Q: My 9 months old son tends to cry vigorously sometimes and if not attended to, he faints. This has happened three times (1st time in the 4th month, 2nd & 3rd time in the 9th month). When he faints his eye balls go up; and the face and lips colour change too. He is an active and healthy child otherwise. He has never fallen sick in the past 9 months other than a cold (running nose) twice. Are these the symptoms of any serious disorder? Please advise.

A:Your child appears to be having breath-holding spells. Breath holding spells are episodes of brief cessations of breathing that occur in children in response to factors such as anger, frustration, hunger, or injury. These attacks stop, as the child grows older and cease by 2 to 2 and a 1/2 years. Kindly get a complete haemogram test done. If he has iron deficiency, then iron supplements will reduce the number of attacks. Keep the atmosphere at home calm; avoid keeping the baby hungry, and protect from injury.