Watching your baby suffer with regular hiccups can be stressful for a new parent. But there are ways of easing them that may help both you and baby relax. Follow these tips to help your baby go from hiccups to smiles in no time flat.
Change the Bottle:
Often, babies are hiccuping due to digestive issues. If this is a regular thing due to the inhalation of air, try using a different bottle, or changing the positioning of the way you nurse. If you can lower the amount of air swallowed, this is an easy first way to try and ease digestive hiccups.
Change the Diet:
If air is not the issue, the food your baby is eating is another possibility. If you are using formula, try changing to a colic-relieving brand. Breastfeeding moms, try changing your diet as well. Citrus and dairy are two of the most likely allergens that you can pass to babies through your breastmilk. Try avoiding both for a week, and see if the hiccups subside. If neither works, keep a diet log and try and see if there is a theme between what you eat and when your baby hiccups. Then remove the offending food, and you should be alright.
Gripe Water:
This is a tincture of herbs like fennel and ginger infused as a weak tea. The herbs are good for colic, and for easing digestive issues. This may be enough to help a case of hiccups, and is safe enough to be used often by almost any baby. Many naturopaths and midwives swear by this, and it is available online or in many drugstores.
Warm Baths and Tummy Massage:
A bath and a belly massage are an easy way to ease hiccups, and to make baby feel calm and relaxed as well. Whether due to digestion or other issues, relaxation is a great way to eliminate hiccups in anyone. The warm water is a great start, then take two fingers and gently stroke up and down the belly to help baby calm himself. Just be careful not to push too hard.
Probiotics:
Often a baby with digestive issues is lacking some of the important intestinal flora needed to completely break down food. Hiccups are an unfortunate byproduct of this incomplete process. Adding a probiotic to the diet of breastfeeding mommies, and a few drops in a bottle are great ways to help baby's digestion get back on track and hiccups to cease.
