What is the cause of rapid breathing in infants?

The birth of a baby brings happiness and joy to every family, but the newborn baby will have many symptoms, such as the baby always cries for no reason, has symptoms of shortness of breath, and has a very weak breathing sound. Many parents are always at a loss as to how to give their children proper care. Many parents also worry about whether their children’s high breathing rate indicates lung disease. So what is the reason for the baby’s rapid breathing?

Children have vigorous physiological metabolism, and their oxygen demand calculated based on body surface area is close to that of adults. Children can generally only meet the body's needs by increasing the number of breaths. The younger they are, the higher their breathing rate. A normal newborn breathes 40 to 44 times per minute; for children under 1 year old, it is 30 times; for children between 1 and 3 years old, it is about 24 times per minute. To observe the number of breathing times, it must be done in a quiet or sleeping state to be accurate.

An increased respiratory rate is a characteristic sign of pneumonia in infants and children under 3 years of age. In mild pneumonia, the child coughs, becomes short of breath, and has a faster respiratory rate. For children under 2 months old, the respiratory rate is more than 50 times per minute, for children aged 2 to 12 months, the respiratory rate is 40 to 50 times per minute, and for children over one year old, the respiratory rate is greater than 40 times per minute.

In severe pneumonia, the heart rate is more than 60 times per minute for children under 2 months old, greater than or equal to 50 times per minute for children between 2 and 12 months old, and greater than or equal to 40 times per minute for children over one year old.

Newborns have narrow nasal cavities and rich blood vessels, so they are prone to nasal congestion. Therefore, loud breathing and sneezing are normal. Don’t worry. After one month, the baby’s nasal cavity will gradually develop and expand and the problem will disappear naturally.

The physiological manifestations of the baby can be identified from the basic symptoms. Because the respiratory system of a baby is not fully developed when it is born, a normal newborn breathes 40-44 times per minute, which is a normal number. The breathing frequency will decrease with the age. If the child has shortness of breath and crying, take the child to the hospital for examination to see if he has lung or bronchial disease.