Any kind of breathing difficulty your infant or child experiences can be a scary time for parents. Infants have some common unusual breathing patterns that may or may not be true problems, so it is important to figure out what is really a difficulty caused by illness and what is not. Knowing what to expect and when to call the doctor can help you assess what to do when you suspect breathing difficulties.

Pediatrician William Sears offers some terrific guidelines on his website to help you assess your infant’s breathing. The first step in figuring out what is going on is to determine if the breathing difficulties are coming from the nose or chest.

Most babies have a stuffy nose for the first several weeks of life. This stuffiness may interfere with sleeping and feeding, and is a concern for parents, but is usually harmless. Some things you can do at home (and do call your pediatrician for more help if needed) is to squirt nasal saline or breast milk into the nose and then use a bulb syringe to suction the nose.

You can find saline spray at the drugstore, and you probably took a bulb syringe home with you from the hospital. Sometimes this syringing can make the baby cry, causing more congestion, however.

Saliva and regurgitated milk can cause chest congestion. Try holding your baby upright and letting him sleep upright in your arms or in a carseat so that the congestion can drain. It is also common for newborns to have panting or rapid breathing, which is disconcerting to parents, but if it comes and goes and your baby has no other signs of illness, should not be a cause for worry.

Labored breathing can mean your baby has a serious respiratory illness. If your baby is truly wheezing – that is, he has a caving in of the chest and labored breathing that persists for hours in spite of being in an upright position, your gently clapping him on the chest, or exposing him to steam -- then call your doctor.

Infants and toddlers experience breathing difficulties that may or may not be related to illness. Regardless, they are frightening for parents, but knowing some causes and solutions can help alleviate the fear factor.

A hoarse voice and labored, raspy breathing and a bark-like cough with fever probably mean your baby has croup. Croup is a common viral respiratory illness that usually doesn’t require an emergency visit to the doctor, but warrants close observation to be sure that breathing problems don’t become severe.

Audible wheezing and labored, rapid breathing in the absence of the signs of croup may mean pneumonia, so check with your doctor regarding treatment.

A high-pitched sound when your child exhales and labored breathing may indicate asthma, so check with your doctor to determine what to do.

If your child has not been diagnosed with asthma, then you may find that turning on the shower and letting the bathroom get steamed up, then holding him upright in the steamy room while clapping him on the back and chest will help relieve his breathing.

Check with your pediatrician for expectorant dosage and whether it is advisable. If you cannot provide relief for your child’s labored breathing by trying these at-home methods, taking your child to an urgent care or emergency department is advisable since there may not be much your doctor can do to assist via telephone.

Knowing what to do in the short-term to assist with your baby’s breathing can help alleviate some of the worry inherent in infant breathing problems. Try to assess what is going on, whether it is caused by illness or is a “normal” breathing change, and be ready to take your child for medical attention if necessary.