Does your child voice get rough or inaudible? Do they cry often and for a longer duration? Do you find the little one’s voice more hoarse than usual? All the answer to these questions is due to hoarse voice.
Hoarse voice is a condition when the child sounds rough, raspy, or breathy when speaking. It more often happens due to the vocal cord being strained. However, in most of the cases, it is common in babies.
Well, by the end of the article you will get to have a fair share of information about hoarse voice in babies and what causes the condition. The article will also focus on the various home remedies for this condition.
What Is Baby Hoarse Voice?
Well, hoarseness (R) is defined as the breathy, coarse, or harsh sounding speech produced by the babies. The baby hoarse voice is found when the voice box or vocal cords become inflamed from overuse, irritation, or infection in babies.
It lasts less than three weeks or it can be chronic which can last more than three weeks as per the studies.
Sometimes, it is caused by viral infection such as cold, fever etc. in babies. The baby hoarse voice is due to the swelling and inflammation of the larynx. This is a temporary condition and it requires no serious medication.
Fast facts on Baby Hoarse Voice:
- It is said that the viral infections and colds are the most common causes behind the hoarse voice of the baby.
- The chronic hoarse voice is often caused by lifestyle factors, such as ongoing exposure to irritants, in case of baby.
- They can also develop another respiratory illness called croup (R)
- The acute condition can be treated with self-care measures and rest with more of home remedies.
What Causes Baby Hoarse Voice?
Some of the common causes of baby hoarse voice are as follows-
1. Excessive Crying:
This is regarded as one of the common causes of hoarseness in infants. In case of a baby hoarse voice, the baby cries more than others or normally the babies cries when they are hungry or they need anything.
This happens due to the baby losing voice from cold or suffering from colic. It is said that the crying for an extended period of time can cause the vocal chords to swell and result in a hoarse voice. They also strain their larynx which also lead to hoarse voice.
In most of the cases, the baby will grow out of excessive crying on their own as long as there is no underlying medical cause. The hoarseness in babies go away when they have stopped crying.
2. Upper Respiratory System Infection:
There are certain upper respiratory system infections that lead to baby hoarse voice. This helps to loosen the inflamed larynx in case of baby. The baby hoarse voice is due to the swelling and inflammation of the larynx.
It is said that the baby loses their voice from cold and croup. These are two of the most common viral infections where the chance of the hoarse voice is more. It is also said that the pathogens and pharyngitis leads to hoarse voice. (R)
3. Vocal Chord Nodules:
There are many evidences that the vocal chords nodules such as crying, shouting loud, speaking etc. can lead to baby hoarse voice. The excessive use of voice can lead to such problem.
This are also called as callous-type growths as it can appear on over-worked vocal chords. The hoarseness occurs due to the vocal chords getting closed improperly.
The difficult part in this is treating vocal cord nodules in infants. The excessive crying leads to such kind of vocal chord nodules. In this case, the babies should stop crying and in most cases, you need to consult a doctor.
4. Acid Reflux:
As per the research, the frequent acid reflux can irritate the vocal cord. The babies with the gastroesophageal reflux disease have a higher chance of getting (R) a hoarse voice.
This phenomenon is due to the stomach acids entering the esophagus and causing the burning sensation. It is more often very painful. This acid reflux affects the vocal chords and lead to hoarse voice in baby.
Note: if your baby is suffering from acid reflux, it is necessary for you to consult doctor and take the required medication for it.
5. Allergies:
Allergies can also be another major cause behind the hoarse voice in the baby. The allergy can lead to excessive secretion of mucus in the nasal cavity. Allergies lead congestion which can further cause the hoarseness.
The post-nasal drip from allergies can irritate the vocal chords and drip into the throat. There are also evidences that certain allergies can also cause the vocal chords to swell as well.
You have to be very careful with what leads to allergies in your child and what to avoid for child. There are allergy tests that can aid in understanding the triggers behind the allergic reactions.
You can read also: 15 home remedies for skin allergies
6. Illness:
Illness is also another important cause behind the baby hoarse voice. The illness that involves congestion and the post-nasal drip can cause this condition.
This makes the throat irritated and affects the vocal cord. Whenever this kind of things appears, clean the throat of your child. For this, you can use a bulb syringe as that can help to make breathing easier for the baby.
7. Irritants:
This is another factor that affects the baby hoarse voice. The smoke from the automobile, cigarette etc. play an important factor in the baby hoarse voice. The research has proved that the excessive drooling due to the teething can irritate the vocal cord and cause the baby hoarse voice as well.
8. Excessive Shouting:
Here is probably another cause that lead baby hoarse voice. It is seen that the old infant and toddlers experience with voice and other noisy elements.
Baby Hoarse Symptoms:
Here are few symptoms that is observed in a baby-
- A hoarse voice
- Sometimes losing your voice
- An irritating cough
- Always needing to clear your throat
- A sore throat
- Have a high temperature
- Have difficulty to breathing
- Weekend voice
- Loss of voice
- Dry throat
- Dry cough
Home Remedies For Baby Hoarse Voice:
Here are some of the home cares that you can perform for the baby hoarse voice. So these are as follows-
1. Keep The Body Hydrated:
This is one of the easy and best home remedies for hoarse voice in babies. Increase the intake of water in the body more. The number of breastfeeding should be more frequent in babies older than six months. The vocal cord should be hydrated and that can reduce the hoarseness of voice.
2. Use a Cool Mist Humidifier:
A humidifier plays an important role in giving good air to the baby while assleep and helps in breathing well. It pumps the water to vapor in good fragrance in the air. Many of the research say that the use of humidifier prevents the drying up of the vocal cord. Use a cool mist humidifier only instead of a hot mist humidifier.
3. Avoid Allergens and Irritants:
Once you are done with figuring the allergens that keeps your kids irritated, then make sure you keep them away from potential allergens. They should also be kept away from pollution.
Make sure no one in home should smoke and avoid tobacco smoke.
4. Control Colic and Restrict Vocal Cord Overuse:
This is one of the major things you can do at home with the baby hoarse voice. If the baby cries, then make sure you relax them. It may be tough for the older children. Add some rewards or incentive to work on so that it will control the colic.
5. Maintain A Good Hygiene and Vaccinate:
A proper and hygiene practice can relieve the hoarse voice in babies. Make sure you keep the baby’s surroundings clean and hygienic. Keep the baby away from cold triggering substances. Precaution is always better than cure. So, take all these home remedies to relieve baby hoarse voice. I hope this article has given you a good information about the baby hoarse voice and the steps to treat baby hoarse voice at home.
