Sleep apnea is a difficult thing for any person to deal with, but especially for the parent of a child with sleep apnea. Sleep apnea in children can come in a number of different forms depending on the age of the child and their personal circumstances – for very young children, sleep apnea tends to be central sleep apnea or mixed sleep apnea, and for slightly older children, sleep apnea tends to be obstructive sleep apnea caused by enlarged or swollen adenoids or tonsils.
Sometimes, children will be treated for their sleep apnea with a breathing monitor until they’ve grown out of the apnea. This breathing monitor will monitor the child’s breathing and sound an alarm if the child experiences an apnea, allowing the parent, nurse or carer to massage the baby’s chest to stimulate breathing. Childhood sleep apnea usually presents with the same symptoms as adults but usually with less loud snoring and more heavy breathing. Sleep apnea that goes untreated in children can be very dangerous and is linked to sudden infant death syndrome, where infants and small babies can die suddenly without any apparent reason.
The other type of sleep apnea in children is obstructive sleep apnea and this is more often than not caused by enlarged adenoids, tonsils or soft tissues in the back of the throat. This can be treated with surgery to remove the enlarged soft tissue and should leave the child sleep apnea-free. If they have obstructive sleep apnea caused by something that cannot be rectified with a simple surgery, they will then be treated with CPAP or BiPAP.
Although sleep apnea can be controlled and managed, many daycares have a problem with taking children with sleep apnea. This is probably due to the fact that they are not educated on what to do if your child stops breathing and how they can help your child. Although this can be very difficult if your ideal daycare isn’t willing to take your child, you do have a few options. If your child or baby has central sleep apnea, your daycare may be willing to take them on in a few months if/when they grow out of the sleep apnea. Equally, if your child has obstructive sleep apnea, the daycare may be willing to take them on once they have had their operation or once they are successfully receiving treatment with CPAP or BiPAP.
Your second choice daycare may take your child even if they are being treated with a breathing monitor – it really depends on whether they have staff that are trained in CPR and how up-to-date their first aid certificates are. If you’re not comfortable with leaving them at your second choice daycare or if your second choice doesn’t take children with sleep apnea, try asking around to find an in-home daycare. This is when someone will come to your home and look after your child/children in your house, and usually, they will be far more willing to take on a child with extra needs as they do have the time to dedicate to your child, whereas in a normal daycare the ratio of adults to children may be 1:4, meaning they cannot dedicate the time to your child that they’d like to.
A bonus of having in-home daycare is that all of your equipment and treatments (if your child is on a monitor or treated with CPAP) are at home and you don’t need to lug them around with you. Your child is also likely to be more comfortable with a stranger if they are at home in their own surroundings than at daycare.
For more information on your daycare options, speak to your doctor or local education authority.