Soft snoring is common and not of concern while a child has tonsillitis or other upper respiratory
infection. It becomes concerning if it continues chronically, or if it looks like your child struggles to
breathe at times (sleep apnoea). This is slightly more common in boys than girls, and especially in
babies who were born premature.

The common causes are:

• Enlarged tonsils and adenoids
• Severe hayfever
• Obesity

If not addressed, sleep apnoea may cause:

• Poor quality, fragmented sleep, resulting in daytime tiredness, grinding teeth, drooling
  and bed wetting while asleep, attention deficit/hyperactivity
• Stunted growth
• Strain on the heart, eventually resulting in heart failure

It is therefore important to have the problem evaluated by an ENT specialist, as it is easily treatable, with much better outcomes in young children than older children!