How to Cure Baby Hiccups

Try to breastfeed your baby. Hiccups occur when the diaphragm is irritated. ^[1] When a baby suckles a small amount of slow-flowing breast milk, the diaphragm has time to rest to switch from irregular contractions back to normal movement.

If hiccups occur inside the body, try giving your child something to eat. Again, basically, swallowing can help regulate an unstable diaphragm. Some of the ideal foods you can feed your baby are:

• Apple sauce
• Weaning rice cereal
• Mashed bananas

If your child is old enough, give them water to drink. Many people advocate drinking from the “improper position” (e.g. hunched over or slightly leaning back), but both are clearly difficult and dangerous for young children. It’s best to give your baby a bottle of water (with a pacifier) or even a sippy cup if he’s old enough.

Slows down milk flow. When your baby swallows too much milk and too quickly, the stomach will swell, causing hiccups on the diaphragm. Try feeding your baby twice, half at a time, instead of feeding your baby a lot in one go. ^[2] That way, your baby will swallow less milk each time, hopefully preventing hiccups in the first place.

Pause and pat your baby on the back to burp in between feeds. Another way to slow the flow of milk into your baby’s body is to give your baby a “midtime break” during each feeding. As you prepare to move your baby from one breast to the other, it’s a good idea to pause and burp your baby on the back before continuing to feed on the other side. If you’re bottle-feeding your baby, pause to burp your baby once the bottle is half full. Your baby will be able to digest some of the milk, preventing over-fullness and initiating hiccups. ^[3]

Have your baby sit up straight while feeding. A baby’s stomach can become distended from swallowing too much air during feedings. Sometimes changing positions can fix this problem. Have your baby sit up straight (between 30 and 45 degrees) during feedings so that air is less likely to get into the stomach and cause the diaphragm to interfere.

You need to make sure your baby latches on properly. If the mouth is not firmly attached to the nipple, the baby may swallow air during feeding. Do you hear a lot of fast swallowing, gurgling while nursing? If yes, correct the way the baby latches so that the baby’s mouth and the breast are closed.

Bottle feeding is a way to reduce the amount of air swallowed. Hold the bottle at a 45-degree angle to prevent air from entering the bottom of the bottle, limiting the baby’s swallowing of air. You can also buy bottles that are designed to reduce the amount of air entering the bottle. ^[4]