Help Your Children Breathe Better
Proper breathing and oral posture: All breathing, day and night, child or adult, should
be done through the nose. Obviously we use our mouths to breathe often while
speaking or singing, but even most mild to moderate exercise can performed
while breathing through the nose. While the mouth is closed, the teeth should
be in light contact and the tongue resting on the roof of the mouth. Normal
breathing should not be seen or heard, and should involve a closed mouth. And
the Lord God
formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the
breath of life; and man became a living soul. Genesis 2:7
Corrective Exercises
Meaningful Chewing: Reserve
a few minutes at least one meal a day to focus on chewing. Chew a minimum of
15-20 chews or until food liquefies. Chew with lips together and close the jaw
and pause 2 seconds before swallowing. (Gum-chewing can serve as a decent
exercise IF it is done with a closed mouth.)
Counting Exercise: Count
out loud slowly to 60. Touch your lips together and your teeth together in
between every number. Inhale at every 5 counts; exhale naturally as you say the
numbers. Feel free to switch it up and do the alphabet too.
Reading Out-Loud: Practice
reading/speaking with good punctuation as a practical application of nasal-only
breathing. Pause at commas and do full stops at the end of sentences to close
your mouth and breathe in through your nose.
Panic/Anxiety/Asthma
Panic, like asthma, is
usually preceded by an increase in breathing volume and rate and a decrease in
carbon dioxide. To stop the attack before it strikes, one should breathe slower
and less, increasing their carbon
dioxide. This simple and free technique can reverse dizziness, shortness of breath,
and feelings of suffocation. It can effectively cure a panic attack before the
attack comes on. “Hold your breath” or “slow breaths” may be more helpful
instructions than “take a deep breath.”
DO
• Remind child whenever you notice them mouth breathing to breathe through their nose
• Encourage child to chew more
• Have children eat solid foods; and wean infants into solids
• Lightly pinch a nursing infants lips closed for a few seconds after nursing
• Check your child’s sleeping habits (look for open mouth or restless sleep)
• Treat stuffy noses and colds right away
• Always encourage good hand-hygiene
DO NOT
• Suck on fingers
• Talk and eat at the same time
• Use pacifiers (for too long)
• Use baby food “mush” for more than a very short period of time
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