Newborn hiccups, sneezing, grunting and other normal baby quirks

Most of the odd sounds and movements of a newborn are normal. Hiccups, sneezing, grunting, snuffly breathing, sudden startles and wandering eyes all come from a body and brain that are still maturing. A few signs are not normal, such as fast or laboured breathing, blue lips, fits, or a baby who will not feed. This guide goes through the common worries one by one.

Why does my newborn hiccup so much?

Hiccups are very common in newborns and are harmless. They are quick spasms of the diaphragm, the main breathing muscle under the lungs.

Babies hiccup even in the womb. One study of preterm and term babies found that hiccups happened when babies were awake or in light, active sleep.¹ The researchers found that each hiccup sent a signal to the baby's brain, and suggested hiccups may help the brain learn about the body's breathing muscles.¹ Hiccups often follow a feed, when the stomach is full.

How do I stop my baby's hiccups?

You usually do not need to do anything. Hiccups stop by themselves within minutes, and most babies are not bothered by them.

If your baby is feeding, you can pause, hold your baby upright and burp gently. Please do not give water, sugar water, gripe water or honey. Do not try to frighten the hiccups away, and do not press on the soft spot on the head. If hiccups come with frequent vomiting, arching or poor weight gain, see your doctor.

Is sneezing a sign of a cold in a newborn?

Usually not. Newborns sneeze often to clear milk, dust and mucus from their small nasal passages.

Newborns depend on breathing through the nose, so even a little mucus makes them sneeze or sound snuffly.² A cold is more likely if there is also a runny nose, cough, fever or poor feeding, or if others at home are sick. In a joint family, ask anyone with a cold to wash hands and keep their face away from the baby.

Why does my newborn sound blocked and snuffly?

Snuffly breathing is very common and usually comes from a slightly swollen nose lining. Doctors call this neonatal rhinitis, and it is the most common cause of a blocked nose in newborns.²

Because babies breathe through the nose, a blocked nose can make feeding slow. A few saline (salt water) nose drops in each nostril before feeds can help. Do not put oil, breast milk or Vicks in the nose. A baby who struggles to breathe, turns blue when feeding, or cannot feed needs a doctor.

Why does my baby grunt and strain so much?

Grunting and straining are usually normal. Many babies grunt, push and go red for several minutes before passing a soft stool, a pattern doctors call infant dyschezia.

In a Swedish study, about 22% of healthy 2-week-old babies did this, and it became less common over the next months.³ Babies also grunt in light sleep. Grunting is a worry only when it happens with every breath, together with fast breathing, chest pulling in between the ribs, or a sleepy, floppy baby. That pattern can mean a breathing problem or infection and needs hospital care. Fast breathing and severe chest in-drawing are WHO danger signs.⁴⁴

Is noisy breathing while sleeping normal?

Yes, mostly. Newborns breathe irregularly when asleep, with fast bursts, short pauses and snorts. Mucus and a small nose add rattles and whistles.

A high-pitched squeaky sound when breathing in is called stridor. Its most common cause in babies is laryngomalacia, a floppy voice box.⁵ The sound is often louder when the baby cries or feeds. Most babies with it improve with simple feeding changes and time.⁵ Tell your doctor about any noisy breathing that is getting worse, causes feeding trouble or poor weight gain, or comes with pauses in breathing or blue spells.

Why do newborns startle and throw their arms out?

This is the Moro reflex, a normal startle that every healthy newborn should have. A loud noise or a sudden drop in head position makes the baby fling the arms out, then pull them back in, often with a cry.

The reflex shows that the brain and nerves are working. It fades over the first months as the brain matures. Swaddling with a light cloth can help some babies sleep through startles. Keep the hips and legs loose, and place a swaddled baby only on the back.^6,7 Stop swaddling as soon as your baby shows any sign of trying to roll over.⁶ Tell your doctor if one arm never moves in the startle, or if there is no startle at all.

Why does my baby's chin or hands tremble?

Brief trembling of the chin, arms or legs, especially when crying, is common and usually normal. It is called jitteriness.

Gently holding the limb stops jitteriness. Fits (seizures) feel different: they do not stop when you hold the limb, and they may come with staring, lip smacking, eye rolling or changes in breathing. A fit is an emergency.⁴ If you are unsure, record a short video on your phone to show the doctor.

Why does my newborn sleep so much?

Sleeping most of the day and night is normal. Babies up to 3 months need 14 to 17 hours of sleep in 24 hours, including naps.⁸

Newborns move through several states: deep sleep, light active sleep with twitches and noises, drowsy, quiet alert, active alert, and crying. Quiet alert time is short but precious, a lovely time to talk and make eye contact. A baby who is not feeding well needs a doctor.⁴ So does a baby too sleepy to wake for feeds.

Why are my newborn's breasts swollen?

Swollen breasts are common in newborn boys and girls, and they settle on their own. Breast changes in childhood are driven by hormones, and many are normal and short-lived.⁹ In a newborn, the hormones come from the mother before birth.

A little milky fluid may leak from the nipple. Do not squeeze the breasts or massage them to "remove milk", a common old practice. Squeezing can bring infection. See a doctor if one breast becomes red, hot, more swollen or painful, or if your baby has a fever. These suggest infection of the breast tissue (mastitis).

Is vaginal discharge or bleeding normal in a newborn girl?

White mucus from the vagina in the first weeks is normal. A small spot of blood can also occur, but it is less common than parents think.

A 2026 study looked at reddish stains in newborn nappies. It found them in 22% of girls, but only about 2.5% of the stains in girls were true blood. Most were urate crystals, a harmless salt in the urine.¹⁰ Either way, a small stain in a well baby needs no treatment. Clean from front to back. Heavy bleeding, or bleeding with bruises or blood elsewhere, needs a doctor at once.

Are crossed eyes normal in newborns?

Yes. Eyes that drift in or out now and then are normal in the first 2 months, while your baby learns to use both eyes together.¹¹

Brief drifting is part of normal development of eye teamwork.¹¹ Interestingly, babies who show occasional drifting have fewer later eye problems than babies who drift very often or never.¹² See your doctor if one eye turns in or out all the time, if eyes still wander after about 3 months, or if you see a white reflection in the pupil in photos.

Why does my baby's head look misshapen after birth?

A long, cone-shaped or uneven head after a normal birth is common. The skull bones are soft and overlap to fit through the birth canal, and the shape usually rounds out within days.

A soft swelling on the scalp from pressure during birth goes within a few days. A firmer, one-sided swelling that does not cross the midline may be a collection of blood under the scalp (cephalohaematoma), which can take weeks to go. Babies born with vacuum or forceps help are also more likely to develop a flat spot later.¹³ A head shape that gets worse, or a hard ridge along a skull line, needs a doctor to look for early fusion of the skull bones.¹⁴

Why do my baby's hands and feet look blue?

Bluish hands and feet in the first days are common and normal, as long as the lips, tongue and face are pink. This is called acrocyanosis.

The newborn's blood flow to the hands and feet is still settling, so they look blue or mottled, especially when cool. Warming the baby usually brings back the pink colour. Blue lips, a blue tongue, or a grey or blue face is not normal. It can mean a heart or lung problem and needs emergency care.

What are the tiny white spots on my baby's nose?

These are milia or enlarged oil glands, and they are harmless. They clear on their own in the first weeks.

In a study of nearly 600 newborns, oil gland spots were seen in 42.6% and milia in 8%.¹⁵ Do not squeeze them or apply creams. Wash the face with plain water.

When should I take my newborn to a doctor or hospital?

Go to hospital at once if your baby has any of these:⁴ - Not feeding well - Breathing faster than 60 breaths a minute, or severe chest in-drawing (the chest pulling in hard with each breath) - A fit, or no spontaneous movement - Temperature above 37.5 degrees C or below 35.5 degrees C - Jaundice (yellow skin) in the first 24 hours, or yellow palms and soles whatever the age

Also go at once for grunting with every breath, pauses in breathing, or blue lips or tongue. See your doctor soon for a constant squint, a red swollen breast, heavy vaginal bleeding, or noisy breathing that is getting worse.