How do you help a hiccupping baby?

You try to burp the baby. Either put the baby directly under

your shoulder with their head on the top of your shoulder, and

gently pat their back. You can also sit down and lay your child,

stomach side down, on your thighs. Make sure their head is

supported but their legs can hang down. When patting their back,

start from the bottom and work your way up to between their

shoulder blades. Tap about 5 times at time as you're working your

way up. Expect your child to spit up sometimes, as this is normal.

A little drop of gripe water also works very well for hiccups that

are not stopping. IF YOUR NEWBORN is a voracious eater (drinker)

whether breastfeeding or bottle feeding, try to slow them down with

short breaks periodically. Sometime, drinking quickly and/or

getting to much air may cause hiccuping. Also take short breaks and

"burp" them frequently.

Giving the baby any fluids is not advised. Hiccups are usually

caused by spasms. In layman's terms hiccups stop the breathing

wherein there is a sudden involuntary opening and closing of

epiglotis, the flap covering the airway passage and esophagus.

Infants are not as aware of swallowing as we are. Giving fluids to

infants may cause aspiration wherein fluids could enter the airway

instead of esophagus and go into the lungs.. (see aspiration

pneumonia..) In short, giving fluids to infants may cause

choking.