe baby. Baby stops crying. Now baby can’t breathe, so baby cries. Lather rinse and repeat for three days. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babies-cant-breathe-through-their-mouths/641507.md?page=2)