My Baby Makes Elephant Noises

You have read every book of what to expect with your newborn, the milestones, feeding programs, and sleeping routines. Now you feel well prepared for the parenthood journey. Finally, your baby is home healthy. Few nights you start noticing funny sounds like elephant noises that your baby is making.

 The noises keep changing just as you are getting used to it, the sound changes. Probably you are wondering why nobody mentioned these funny yet annoying sounds that babies make. If your baby keeps on making these noises, they can make a new parent worried. Let’s look at why babies make weird sounds.

Why Do Babies Make Weird Sounds?

When your newborn comes to this world, their organs are usually not fully developed. Their nostrils are very narrow, and there is mucus that could be blocking the air. They make funny sounds as they breathe, and if there is mucus, it amplifies the sound. Your baby also makes funny sounds when they want to pass wind or poop.

Understand Your Baby’s Breathing Sounds

Babies are naturally using their nose rather than their mouth. This technique helps them to feed and breathe at the same time. For the first six months, your baby will breathe exclusively through their nose. Once they are a year old, they can breathe through the mouth more.

You will experience a different range of sounds from snorting, whistling, and gurgling sounds because as the baby breaths their small nostril. As you get familiar with your baby’s noises, you should learn the different noises your baby makes in different positions.

Know the noise your baby makes while they breathe, how your baby’s nostrils flare as they live. How does your baby’s breathing sound change while awake as compared to while sleeping? Babies sneeze a lot because they are not used to the world, and usually, it’s not a call of concern. A breastfeeding baby makes different sounds from a bottle-fed baby. Understand your baby’s chest rhythm so you can understand better when your baby has some difficulty in breathing.

Possible Things that Make Babies Make Noise

While it is normal for babies to make noise and keep their parents up all night checking on them and wondering why they are making those sounds, is the baby breathing well? Is that a grunt? Every sound is different, and as a parent, you are trying to analyze and understand the other sounds. Let’s look at some of the things that make your baby make those weird noises.

Nasal Congestion

Medically known as nasal congestion for newborns, nasal congestion is common in babies. Your baby has a small little nasal passage that sounds like it’s very congested in the first few weeks of your baby. Newborns don’t know how to breathe with their mouths, so no matter how congested the nasal feels, they will live with their nose.


Bronchomalacia is a nosier sound mostly described by parents like wheezing. This sound will keep you up all night. It’s more prominent when your baby is lying down and can start after a week of your baby’s birth and gets better within a few months. It’s usually harmless, but if it’s too much for you, call your pediatrician to help you with a diagnosis.


Hiccups are usual for everyone, no matter their age, but babies are more prone to hiccups more than an average child. They are believed to be caused by irritation or stimulation of the phrenic nerve. Babies are considered to have hiccups from the womb due to the scheduled practice of the lungs. As the baby grows, the hiccups will reduce and are not harmful.


All babies have reflux, but some may have worse than others. It’s common for babies fed with formula milk as some babies may be allergic to the high protein found in formula milk. Reflux can make your baby have many spit-ups, gurgling noises, and back arching after feeding. If you feel like your baby’s reflux is getting worse daily, consult with your doctor.

Sometimes your baby holds breath or a pant at other times, don’t worry, it’s a sign your baby is healthy and developing well. Observe your baby breathing and noise pattern, so you are able to tell what’s normal and what’s not.

Elephant noises that your baby makes are perfectly okay. Some make the bear, horse, and all the weird noises you can imagine. Don’t panic, and enjoy the joy of parenthood. If your baby sleeps all night without making a sound, you will not sleep checking if they are breathing. If your baby has a fever or holds breath for more than twenty seconds, call your pediatrician.