Q: My son 22 months old son, is having noisy breathing problem since birth and catches cough/cold quite frequently with a running nose. The noise at times increases so much that it can be heard from a distance. The treating paediatrician, after trying various medicines, told me that his respiratory vein is having folds, that is why when he breathes, noise comes out and told me that this problem will go away as the child grows up. The noise also increases during the weather change and if there is little amount of coolness in air, he catches cold and starts an irritating cough. His diet also goes down significantly during this period. Kindly advise me if any medicine/precautions are to be taken for preventing him from cough/cold and for maintaining his food habits.

A:Babies with noisy breathing from birth usually are considered to have an air passage that compresses easily even during normal breathing. This is called laryngomalacia. This improves steadily with age. All babies with laryngomalacia-if the noisy breathing persists after 12-18 months of age- should have a full check-up by an ENT (Ear-nose-throat) specialist, to ensure that there is no other problem. You can decrease the frequency of coughs and colds by providing a nutrituous diet, with enough vitamins and iron. You can also try to keep your baby away from people with respiratory infections, as much as possible.