Tips to treat hiccups in children

Give your baby water or milk.

This is a good tip and also an easy and effective solution to cure hiccups. You can use a spoon to give your baby sips of cooled boiled water. For newborns, you should breastfeed them immediately instead of giving them water.

For babies who are already on solid foods, you can let them drink about 100ml of water slowly. If your baby is older, let them drink small sips with deep breathing and sit with their knees bent. Most babies will be cured of hiccups with this remedy.

Make baby cry

Use your finger to gently scratch your baby's lips or ears several times or make your baby cry. This trick will relax the baby's esophageal nerves and the hiccups will disappear.

Pat baby's back

You can cup your hands together and gently pat your baby’s back. You must note that each pat must be firm and gentle. This can help your baby burp and avoid reflux.

Mom can cup her hands and pat the baby's back gently.

Use your hand to touch the baby's ear

Alternatively, you can use two index fingers to tightly plug the child's ears for about half a minute, or use your index finger and thumb to pinch the child's nostrils shut, and close the child's mouth for 2-3 seconds, then rest for 2-3 seconds and repeat 15-20 times.

Use honey

Mothers can use a few drops of honey to help their children overcome hiccups. Mothers should use a tongue-cleaning gauze wrapped around their index finger, dip a little honey in it and put it in the baby's mouth. However, infants and children under 1 year old are susceptible to poisoning due to allergies to honey. Therefore, this method should only be used for older children.

Feeding children sugar

The sweetness of sugar will trick the esophageal nervous system, helping your baby avoid hiccups. However, this method only applies to older children from 2 years old.

Uses of star anise seeds

Star anise seed drink is effective in curing hiccups. Mothers use a bowl of boiling water and put a few star anise seeds in it. Wait 15 minutes for it to cool and give it to the baby to drink. This method can only be applied to older babies. If the baby is over 6 months old, mothers can cure hiccups by giving the baby water to drink.

Prevent hiccups in children

Every time a baby has hiccups, the mother often has to try one way or another to help the baby stop hiccups. The best way is for the mother to prevent this "discomfort" by changing the baby's eating habits below.

- Divide into many meals: The stomach of a newborn baby is very small so it can only hold a certain amount of milk. If you feed your baby too much, hiccups and vomiting will occur frequently. Therefore, mothers should divide their baby's meals into many times a day and should not force the baby to eat more when he feels full.

- Pat your baby's back while breastfeeding: When your baby has finished half of the feeding, you should stop and pat your baby's back to help him burp out excess air in his stomach and slow down the flow of milk. This method not only helps prevent hiccups but also helps prevent your baby from feeling full.

- Breastfeeding correctly: The correct position when breastfeeding is that the baby's head needs to be higher than the body and the baby's mouth must cover the mother's nipple. If the mother is bottle-feeding, hold the bottle at a 45-degree angle so that the milk flows to fill the nipple and the air is trapped at the bottom of the bottle. This will limit the amount of air going through the mouth into the stomach.

With these tips to treat hiccups in children, hopefully you will have more knowledge in taking care of your children.