Emma Rose has these -- she's had them from when she was about nine months old, from memory. It's pretty scary the first few times it happens, but after that we've gotten used to it. The hardest thing is when she does pass out and go blue and floppy, but she usually wakes up straight afterwards (although she's woozy and subdued for a bit). Most kids outgrow them by the time they start school, but it's quite frightening to witness, especially for people who have never seen it happen before.

Breath-holding episodes are also associated with anaemia, although there's no clear link between low iron levels and breath-holding. However, some parents have had success with feeding their children more iron-rich foods or talking with their doctors about iron supplements. Emma's been tested for anaemia and found to be low in iron, so we have to make sure she eats lots of iron-rich foods, and it seems to help -- the breath-holding doesn't happen so often any more.