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Key points

  • Hiccups are very common in babies and do not hurt them.
  • They stop on their own within minutes: there is no need to try one remedy after another.
  • A pause, a burp, an upright position or the breast is often enough.
  • No sugar water before 6 months, no frights and no sudden moves.
  • Hiccups at every feed, with crying or spit-up: talk to the doctor.

He has just finished his bottle, or let go of the breast, and the little “hic” sounds begin, shaking his whole body. Baby hiccups often startle new parents. Yet they are ordinary, painless, and pass by themselves.

Should you give him a drink, sit him up, or simply wait? Here is what is going on, the gentle things that help, the ones best forgotten, and the few situations in which hiccups are worth mentioning to the doctor.

Why do babies hiccup so often?

A hiccup is a sudden contraction of the muscles we breathe with, immediately followed by a very quick closing of the vocal cords: that is what makes the little sound. In babies, it happens mostly after drinking, notes Quebec’s Institut national de santé publique (INSPQ).

You may well have felt it during pregnancy: the Mayo Clinic describes these small jerks of fetal hiccups from the second trimester. Our article on feeling your baby move talks about it.

What are they for? Nobody knows for certain. In 2012, a physician-researcher at Queen’s University in Ontario put forward a hypothesis relayed by Naître et grandir: hiccups might help the baby push out air trapped in the stomach, a bit like a burp, to leave more room for milk. It remains only a hypothesis.

Do hiccups bother a baby?

No. The INSPQ is clear: they do not hurt, and they stop on their own after a few minutes. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) even observes that they generally bother parents more than the baby.

If your baby falls asleep in the middle of a hiccup spell, lay him down as usual, flat on his back: hiccups do not change any of the rules of safe sleep.

How do you stop baby hiccups?

Most of the time, waiting is enough. If you want to help, here is the advice from the AAP and the INSPQ:

  1. During a feed, take a pause: change his position, hold him upright against you and try to get a burp.
  2. Help him relax: talk to him softly and rock him against you.
  3. Go back to the feed once the hiccups have passed.
  4. If they last 5 to 10 minutes, offer a few minutes of sucking: according to the AAP, that is usually enough to stop them. If he is breastfed, the INSPQ simply advises putting him back to the breast.
  5. Otherwise, be patient: they will stop by themselves.

Burping: limiting the air he swallows, at the breast or the bottle

A burp helps bring up the air swallowed during a feed. The AAP advises doing it regularly, even if your baby does not seem uncomfortable, because the pauses and changes of position slow down greedy gulping:

  • with a bottle, about every 60 to 90 ml;
  • at the breast, when you switch sides; some breastfed babies swallow very little air and do not need a burp;
  • if he does not burp after a few minutes, go back to the feed and try again at the end.

Three positions to try until you find the one he likes:

  • over your shoulder: baby upright against you, head on your shoulder, while you gently pat his back;
  • sitting on your lap: one hand supports his chest and head, the other pats his back;
  • face down across your lap: head higher than his chest, while you pat or rub his back in small circles.

After the feed, keep him upright for 10 to 15 minutes: the AAP notes that this also limits spit-up. A muslin cloth or a bib on your shoulder protects your clothes. With a bottle, if your baby chokes or drinks very fast, check that the teat flow suits his age: our bottle and teat guide helps you choose.

Sugar water, frights: remedies to forget

There is no shortage of family recipes for hiccups. None is useful for a baby, and some are best avoided:

  • Sugar water, or even plain water: before 6 months, the WHO recommends that a breastfed baby receive no other food or liquid, not even water. None of the health authorities we consulted recommends sugar for hiccups.
  • Herbal teas, even “light” ones: the same rule applies before 6 months. Our article on baby colic explains why infusions are not harmless for infants.
  • Making him jump, frightening him, shaking him: no medical source suggests it, and a baby must never be shaken, as our article on baby crying explains.

The safest thing is also the simplest: wait a few minutes, with your baby held close.

When should hiccups lead you to see a doctor?

Rarely. But hiccups that come back at every feed, along with other signs, can go with reflux. The NHS lists among the symptoms of reflux coughing or hiccups during feeds, a baby who is unsettled while feeding, spits up often, swallows after burping, cries inconsolably or gains weight poorly. Our article on spit-up and reflux helps you tell the difference.

Naître et grandir also advised seeing a doctor if hiccups become very frequent or last more than 48 hours in a row.

Frequently asked questions

My baby hiccups very often. Is that normal?

Yes. Hiccups are common in babies, especially after a feed, and Quebec’s INSPQ is plain about it: they are not a cause for concern. They do not hurt and stop on their own within a few minutes. They become a reason to see a doctor if they come back at every feed with crying, spit-up or poor weight gain, or if they last more than 48 hours.

Why does my baby hiccup after every bottle?

Hiccups mostly happen after feeds, the INSPQ notes, and a baby who drinks fast or is very hungry swallows more air. The American Academy of Pediatrics advises feeding when baby is calm, before they are very hungry, pausing to burp, and keeping them upright after the feed. Also check that the teat flow suits their age.

Can I give my baby water to stop the hiccups?

Not before 6 months if breastfed: the WHO recommends no other food or liquid at that age, not even water. Sugar water, a family remedy that is still common, is not advised by any of the health authorities we consulted. Hiccups pass by themselves; if your baby is breastfed, putting them back to the breast can calm them, suggests the INSPQ.

My baby already had hiccups in my belly. Is it the same thing?

It is the same reflex. The Mayo Clinic describes the little jerks of fetal hiccups, which a mother-to-be can feel from the second trimester of pregnancy. After birth, babies keep having them, especially after drinking. Either way it is an ordinary phenomenon that needs no treatment and passes by itself.

Can hiccups be a sign of reflux?

Sometimes. The NHS lists coughing or hiccups during feeds among the possible symptoms of reflux, along with frequent spit-up, a baby who is unsettled during feeds, swallows after burping, cries inconsolably or gains weight poorly. Isolated hiccups in a baby who feeds and grows well are nothing to worry about. Otherwise, talk to your doctor.

Sources

  1. Éternuements et hoquet du nouveau-néMieux vivre avec notre enfant, INSPQ · Canada (Quebec)
  2. Le mystère du hoquet résolu? (2012)Naître et grandir (Agence Science-Presse) · Canada (Quebec)
  3. Baby Burping, Hiccups & Spit-UpHealthyChildren.org, American Academy of Pediatrics · United States
  4. Fetal development: The 2nd trimesterMayo Clinic · United States
  5. Reflux in babiesNHS · United Kingdom
  6. When to get urgent medical help for babies and children under 5NHS · United Kingdom
  7. BreastfeedingWorld Health Organization (WHO) · International