I have a 4 month old that sometimes wakes up in the middle of the night gagging on his own saliva? He is lately showing signs of fussiness (may be the 4 month mark) and getting his first teeth and it sounds like he is not fully awake and forgets to swallow. He always coughs it all back up and smiles at me like nothing has happened but it gives me a huge scare every time. Any info about this? What causes it and do I need to take action or is this natural and more scary for the parents than for the baby himself?
Hi there! First off, if you’re ever truly concerned, consult your pediatrician. You know your kiddo better than any one commenter on the internet - trust your instincts. That said, this sounds pretty normal to me, especially if they have no fever or sores in their mouth.
When babies start to teeth, they produce more saliva to help them begin to eat food, protect their teeth from decay, and soothe tender gums. Sleep will of course be more disrupted anyway during this time because they are in some discomfort due to sore gums, so I do expect some nighttime awakenings and fussiness. Just like adults, babies drool in their sleep too, so he’s probably just waking up to “wipe the drool off his face” like we all do. Scarier for you than it is for him 