Breath-holding in babies and children
Overview
Breath-holding is when a baby or child stops breathing for up to 1 minute and may faint. It can happen when a child is frightened, upset, angry, or has a sudden shock or pain. It's usually harmless but can be scary for parents, particularly when it happens for the first time.
Causes
Breath-holding is not something a child does deliberately. It's usually triggered by a sudden shock or pain, or strong emotions like fear, upset or anger. There are 2 types of breath-holding: blue breath-holding spells – this is the most common type of breath-holding and happens when a child's breathing pattern changesreflex anoxic seizures – this type of breath-holding happens when a child's heart rate slows down
Treatment
There's no specific treatment for breath-holding. It should eventually stop by the time your child is 4 or 5 years old. Medicines are rarely used to treat breath-holding. Breath-holding is sometimes related toiron deficiency anaemia. Your child's blood iron levels may be checked. They may need iron supplements if their iron levels are low.