Dr Olson Huff
Pediatrician

Nicole Rawson-Huff
Child Development

Anne Oxenreider
Child Development

Dr William Lawrence
Pediatrician

Mary Lawson RN
Nurse Practitioner

Michelle Hutchison
Practical Parenting

Sixty Second Parent

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Breath holding

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Having a child who holds their breath can be a frightening experience.

What is it?

Eighteen or so months old, screaming with frustration, turning blue in the face, apparently not breathing and possibly even some jerking movements like a seizure. Serious problem? Awful disease? Panic? No to all those concerns.

What causes it?

Although scary to observe, breath holding ordinarily is not any kind of medical problem. Some children are more easily frustrated than others and because the nervous system of a toddler in not very mature, they simply get “overloaded” and shut down to re-charge.

What can I do?

As hard as it is NOT to do something drastic, the best thing is to gently and firmly hold your child safely and the episode will pass quickly. If these “spells” are prone to re-occur, look for ways to avoid as much frustration as possible.
Distract - For example, playing a musical game such as “the itsy bitsy spider” may be one such way to reduce the potential for a breath-holding event.

See a Doctor if…

The episodes do seem to be increasing, seek your pediatrician’s advice.
By the ripe old age of two, most breath holding is past history. Good thing too!

You, the sixty-second parent, can now look forward to the next giant step of your wee one’s development and relish the “testing twos!”