The diagnosis of pediatric sleep apnea comes with a mix of emotions. On the one hand, it’s a relief to find out that there is a medical diagnosis responsible for your child’s sleep disruptions! However, on the other hand, it can be stressful to figure out how exactly to help them.

The following comes from one of our moms whose 3-year-old daughter slept through the night for the first time EVER, after making one nighttime change.

Here is her story:

My daughter has always woken up 5-6 times during the night. As time went on, we kept thinking it would get better. However, after she turned three years old and was continuing to wake up this frequently, we wondered if there could be something else going on.

In light of this, our next step was to make an appointment with our doctor. After discussing my daughters sleep troubles with our pediatrician, he referred us for a sleep study. The sleep study came back with remarkable results. Our daughter was diagnosed with pediatric obstructive sleep apnea.

I had never heard of pediatric sleep apnea! I was shocked to learn that the test showed that our daughter had over 11 breathing disturbances in one night. It is no wonder she woke up so often while sleeping, she was having trouble breathing!

Sleep apnea treatment without CPAP

After the sleep study, our next step was to visit an Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor to talk about a pediatric sleep apnea treatment. One option was of course a pediatric CPAP machine. Before jumping straight into that, I wanted to look around at all the potential treatment options.

During my search, I learned more about what causes sleep apnea in pediatric patients. During my research, I found that a sleep apnea treatment for adults is to sleep elevated and on their side. So, I thought, why wouldn’t this work for kids? That’s when I started looking for a wedge pillow for sleep apnea.

Thankfully, I found exactly what I was looking for at Wedge Pillow Solutions: a contoured incline wedge pillow. This wedge elevates your torso and is made especially for side sleepers. I wondered if this wedge, which is technically made for adults, could help my daughter sleep?

I decided to give it a try. My husband and I were amazed. The first night my daughter slept on the wedge, she woke up ZERO times. This had never happened before. The first night of sleeping on this wedge pillow was the first night she had ever slept through the night.

Now, it has been a month, and she has slept through the night every, single, night. We are so thankful that we found a natural treatment for pediatric sleep apnea that helps our daughter sleep. And the best part is? She loves the wedge! I place it under the fitted sheet on her bed. Now, she won’t go to bed without her “princess pillow”!

If your family is struggling with pediatric sleep apnea, try a side sleeping wedge! It changed our life, and it could change yours!

-Happy mom!