- Burp your baby during and after every feed, as this can help to release trapped air and helps avoid hiccups.
- Rub or stroke your baby's back gently to help them relax, which can ease the diaphragm spasms causing the hiccups.
- Hold your baby upright against your shoulder, the best position for hiccups, and keep them upright for 20 to 30 minutes after a feed to help prevent any trapped gas bubbles.
- Slow the pace of feeds, take more breaks, and offer smaller feeds more often so your baby swallows less air.
- Offer a soother. Some parents find this helps relax the diaphragm and settle your baby’s hiccups.
- Contact your GP or health visitor if hiccups last longer than an hour, disturb your baby's sleep, affect their breathing, or stop them wanting to feed.
Baby hiccups are caused by their diaphragm involuntarily spasming or contracting. When this happens, air is sucked into their lungs faster than it is during a normal breath. Once this air reaches their vocal cords, they contract quickly and make the 'hiccup' sound that we're all familiar with.
To help your baby’s hiccups, take the time to burp them during and after feeds, gently rub your baby’s back, switch up your feeding position and pace, always stay calm or offer them a soother if all else fails.
Newborn hiccups are very common, and they’re usually harmless and will often disappear naturally after a few minutes. You may first feel baby hiccups in the womb – causing a ‘jerk’ feeling during pregnancy – and this hiccupping continues once they're born.
If you're worried that hiccupping is becoming uncomfortable for your baby or is interfering with their breathing, there’s some things you can do to help.
Read on to learn more about why babies get hiccups, and how you can help soothe your baby when they experience them.
What are hiccups in newborns and children?
Just like in adults, baby hiccups are a natural reflex. They happen when their diaphragm (the dome-shaped muscle that relaxes and contracts at the bottom of their chest) involuntarily spasms or contracts. When this happens, air is sucked into their lungs faster than it is during a normal breath. Once this air reaches their vocal cords, they contract quickly and make the 'hiccup' sound that we're all familiar with.
Why do newborn hiccups happen?
Newborn hiccups can happen for a variety of reasons, such as swallowing air while feeding, overfeeding, trapped gas in the stomach, colic, or a fast flow of milk. They can also be triggered by a sudden change in temperature, excitement, anxiety, or just as a natural reflex of the diaphragm.
Occasionally, hiccups in babies can be a symptom of infant acid reflux. If this is the case, they’ll usually present alongside other symptoms like arching of the back and crying while feeding, being irritable, spitting up food, and coughing. If you spot these symptoms, contact your GP for advice.
How to help a baby with hiccups
While hiccups can be frustrating for both a baby and their caregiver, they typically resolve on their own after a few minutes and don’t usually require medical attention. But, if you do want to help ease or prevent your baby from getting hiccups, you can give these tips and tricks a try…
Try paced bottle feeding
Most newborn hiccups start with swallowed air, and most swallowed air starts with a bottle that’s tipped too steeply and emptied too fast. Paced bottle feeding slows the whole thing down and puts your baby back in control of the feed.
Paced feeding takes longer in the moment and saves you time overall, because you’re not spending the next half hour winding an uncomfortable baby. Our guide to paced bottle feeding has everything you need to know.
How anti-colic venting systems work
The other half of the air problem is the bottle itself. As your baby drinks, air has to get into the bottle to replace the milk going out. In a basic bottle, that air travels back through the milk and into your baby.
An anti-colic venting system gives that air a separate route. Our Advanced Anti-Colic bottles use a patented vented wand and a star-shaped silicone valve to draw air away from the milk and out of the bottle, so it never reaches your baby’s stomach. The milk flows smoothly, your baby swallows less air, and feeds tend to be calmer at both ends.
How to burp a baby properly to prevent hiccups
Some babies can be difficult to wind, but it’s an important step that shouldn’t be skipped. Burping a baby frequently during and after feeds and avoiding overfeeding them can help to minimise the occurrence of hiccups.
Rub baby's back
Soft, gentle strokes can help relax a baby and can help to stop or reduce the spasms of hiccupping.
Switch up your feeding position and pace
It can help to keep your baby upright or experiment by adjusting your breastfeeding hold or the position of their bottle when feeding them. You can also try to slow down the pace of your baby’s feeds and have a few more breaks to wind them during each feed.
Adjust the frequency of your feeds
Offering your baby smaller feeds more often can help them swallow less air and reduce the likelihood of hiccups.
Stay calm and relaxed
Try to make sure your baby is chilled during a feed and that the environment around you is calm. It can also help to make sure they have a clean nappy on and feel comfortable before you feed them.
Offer them a soother
Some parents find that giving their little one a soother helps to relax their diaphragm and therefore eases baby hiccups.
Tummy massage
If none of the above works, lay your baby on their back and massage their tummy in slow clockwise circles, or cycle their legs gently as though they’re riding a bike. This moves trapped gas through the digestive system.
Three things to watch out for
- Patting too hard: a gentle pat or rub is enough.
- Stopping too soon: burping can take up to 10 minutes.
- Skipping mid-feed burps: wind partway through, not just at the end. Waiting until the feed is finished lets more air build up than one burp will clear.
Are newborn hiccups a concern?
Although hiccups are common in both adults and babies and are not usually cause for concern, remember to trust your parenting instincts.
You should reach out to your doctor or health visitor for reassurance if you're concerned about your baby's hiccups or worried about trapped gas and reflux, especially if your baby is:
- Having breathing problems due to constant hiccupping
- Not wanting to feed
- Having disturbed sleep
- Hiccupping for longer than an hour
How to get rid of baby hiccups
There are a few things you can do to help get rid of your baby's hiccups, like burping them. This can help release any trapped air bubbles in their stomach.
If the hiccups persist, try gently rocking your baby or giving them a warm bath to help calm them down. Remember, hiccups are common in newborns and are usually nothing to worry about.
While some people believe that frightening someone can cure hiccups, there’s no scientific evidence to support this, and you should never startle your baby to try and stop their hiccups.
Baby hiccups are completely normal and are never a reason to worry unless you notice anything out of the ordinary, including your baby not wanting to feed or hiccupping for longer than an hour.
What’s the best position for baby hiccups?
The best position for baby hiccups is to hold your baby upright and against your shoulder, allowing you to gently pat or rub their back. This is a good position for releasing any trapped air and helps relax the diaphragm. You can also keep your baby upright or 20-30 minutes post-feed to prevent hiccups.
Baby hiccups and feeding
Are hiccups different in breastfed and formula-fed babies?
Both breastfed and formula-fed babies get hiccups, because the trigger is the same: a diaphragm that’s still developing and air that’s been swallowed during a feed. What differs is where the air comes from, which changes what you do about it.
Breastfed babies usually swallow less air because a good latch creates a seal around the breast. When a breastfed baby does hiccup frequently, it’s often a latch issue, or an oversupply or fast let-down that makes them gulp to keep up. If your baby pulls off, splutters or clicks during feeds, that’s worth raising with your health visitor or a lactation consultant.
Feeding in a more upright position and taking the breast away for a few seconds when the flow surges can both help.
Formula-fed babies tend to take in more air, for two main reasons. The first is teat flow: a teat that’s too fast means gulping, and gulping means air. The second is the bottle itself, since air has to enter the bottle as milk leaves it, and in a basic bottle that air passes through the milk. A slower teat, paced feeding, and an anti-colic venting system all address this directly.
Volume and pace matter in both bottle and breast-feeding. Bottles are easier to overfeed from than the breast, because milk keeps flowing whether your baby wants it or not. Overfeeding distends the stomach, which presses on the diaphragm, which triggers hiccups. Smaller, more frequent feeds usually settle this.
If you’re combi-feeding and notice hiccups mainly after bottles, look at the teat flow and the bottle first. A teat designed to mimic the feel of a breast can make switching between the two easier on your baby.
Why does my newborn hiccup after feeding?
Newborn babies sometimes swallow air while they're feeding and this can cause their diaphragm to contract, resulting in hiccups. It's nothing to worry about and usually goes away on its own. Just make sure you burp your baby after feeding to help release any trapped air and avoid feeding them too quickly.
Can you feed a baby with hiccups?
Yes, it’s generally safe to feed a baby with hiccups. Feeding and the use of a soother can actually help relieve hiccups by relaxing the diaphragm. However, if your baby shows any signs of discomfort, it’s best to stop until the hiccups have subsided.
Do hiccups mean my baby is finished feeding?
Hiccups are common in babies and don’t necessarily mean that they've finished feeding. It's normal for babies to experience hiccups during or after feeding, and they usually go away on their own. However, if your baby seems uncomfortable or the hiccups persist for a long time, it may be a good idea to check with your doctor to rule out any underlying issues.
Can anti-colic bottles reduce hiccups?
95% of parents say that the Tommee Tippee Advanced Anti-Colic bottle helped to ease the discomfort of colic, gas, and reflux*, but because anti-colic bottles are designed to reduce the amount of air a baby ingests while feeding, there is no evidence to suggest that they can reduce hiccups specifically.
*Based on an independent survey of 43 US moms of 0-12m, currently use TT AAC, Feb 2023
Baby hiccups and sleep
Can a baby sleep with hiccups?
Yes, most of the time babies will sleep right through hiccups, meaning they’re unlikely to disrupt their sleep or cause them discomfort.
How do I get my newborn to sleep with hiccups?
Stress or over-excitement can trigger hiccups, so as well as burping your baby, staying calm, keeping your little one relaxed and comfortable by having some calm playtime together, gently rocking him or her and making sure their nappy is clean before you put them to bed can help soothe their hiccups.
If you found this article helpful, check out our advice on baby body temperatures.
