Breath holding

• email
• save PDF
• print

Some babies get so furiously angry when they are frustrated that they cry and then hold their breath and turn blue. When this first happens, it's bound to scare the wits out of the parents. It seldom means anything except that the baby has that kind of temperament. It's often a baby who's unusually happy at other times who has breath-holding spells.

Two types of spells

Most breath-holding spells happen as described above. First the baby cries loudly, then holds her breath, then passes out. In a less common form of breath-holding spell, the baby cries very briefly or just gasps – maybe she bumped her toe or had some sudden emotion – then turns pale and passes out. This form is more likely to go along with a family history of fainting, and children who do this a lot are more likely to have a fainting problem later on.

Scary to watch but rarely harmful

You can be reassured that no-one can hold her breath to death. In the worst-case scenario, a baby can hold her breath for so long that she blacks out and her body assumes control and starts breathing again. Sometimes a baby can hold her breath for so long she not only blacks out, but also has seizure-like movements! Again, this is terrifying to watch but not really dangerous. Breath-holding spells do not cause brain injury.

At what age does this typically occur?

Most breath-holding spells occur between one and three years and stop happening by the time the child starts kindergarten.

What should I do if my child holds her breath?

Your doctor or maternal and child health nurse should be told initially about any breath-holding episodes, and subsequently about particularly alarming breath-holding spells so he or she can make sure everything is alright physically. Otherwise nothing much needs to be done.

Preventing breath-holding spells

If you want to try to prevent your baby from having a breath-holding spell, you can try to divert her attention. When she begins to cry, distract her by encouraging another activity. However, distraction cannot always prevent breath holding.

Treatment

The problem of breath holding can sometimes be treated by giving an iron supplement. A simple blood test can show if anaemia (usually caused by low iron) is a likely cause. In some cases, a doctor will advise an electrocardiogram (ECG) or other testing.

If your child has breath-holding spells, tell your child's doctor. You should seek a doctor's opinion to be thoroughly reassured.

• Rated18 ratingsRate this item
• FeedbackTell us what you think of this item
• Your story Share your parenting tips