Hiccups call the persistent, involuntarily repeating short breath at sharply narrowed diaphragm. In most cases the hiccups is the normal physiological phenomenon peculiar to both children, and adults. If it brings discomfort, it is possible to try to stop it, but before it at first try to find out the reason.
There are two types of a hiccups - long and incidental. Overcooling, food with no drink, overeating, long thirst or the increased nervous excitability of the child are the main reasons for an incidental hiccups at children. Such hiccups does not demand medical intervention. Suggest the kid to drink waters, distract him something. If the child overcooled, give to drink him warm tea, milk with honey, dress more warmly. A good way to stop a hiccups is applying deep breath. Let the kid will make several deep breaths and will hold the breath for 10-20 seconds. It will calm a phrenic nerve, and also will distract the child. Often incidental hiccups arises at babies in the first months of life. Air when feeding gets into a stomach and causes gripes and a hiccups. Take the kid after a meal on hands and take him vertically. In a few minutes air will come out and the hiccups will disappear. The baby can hiccup from overeating, plentiful vomiting will be signs of a reforage. It is possible to try to feed the kid more often, but in the smaller portions. Also plentiful effluence of milk from a small bottle or mother's breast can be the cause of a hiccups at babies. At the same time the kid chokes, the diaphragm is reduced and the hiccups begins. In this case it is necessary to replace a pacifier or to feed with breaks, periodically taking out a breast nipple from a mouth of the kid. Do not try to save the child from a hiccups, frightening him. You will not achieve the expected result, and to the kid will loosen nervous system. With age the child will have hiccups attacks more and more seldom. Even if all above-mentioned ways do not help, just wait, the hiccups will pass soon. The long, exhausting hiccups can be a symptom of organic origin. It is observed at damages of a head or spinal cord, at neuritis or squeezing of a phrenic nerve, at diabetes and some infections. But these diseases occur in children extremely seldom. Most often the long children's hiccups is a symptom of any parasitic diseases – a helminthic invasion, a lyamblioz. In case of a long hiccups it makes sense to see a doctor. It is necessary to examine the child, first of all on helminthoses.