Surprise: “Sleeping like a baby” sounds a lot like a stuffed-up grandpa taking a noisy midday snooze in the recliner! The truth is, babies make lots of weird noises while sleeping. In fact, experts confirm that newborn sleep is, indeed, not at all quiet. And while there are many totally normal baby sleep sounds that require not an ounce of worry...some baby grunting, whistling, and gurgling noises can be cause for concern. The trick? Knowing which baby sleep sounds and grunts are which. Here’s help!

Why is my baby making sounds while sleeping?

A few nights of snoozing next to your baby might leave you wondering: Why is my newborn such a noisy sleeper? It turns out, there’s a lot of biology to blame.

• Babies breathe out their noses. Up until your baby reaches 3 to 4 months old, they only breathe through their nose. And since their nasal passages are so teeny, it only takes small bits of mucus, breastmilk, or formula to migrate to the back of your baby’s small nasal passages, causing all sorts of congested-related sleep noises. (PS: This is why newborn congestion is common even when your baby doesn’t have a cold.)

• They’re still developing. Since your newborn’s respiratory and digestive systems aren’t fully developed yet, they’re both working extra hard to get their jobs done. And with all that extra work, comes extra sleep sounds, too. For instance, since babies are just learning how to regulate their breathing, you’ll likely overhear brief periods when their breathing speeds up or slows down when they’re snoozing.

• Babies are noisy poopers. Babies are not yet adept at relaxing their pelvic floor or using their tummy muscles to help move their bowels quietly. The result: Noisy grunting and straining when Baby has to make a number two! Though this is sometimes dubbed grunting baby syndrome, it’s totally normal and nothing to worry about.

• Babies experience many sleep transitions. Newborn babies cycle through just sleep stages—REM sleep (aka “active sleep”) and NREM “quiet sleep”—every 45 to 50 minutes. Once your baby reaches 3 to 4 months old, those two sleep stages turn into four.…which is how many sleep stages adults have. Even still, your little one’s sleep cycle—the full circuit from light to deep to light NREM sleep, plus a bit of REM—still lasts less than 60 minutes. So that means about every hour your sweet pea will enter a light sleep, making them more prone to moving around, briefly waking, and making short moans or squawks.

• Babies spend a lot of time in active sleep. Forty to 50% of your baby’s sleepytime is in memory-boosting REM sleep. Meanwhile, grownups spend a mere 15% of their ZZZs lulling in REM. REM sleep is a lighter sleep where babies are in a more active sleep state. That means your little one’s sleep will be marked by eye-fluttering, an elevated heart rate, wiggles, squirmies, and outbursts of various noises, like cries, whines, and whimpers.

• Babies are hungry a lot. Babies aren’t exactly subtle about their hunger…even when they’re dozing! That means you might hear your little one make rooting noises, like lip-smacking and suckling, when asleep in the bassinet. Since these sounds may be a sign that your little one will wake up hungry soon, you may want to preemptively feed your noisy sleeper. (More on the rooting reflex.)

Baby Grunting and Other Typical Newborn Sleep Sounds

Some typical sounds that baby will make while sleeping you might hear—and the reasons behind them—include:

• Whistling and rattling: Thanks to your newborn’s narrow nasal passage, whistling can go hand-in-hand with each inhale.

• Snorting: This is also associated with congestion and tends to occur when your newborn is in deep sleep. (Snorting, whistling, and rattling sleep sounds often calm down by the time your baby reaches about 6 months old.)

• Gurgling: Babies don’t yet reflexively swallow all of their saliva, so when it pools at the back of their mouth and air passes through, you’ll hear gurgling sounds while your baby sleeps.

• Hiccupping: It’s thought that newborns and infants are especially prone to hiccupping in their sleep thanks to gulping air during their last feed before bedtime.

• Whimpering, crying, groaning: If your little one momentarily cries or whimpers while sleeping, it’s likely just a sign that they’re transitioning from light sleep to deep sleep.

• Rumbling, burping, passing gas: Your infant’s only jobs right now are eating, pooping, and sleeping, which means that their developing digestive system is getting an around-the-clock workout—including during sleepytime.

• Baby grunting: When your baby grunts while sleeping, it often means that they’re adjusting to having bowel movements. Newbies are still getting used to using their abdominal muscles to move poop and gas through their system. (There are times, however, when newborn grunting during sleep could be worrisome. More on that below.)

• Lip-smacking: Is your newborn dreaming of a feed? Maybe! It’s quite common to hear lip-smacking and rooting noises from your wee one while they sleep. Be prepared: They’ll likely wake soon looking for the real deal.

Breathing Sounds: Typical Sounds Newborns Make

Since your baby’s airway is softer and narrower than yours, they’re more prone to loud breathing noises...especially when snoozing. Plus, babies naturally breathe faster than older children and grownups. In fact, your newborn’s breathing rate is about 40 to 60 breaths per minute, slowing to a still-fast 30 to 40 times a minute when sleeping. (For context, your at-rest respiration rate is likely between 12 and 16 breaths a minute.)

Beyond being fast, your newborn’s breathing is often irregular, too. While this not-quite-consistent breathing pattern might be startling, for most babies, it’s completely normal. Here’s what’s going on:

• Periodic Breathing. During active REM sleep, babies twitch and jerk their teeny arms legs...and their breathing can get a little jerky, too. This is called normal periodic breathing of infancy and it’s when your baby breathes fast several times, then has a brief rest for 10 seconds or less, then starts up again. Scary, right?! But know that these brief pauses in breathing are normal and something your baby will outgrow by about 6 months. That said, if your baby’s skin color changes during the pauses—or if you’re worried—contact your child’s healthcare provider ASAP.

• Transient Rapid Breathing. When fluid builds up in your newborn’s lungs it can make it difficult for the lung’s air sacs to stay open. The result: Rapid breathing followed by progressively deeper breaths. The good news is that normal breathing usually returns within a minute or so...and your baby most often will stop experiencing this in 48 hours or less. This condition, called transient tachypnea of the newborn, is most common in boys, early-term babies, those delivered by c-section, twins, and babies whose moms have diabetes or asthma.

• Laryngomalacia. When babies are born with floppy larynx tissue, it can fall toward their airway, causing partial obstruction, which makes for noisy breathing...especially when tots are laying on their back, which is the safest sleep position. This is the most common cause of noisy breathing in infants and for about 80% of babies, laryngomalacia resolves on its own.

When to Worry About Baby Grunting and Other Sleep Sounds

Most of the time your squeaking, gurgling, burping snoozer is A-okay! But there are times when baby sleep sounds signal something bigger is going on. Listen up for these noises:

• Fast breathing of over 40 breaths a minute
• Rhythmic grunting during breathing...especially when paired with flared nostrils
• An extra-long exhale sound
• Whistling sound each time your baby breathes out

These scary sleep sounds could indicate that your baby has respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), bronchiolitis, or respiratory distress syndrome. It’s important that you contact your healthcare provider immediately for guidance.

When Typical Baby Grunting and Other Sleep Sounds Keep You Awake

It’s hard not to tune into every little noise that emerges from your precious new baby! But if every wayward toot and gurgle wakes you from a solid slumber, consider turning on some white noise. Not only will white noise lull your baby to a calming sleep, but white noise acts as a “blanket of sound” for you, drowning out baby’s sleep sounds. (Don’t worry: You’ll still hear your baby cry.) While it may be tempting to relocate your noisy newborn to their nursery, the American Academy of Pediatrics urges parents to room-share with their little one for at least 6 months. This practice alone can decrease the risk of SIDS by as much as 50%.

When do babies sleep sounds stop?

If you’ve ever shared a bed with a snorer you know that there’s no guarantee that all sleep sounds stop after a certain age! But certain baby noises do tend to quiet after a few months. A few months in, your baby’s lungs and digestive system start figuring their jobs out, which results in quieter sleep. At the same time, once your nugget reaches 3 to 6 months old, they start spending less sleepytime in active, noisy REM sleep and more time in quieter deep sleep. To help your baby achieve quiet, restful sleep, consider the following:

• Feed your baby in a more upright position, especially before sleep.
• Burp your baby after feeds, especially before sleep.
• During the day, bicycle Baby’s legs and gently press their knees to their tummy to help reduce bowel-related strain and grunting.
• Offer a dream feed.
• Learn your baby’s sleepytime cues and wake windows.
• Establish a relaxing bedtime routine.
• Use white noise to soothe your baby—and muffle potentially sleep-disturbing sounds. The best white noise machines also mimic womb-sounds, like SNOObie and SNOObear.

For more advice on how to set your baby up for sleep success, check out “The Happiest Baby Guide to Great Sleep."

View more posts tagged, sleep

Have questions about a Happiest Baby product? Our consultants would be happy to help! Submit your questions here.

Disclaimer: The information on our site is NOT medical advice for any specific person or condition. It is only meant as general information. If you have any medical questions and concerns about your child or yourself, please contact your health provider.