Baby

Newborn Grunting in Sleep: What Is Normal

By Raised Editorial · Published 17 July 2026

Expecting a sleeping newborn to be silent? Think again. Babies are incredibly noisy sleepers. Here is the biological reason why they grunt, snort, and squeak all night long.

Before you have a baby, you imagine they will sleep like, well, a baby: silently and peacefully.

Then you bring them home, put the bassinet next to your bed, and spend the entire night listening to a symphony of grunts, snorts, squeaks, and what sounds like a tiny barnyard animal. You stare at them in the dark, terrified that they cannot breathe.

Rest assured, newborn grunting is incredibly common. In fact, a perfectly healthy newborn is often a very noisy sleeper. Here is the biological breakdown of why they make these noises, and how to know when to call a doctor.

1. Active Sleep (REM)

Adults spend most of the night in deep, quiet sleep. Newborns spend 50% of their sleep in "Active Sleep" (similar to REM sleep in adults).

During Active Sleep, their brains are processing massive amounts of information. Because their neurological system is immature, this brain activity translates into physical movement and noise. They will twitch, smile, flutter their eyes, and make rhythmic grunting or whimpering sounds.

• What you should do: Nothing. Do not pick them up. If their eyes are closed (or even half-open but unfocused), they are asleep. Picking them up will interrupt a crucial sleep cycle.

2. Learning to Digestion (Infant Dyschezia)

Adults use their abdominal muscles to bear down and their pelvic floor muscles to relax when passing gas or stool. This happens automatically.

Newborns have not figured out how to coordinate this yet. When they feel gas moving through their intestines, they often push with their abdominal muscles while clenching their pelvic floor. Because they are pushing against a closed door, their face turns red, they pull their legs up, and they grunt loudly.

This is called infant dyschezia. It is not constipation (their stool is usually soft). It is simply the noisy process of learning how to poop.

• What you should do: Bicycling their legs or doing gentle tummy massage can help move the gas along, but mostly, they just need time to figure out their own muscles.

3. Tiny Airways and Laryngomalacia

A newborn's nasal passages are microscopic. Even a tiny bit of dried milk or normal mucus can cause them to sound "stuffy" or snorty when they breathe. Because babies are obligate nose breathers (they only breathe through their noses, not their mouths), you hear every whistle and snort.

Additionally, some babies have a condition called laryngomalacia, where the tissues above the vocal cords are soft and floppy. When they breathe in, these tissues fall over the airway opening, causing a noisy, squeaky stridor sound. It usually resolves on its own by 12 to 18 months.

• What you should do: For normal congestion, saline drops and a nasal aspirator (like a FridaBaby) can help clear the passages before sleep.

When is Grunting Not Normal?

While grunting during active sleep or digestion is normal, grunting with every single breath is a red flag.

If a baby is grunting rhythmically at the end of every exhale, they are using the grunt to try and keep their airways open. You must seek immediate emergency medical care if you see any of the following signs of respiratory distress:

• Flaring: Their nostrils flare out wide with every breath.
• Retractions: The skin pulls in deeply around their ribs, collarbone, or neck when they breathe in.
• Color changes: Their lips, tongue, or face turn blue or gray.
• Fast breathing: They are breathing more than 60 times a minute while resting.

If your baby is just making occasional weird barnyard noises while happily asleep, buy some earplugs and try to get some rest.