Babies get hiccups because their diaphragm, the dome-shaped muscle beneath the lungs, contracts suddenly and involuntarily. These spasms are extremely common in newborns and are almost always harmless. Premature infants spend roughly 15 minutes a day hiccuping, about 1% of their entire time, and full-term newborns aren’t far behind. Rather than being a sign of something wrong, hiccups appear to play a role in your baby’s development.
What Happens Inside During a Hiccup
The hiccup reflex starts with the phrenic nerve, which runs from the neck down to the diaphragm. This nerve controls every breath your baby takes by sending signals that make the diaphragm contract and flatten, pulling air into the lungs. When something irritates the phrenic nerve or the diaphragm itself, it fires off an unplanned contraction. The diaphragm jerks downward, air rushes in, and the vocal cords snap shut almost instantly, producing that familiar “hic” sound.
In adults, hiccups are a minor nuisance. In babies, the reflex is far more easily triggered because their nervous system is still maturing. The signals between the brain and the diaphragm aren’t fully refined yet, so the system misfires more often.
Hiccups May Help Your Baby’s Brain Develop
Research from University College London suggests that hiccups in newborns aren’t just a quirk of an immature nervous system. They may actually help the brain learn to monitor and control breathing. Each time the diaphragm contracts during a hiccup, it sends a burst of sensory signals to the brain. Over time, these signals help the brain build a map of the diaphragm and the muscles involved in breathing, strengthening the connection between the brain’s commands and what the body actually does.
This would explain why hiccups are so frequent in the youngest babies and become less common as they grow. The brain gradually gets better at regulating the diaphragm, and the misfires decrease. Babies even hiccup in the womb, starting as early as nine weeks of gestation, long before they ever take a breath of air. This early practice likely helps prepare the respiratory muscles for life outside the uterus.
Common Triggers in Babies
While the underlying cause is an immature nervous system, specific things can set off a bout of hiccups in your baby:
- Swallowing air during feeding. This is the most common trigger. Babies who gulp milk quickly, latch improperly, or feed from a bottle that allows too much air intake are more prone to hiccups.
- A full stomach. Overfeeding or feeding too quickly can distend the stomach, which sits right below the diaphragm. The expanded stomach presses against the diaphragm and irritates it.
- Sudden temperature changes. Drinking something cold after something warm, or a shift in air temperature, can trigger the reflex.
- Excitement or stress. Strong emotions or overstimulation can affect the nervous system enough to set off hiccups in sensitive infants.
When Hiccups Signal Something Else
Occasional hiccups, even daily, are normal for babies under a year old. But hiccups paired with other symptoms can sometimes point to gastroesophageal reflux, where stomach acid moves back up into the esophagus. If your baby hiccups frequently and also spits up a lot, arches their back during or after feeds, cries during feeding, or isn’t gaining weight well, reflux may be contributing. The acid irritates the esophagus and the area around the diaphragm, making hiccups more persistent.
Hiccups that last for hours without stopping, or that regularly interfere with feeding and sleep, are also worth bringing up with your pediatrician. In rare cases, prolonged hiccups can indicate irritation of the phrenic nerve from other causes.
How to Help a Hiccuping Baby
Most of the time, the best thing to do is nothing. Hiccups don’t bother babies nearly as much as they bother the adults watching. A typical bout lasts 5 to 10 minutes and resolves on its own. That said, a few gentle techniques can help if your baby seems uncomfortable.
Pausing the feeding to burp your baby can release trapped air in the stomach and relieve pressure on the diaphragm. If you’re bottle-feeding, try a slower-flow nipple to reduce the amount of air your baby swallows. Offering a pacifier after feeding can sometimes help relax the diaphragm through the rhythmic sucking motion. Holding your baby upright for 15 to 20 minutes after a feed keeps stomach contents from pressing upward against the diaphragm.
Feeding smaller amounts more frequently, rather than larger meals spaced far apart, reduces the chance of overfilling the stomach.
What Not to Do
Many traditional hiccup remedies that work for older children and adults are unsafe for infants. Never try to startle or scare a baby to stop hiccups. Don’t give a newborn water (gripe water included, unless specifically recommended by your pediatrician), and don’t press on the baby’s fontanelle, pull their tongue, or use any physical manipulation. Holding the breath, drinking cold water, and eating sugar are fine for older children but not appropriate for infants who can’t follow instructions and could choke.
The good news is that hiccup frequency drops significantly as your baby’s nervous system matures. By the time most children reach their first birthday, hiccups become an occasional event rather than a daily one.