How to Deal With a Baby Who Holds His Breath

While it might sound like behavior from a stubborn toddler, breath-holding spells can actually begin when your baby is as young as 2 months old. It's a stress response that some babies can develop and continue until school-aged. Characterized by periods where babies hold their breath and even turn red, they can be frightening, even if completely normal. By making sure your baby is safe and healthy, you can be sure that his breath-holding spells aren't doing any damage.

Instructions

    • 1

      Call your pediatrician to talk about the behavior. While breath-holding spells are fairly common, they can occasionally be a symptom of conditions such as a seizure disorder, heart arrhythmia or iron deficiency anemia, according to KidsHealth.org. By notifying your doctor of the behavior, you can rule out any possible health issue before deciding that the behavior is normal and doesn't require any special medical care.

    • 2

      Distract your baby when she starts to become distressed, anxious or upset. These are usually triggers for the breath-holding response. A few brightly colored toys, a silly song or changing scenery may be enough to quell your baby's anxiety and stop the response altogether.

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      Move your baby to a safe, soft place. Experts at The Children's Hospital Colorado warn that the biggest concern for babies who hold their breath is head injury from falling or slumping. If your little one is near a hard surface, move him to a softer surface and lay him flat. This can help increase blood flow to the brain to limit the effects of the episode.

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      Place a cold, wet washcloth on your baby's forehead, suggests Medline Plus. This can help shorten the length of the breath-holding episode.

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      Ignore the behavior -- as long as your doctor has ruled it normal and non-harmful -- as your baby becomes a toddler and finally, a stubborn preschooler. While a baby is too young to try and use the episodes to manipulate you, older babies and toddlers often resort to breath holding as a way to get what they want. As long as your little one is in a safe place and in no medical distress, you can begin to ignore the behavior to show him that it's an ineffective tactic.

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      Call your doctor if your little one has already been diagnosed with breath-holding spells, but they become more frequent or their accompanying behavior changes.

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