Breath Holding Spells in Children

Seeing children unconscious with her blue face surely makes parents really worried. But you don’t need to worry since this condition is not dangerous actually.

Breath Holding Spells is a condition when children feeling pain, angry or scared so that she releases that feeling by crying out loud then hold her breath and silent.

That condition is caused by the abnormal reflects so it will cause 5% of children hold their breath for long enough time until they are unconscious.

The signs of Breath Holding Spell

Breath Holding Spell is not dangerous and not an epileptic disease. This kind of attack is usually happened in 6 months old to 2 years old baby, and it attacks when baby is just awaken from her sleep. Generally, in a day the attacks can be happened once or twice, but after child’s age is 4 years old it will be disappeared by itself. Here are the signs of Breath Holding Spell:

Children likes to cry out loud and to hold her breath.
In around of her mouth area seen the blue color, then your child is unconscious.
Her body being stiff and few times looks moving such as convulsions.
Your child’s condition will be back to normal in less than a minute.

How to take care child with Breath Holding Spell

During the attack, you don’t need to be panic since this kind of attack is not dangerous and will be stopped by itself. Lay you child down on a bed. In a position of face upward and flat, the blood stream to the brain will become better and it could be able to prevent convulsions. Put a cold compress on her forehead until she regain consciousness. Note the duration of the attack and not to put something into her mouth.
After the attack. Calm your child down while you hugging her. Don’t show your panic face and also your fear to child.
Trauma prevention. The most dangerous condition is traumatic in your child’s head. If the attack is happened when your child is in near to the hard objects, then move and lay her down to the place that is far from that hard object.

Is Breath Holding Spell able to be prevented?

This kind of attack is not able to be prevented if it is caused by the fallen down of your child is happened when she is in angry and scared state. But, you can avoid your child to be not being blue by distracting her attention. Hug your child and show something that can attract her interest. The child with anemia is often to suffer this Breath Holding Spell attack.

Should you call a doctor?

Though this kind of attack is not dangerous, but it is advised that you should keep aware. Immediately check your child’s condition if the attacks are happened more than once in a week and it lasts for more than a minute. The pattern change of the attack is also needed to be observed.