Facts about hiccups in children

Your child is smiling sweetly, after having a bath and a meal. Suddenly, his body jerks and he makes this loud sound that comes at intervals. Oh no! He has the hiccups again!

Hiccups are spasms of the diaphragm, the dome-shaped structure that lies in between the lungs and the stomach. The diaphragm normally stretches when we breathe in and contracts again when we expel air. It is more flexible in children than in adults and easily contracts at the wrong time when stimulated or irritated, resulting in those spasms.

No one really knows why the diaphragm receives signals to act up but stress, excitement, eating too fast, taking fizzy drinks or spicy foods have been shown to be factors.

Hiccups affect human beings of all ages, even while in the womb! They are quite common in infancy, reducing during childhood and adolescence, and occur infrequently in adulthood. This is why you probably can’t recall when last you had an episode.

Folk medicine

In Nigeria, there are many things that parents are advised to do…from drinking water with a knife inside to putting a thread on the child’s head to sucking on a lime! None of these are proven to work.

What cures hiccups?

If your child gets the odd hiccups then you can:

Hiccups are quite harmless occurrences that your baby may experience. They often go in a matter of minutes but can last up to a whole day. If you are worried about your child’s hiccups, then contact a doctor or paediatrician for help.

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