Breath-holding is when a baby or child stops breathing for up to 1 minute and may faint. It can happen when a child is frightened, upset, angry, or has a sudden shock or pain. It's usually harmless but can be scary for parents, particularly when it happens for the first time.

Call 999 if:

During breath-holding, your child may:

• cry and then be silent while holding their breath
• open their mouth as if going to cry but make no sound
• turn pale, blue or grey
• be floppy or stiff, or their body may jerk
• faint for 1 or 2 minutes

Your child may be sleepy or confused for a short while afterwards.

Breath-holding is usually harmless

Breath-holding can be scary for parents, but it's usually harmless and your child should grow out of it by the age of 4 or 5.

Breath-holding episodes:

• usually last for less than 1 minute (if the child faints, they'll usually regain consciousness within 1 or 2 minutes)
• are not epileptic seizures

Your child is not holding their breath on purpose and cannot control what happens when they have a breath-holding episode.

There are some things you can do when a child has a breath-holding episode.

See a GP if:

There's no specific treatment for breath-holding. It should eventually stop by the time your child is 4 or 5 years old.

Medicines are rarely used to treat breath-holding.

Breath-holding is sometimes related to iron deficiency anaemia.

Your child's blood iron levels may be checked. They may need iron supplements if their iron levels are low.

Breath-holding is not something a child does deliberately.

It's usually triggered by a sudden shock or pain, or strong emotions like fear, upset or anger.

There are 2 types of breath-holding:

• blue breath-holding spells – this is the most common type of breath-holding and happens when a child's breathing pattern changes
• reflex anoxic seizures – this type of breath-holding happens when a child's heart rate slows down

Find out more

• Syncope Trust And Reflex anoxic Seizures (STARS): reflex anoxic seizures