My son started holding his breath at around 15 months, and it was the scariest moment in my life. For him is was very close after lunch so we were not sure that he maybe got ahold of another piece of food that got lodged when he tripped and fell, because with him he acted like he was trying to take a breath but could not. He was panicking as well. It was a small cry followed by the silence that is usually followed by the really loud wail. Only the wail did not come. He turned blue, acted panicked, then his eyes rolled back in his head and went limp in my arms. I, like you, tried blowing in his face, jiggling him, and even giving him a bear hug to push air out to get him to inhale which seemed to work. We took him to the ER and he checked out fine. Two days later he did it again and back to the doctor. We were told that it was probably breath holding spells but we had to rule everything else out before we knew that is what it was for certain. There are only 3 things that could cause these episodes and that is heart, seizures, or breath holding spells. You obviously want the spells to the other options. What usually causes him to hold his breath? Is he hurt, scared, mad, or no reason at all? Is it more likely to occur when he is tired? With my son it seems like when he has one he will have several for a couple weeks and none for several months and more often when he is sleep schedule has been messed up. I guess I am telling you my story to say you need to have him seen by his doctor and rule out any other causes that may need addressed before just assuming it is these spells. In the mean time, some things I have found to help are to try to change his mindset. Once you realize he may be going into it try to stay calm (yeah right) and try to change his mindset before he goes full blown into it. Ask him to hold the remote, your phone, a toy, or ask him if he wants a drink or a piece of candy, if available spraying him in the face may help, anything to make him think of something besides why he is getting upset. Try not to react to the episode so not to encourage the behavior as your doctor will tell you to ignore, it but instead, try to prevent it. Most of all follow your instincts and do what feels right for you. If you have any questions feel free to email me. I know how scary it is.