When it comes to babies, even minor health issues can cause a major concern among new parents. From fever to cough, your baby might suffer from these health problems occasionally which is quite normal. One such issue is hiccups, which are as common in babies as in adults. If your baby suffers from hiccups and leaves you frustrated, as you are unable to decide how to relieve this problem then here are some tips to deal with this situation effectively.
Before looking for a cure, it is important to understand the reason which might be causing hiccups. Repetitive contractions in diaphragm lead to hiccups which are nothing serious but can causes discomfort to the baby. Hiccups normally occur by overfeeding your baby or when he swallows a lot of air. Therefore the very first step is to note down when your baby experiences hiccups. You can note down time and for how long hiccups last. This problem might be caused during or after feeding. This way you can find out the main trigger which might be leading to this problem in your baby.
If your baby suffers from hiccups persistently and that too after feeding then try to adjust your baby’s feeding schedule. You can increase the frequency of feeding and lessen the interval during each feeding. This will be helpful, as generally hiccups are caused when your baby consumes too much milk at one time. Feeding frequently can help to prevent overfeeding.
When feeding your baby it is important to pause in between and make him burp often. After feeding place him in a position so that his head is resting on your shoulder or slightly above that. You can gently pat or rub his back. Once the baby burps you can resume feeding or if he does not, then wait for some time before you start feeding him again.
Another useful remedy for getting rid of this harmless, but irritating, problem is to make your baby eat something, like rice cereal or mashed bananas. You can also give him some water or milk to drink. Besides these remedies you can also try other techniques which are considered to be effective when it comes to relieving hiccups.
Sometimes the hiccups are caused as reflux after your baby has eaten something. Try to make your baby stand upright by holding his hand. Distracting your baby by getting him involved in some activity or game is a technique that is considered to work well most of the times. You can give some toy to you baby, like a rattle or chew toy. He will get distracted as he will start playing with his toys, thus providing him some relief. However, it is important to not try anything that can hurt or scare your baby, such as startling him or pulling his tongue.
Besides all the remedies and techniques mentioned above, the most useful tip is to be patient as hiccups will subside and eliminate after a while. In case you realize that the problem is not going away or it is causing discomfort to your baby, then contacting a doctor is advised to get an expert opinion about Baby Hiccups.
