Breath holding spells are one of the scariest things parents have to deal with.  All they see is a child that stops breathing, turns blue, and passes out. Sometimes there will be twitching, as well.  The parent often isn’t sure if they’re seeing a seizure, a fainting spell, or what, and most new parents haven’t even heard of breath holding spells.

So what is a breath holding spell?

A breath holding spell starts with an emotional child.  They can be frightened, hurt, or mad, but usually are upset and crying.  Then they will stop breathing, turn blue, and pass out. They are very scary for the caregivers watching it happen, but in general will not hurt the child unless they fall on something after they pass out.

What do I do when my child does this?

First, do your best to keep calm.  Remember that this will not hurt your child.  Your child is already upset and will feel better waking up to a calm person.  Also, you can think better if you are breathing and not panicking.  

Second, lay your child down if they’re not already.  If you want to put the feet up to help blood flow to the head, that’s fine.  Do NOT put anything in their mouth. Even if it is a seizure, the only thing that can do is hurt them.  

Usually they regain consciousness within one minute, although it always feels longer.  Counting seconds may help you focus and know how long it takes.

Once the child wakes up, make sure to comfort them briefly.

Why does it happen?

Some children have a reaction to strong emotions.  Breath holding spells usually start by 2 years old, but can be as early as 6 months.  They usually end by 6 years old.

Breath holding spells can also run in families.  Rarely, it can happen because a child is anemic.

How can I stop it from happening?

Since breath holding spells come with heightened emotions they can be hard to predict.  Sometimes, though, you can cut them off at the pass. This does not mean that you should give in to your child to keep them from getting upset – that would just make it worse in the long run.  This means things like distracting them from their upset, or tactfully disciplining.

Most children never have a breath holding spell.  The children who do have them can have one or several.  Since they can be difficult to tell from other kinds of passing out, it’s a good idea to talk to your doctor after at least the first one.  Your doctor may want to check for anemia if your child has multiple episodes, or is showing other signs of anemia. Your doctor can also help you with personalized ways to deal with breath holding spells.    

Bottom line.

Breath holding spells are scary for the parent, but won’t hurt your child.  

Links.

Breath holding spells at kids health.