- What are they?
- Is there any harm to the body when rolling up
- Types of rolling
- At what age do seizures occur?
- Can there be rolling in crying in newborns
- Which infants are more likely to have seizures?
- What causes the seizures?
- What triggers seizures
- Examination for seizures
- What parents should do
- Prevention of rolling up when crying
- Tips from a psychologist
It is not uncommon for children to have bouts of crying that are quite scary in appearance. They cry so hard that they begin to gasp, they may lose consciousness. Parents begin to have a completely understandable panic attack. Our article will tell you how dangerous this condition, how to help your child.
What are they?

This state is associated with the highest nervous excitement of a negative manifestation. In neurology, it is known under the diagnosis of affective-respiratory seizures, which cause the baby to turn blue and roll up. It usually occurs with prolonged or violent crying. The child has a spasm of the laryngeal muscles at the moment of a bright emotional outburst after breathing out deeply. As a result, the baby cannot inhale. The respiratory arrest stops the flow of oxygen.
Fainting at this point is a protective reaction of the body. When the person is unconscious, there is a decrease in oxygen consumption. The child will come out of this state after breathing in. Laryngeal spasms usually resolve on their own. Against the background of breath holding, carbon dioxide accumulates in the body. It affects the brain, which gives the command to relieve laryngeal spasm. The baby takes a breath and comes out of the fainting spasm.
Is there any harm to the body when rolling up
If the child’s rolling up when crying is an isolated moment that does not recur periodically, there is nothing dangerous about it. Of course, breath-holding is not good for the body. Because that’s when the brain is deprived of oxygen. But, short-term fainting, which lasts a few seconds, reduces the harm of this condition. If the seizure lasts for more than a minute or rolls in crying repeatedly several times a week, then you need to pay more attention to it and consult a doctor.
Types of rolling
Medicine distinguishes between two types of rolling up crying, knowing which you can recognize its cause.
If the baby is in pain and rolls up crying from it, he or she has pale skin. A slow heartbeat is noted. The pulse may be thready.
If the baby rolls up amid an emotional outburst, he or she will have blue skin. Short-term loss of consciousness is noted.
With prolonged crying, the child’s body may go limp or, conversely, arch.
At what age do seizures occur?
Medical statistics show that fainting while crying occurs in every 20 children. They can, of course, occur more often. It is not always a single seizure that parents report to doctors. They are most often seen in children from one to three years of age. But, there are also earlier variations – from six months, and later – up to six years.
It happens that parents unknowingly support such a condition. Excessive attention, gift-giving, excessive sympathy can lead to the development of hysterical patterns of behavior. In this case, a cry roll can last up to 8 years.
Can there be rolling in crying in newborns
The state of affect that children who cry cry cry cry crying enter from the moment of extreme nervous overexcitement. Infants under six months of age cannot yet be at the mercy of strong emotions. Because their consciousness is not yet developed. Anger, resentment, despair are inaccessible to them. The infant usually cries from hunger, pain, physical discomfort. If an infant under six months of age goes into such a crying fit, this is cause for a serious medical examination.
Which infants are more likely to have seizures?
Neurologists point out that crying is most often rolled up by easily-excited, emotional, impressionable children who do not know how to deal with their emotions independently. Increased activity may also act as a trigger for this condition. Particularly prone to ARP are spoiled toddlers who are used to tantrums to get what they want. Although, even well-balanced, calm, even phlegmatic children may at least once, but roll up crying.
What causes the seizures?

The reason for crying fits lies in the faulty functioning of the immature autonomic system, which reacts to excessive emotion in this way. According to doctors, seizures are more common in children with reduced levels of red blood cells and iron. Treatment for anemia may reduce the frequency of attacks or eliminate them altogether. Although, and without medication therapy, rolling up in tantrums will go away on its own. Often this reaction has a family history of. If the father or mother had ARS attacks as a child, it is likely that the children will also have the same reaction.
What triggers seizures
If a baby often rolls up crying, you need to understand what the triggering factor is. Seizures usually occur in the following situations:
Frequent stress;
Strong negative emotions;
excessive fatigue;
Hunger;
Excessive movement activity;
A sudden change in temperature after bathing, which causes vasoconstriction.
Often the parents themselves are the cause of such crying. These can be two opposite sides of adult behavior. If parents do not pay attention to the child, to his worries, do not meet his needs, then fainting occurs against a background of strong negative emotions, worries, crying, which the child himself is not able to stop. It can be the opposite, when parents want to protect their baby in everything. Give him or her everything he or she wants. Later on, any rejection can cause a storm of emotions that ends in an attack of ARP.
Examination for seizures
After the first seizure, parents need to show their child to a neurologist to find out if he has a. If the fainting condition recurs from time to time, you will have to have an examination to rule out the following conditions:
head trauma;
epilepsy;
Brain infection;
neurology;
Cardiovascular disease;
of nervous diseases.
A comprehensive examination includes:
Taking blood tests to rule out iron anemia;
EKG to detect cardiovascular problems;
An EEG to determine the degree of cerebral excitability.
What parents should do

Despite the fact that such seizures are not dangerous for children, parents cannot sit and watch a baby turning blue. The main thing they should do is to keep the baby from injuring himself or herself if he or she falls. You can try to restore his breathing in the following ways:
A pat on the cheeks;
Massage the auricles, chest;
Provide fresh air;
Blowing into the child’s face;
Point a fan at him;
Splash water on the face;
Rub the face with a towel soaked in water.
Some parents bring the baby to their senses by tickling. After everything has recovered, hug the child, reassure him. Often after fainting, children feel very tired and want to sleep. Do not interfere with them. After a deep sleep, which can last up to 3 hours, they recover and feel well.
Important! If you are not breathing normally within a minute, call an ambulance immediately.
Do not use ammonia alcohol under any circumstances. He is not able to speed up the process of recovery of breathing. But, can frighten with its pungent odor a child who is coming out of a fainting spell. It is especially undesirable to use ammonia to induce fainting in children under the age of 3.
Prevention of rolling up when crying
The best seizure prevention tool is to prevent the development of crying. Parents need to pay attention to the following points:
Compliance with the daily routine;
prevention of fatigue;
Prevention of overexcitation;
Reduce the consumption of sweets;
Daily walks in the fresh air;
refusal of the computer;
proper nutrition.
It is important to avoid negative feelings in the child.
Tips from a psychologist
Psychological practice suggests that the cause of emotional breakdowns is often the parents themselves. At first glance, it would seem that the child is throwing a tantrum over a toy not bought or broken. In fact, he may be suffering because of inattention from parents, the discord between them. Often seizures occur if the child is not considered, do not take into account his interests. He feels unneeded, destitute, thus attracting attention to himself.
If the child is on the verge of a breakdown, begins a long, incessant crying, try to distract him. You can play his favorite song, a cartoon. Get an interesting book or a cherished box of trivia. Anything that piques your baby’s interest in any way. Try to look at entertaining pictures with him, show him your photo or video.
If the baby is not distracted by external stimuli, does not hear parents, try to take him to the bathroom, rinse his face with warm water. If it is a warm time of year, you can bring him to an open window so that a fresh breeze blows on him. But, by no means reinforce episodes of fits by breaking family rules. Don’t let your child do what provoked the attacks. Otherwise there will be a consolidation of behavior patterns. The baby will know that strong crying will help him achieve what he wants, and the attacks will be repeated.
If a 4-6 year old child becomes excessively tearful, you need to find out the reason for this behavior. Excessive crying should alert parents. Until the cause of this behavior is determined, the problem will not be solved, and the fits will recur. But, talk to your growing child only if he is in good spirits, trusts you. The best time to talk is before he goes to bed. The baby is relaxed, lounging in bed, a dim light, soft melody, light massage of the back is the best accompaniment to conversation.
Rolling up when crying is not dangerous if it is episodic. If the situation repeats over and over again, you need to observe the child, understand the cause of the condition, consult a doctor.