Burp Your Baby Correctly
We cant stress enough that your babys digestive system is still developing so dont skip the burping stage! In some cases, you might want to burp them twice.
This means that midway through a feeding session, let them take a break and burp them. Then you can continue feeding them, and burp again once youre done. Be sure to follow different positions for burping and always work the gas from the bottom up.
If youre breastfeeding or chestfeeding, you may not need to burp your baby as frequently, since nursing babies usually swallow less air which results in less gas. Babies with lots of gas may need to burp more often.
How To Manage Baby Gas
How to burp a babySolianiks doctor recommended baby probiotic drops each morning to help with Theodores tummy trouble, which has been attributed to gas. She also occasionally gives him Ovol .
Theres very little evidence that those things help, but theres also no evidence that they hurt, says Pound. If parents feel they are making a difference, thats great.
Gently massaging the tummy can also help baby work out the gas. You can learn some useful techniques , such as massaging the abdomen in a clockwise motion to ease digestive discomfort, or just do what seems to feel good for your baby, says Pound. Pulling their legs in and out in a bicycling motion sometimes helps as well, but again, its not a magic cure.
Being vigilant about burping after feeds can help to prevent gas pains from developing in the first place. If your gassy baby drifts off to sleep while nursing or taking a bottle, consider waking them to burp. With any luck, theyll go right back to dreamland when youre done. There are different burping positions parents can try, including holding baby with their chest against your shoulder laying them chest-down on your lap or sitting them on your knees, with one hand supporting their neck and head while you pat her back firmly.
Andrea Cheung has mastered the art of burping her five-month-old son, Gilbert. Im pretty sure that has helped him a lot with gas, says Cheung. He had some trouble when he was younger, but not now, because hes burping so well.
How To Help Your Baby Feel Better
Try these steps to prevent and ease the pain of gas:
Check feeding position. “When youre nursing or bottle-feeding, try to keep the babys head higher than her stomach,” Shu says. “That way, the milk sinks to the bottom of the stomach and air goes to the top, and its easier to burp out.” Tip the bottle up slightly so there are no air bubbles in the nipple, and use a nursing pillow for support.
Burp your baby. One of the easiest ways to ease gas pains is to burp them during and after they nurse. If they dont belch right away, lay them down on their back for a few minutes and then try again.
Change equipment. “If youre bottle-feeding, switch to a slower-flow nipple,” says Joel Lavine, MD, PhD, professor of pediatrics at Columbia University.
Work it out. Gently massage your baby, pump their legs back and forth while they are on their back, or give their tummy time . A warm bath can also help them get rid of extra gas.
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Take a closer look at foods. Talk with your baby’s doctor about foods that may give them extra gas. “Some parents give infants fruit juice, which contains sorbitols that the baby cant absorb,” Lavine says. The doctor will also make sure you dont cut out nutrients your baby needs.
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Be Mindful Of Feeding Times
Try to feed your baby before you start hearing her hungry cries. This can help her eat at a leisurely pace and not gulp down her breast milk or formula too quickly. If youre a breastfeeding mama and your milk lets down quickly, you may want to unlatch baby for a moment and then re-latch. That can help her manage your milk flow more easily.
Do you have tried and true tricks you use to soothe your gassy baby? Let us know in the comments section on the page.
How Does A Babys Diet Affect Gas
Breast milk is the biologically normal food for babies and usually, the healthiest choice. There is no need to stop breastfeeding because a baby has gas. Try keeping a food log, which might help identify whether particular foods trigger gas in a baby.
Infant formula may also be a culprit. Mixing up infant formula can cause air bubbles to appear in a babys food, increasing the risk of gas. Try a pre-mixed liquid formula instead, or give formula a few minutes to settle before feeding the baby.
Some babies may be sensitive to formula ingredients, such as soy or lactose. A small-scale 2011 study suggested that feeding babies an easily digested low-lactose formula may ease gas and colic. Talk to your babys pediatrician before changing formulas.
When a baby starts eating solids, keep a food log. This can help with identifying food sensitivities that trigger gas.
found that women often needlessly restrict their diets. There is no need to avoid any specific food when breastfeeding because most babies get gas.
Some strategies that may help prevent gas include:
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Baby Gas Prevention And Treatment
Baby gas is normal, but may be a nuisance if your baby is uncomfortable. Babies get gas because their intestines less mature and arent used to feeding. In addition, babies may swallow excess air while feeding or crying.
How can you tell if your baby has gas? All babies get gas. Babies pass gas frequently and this is normal. It may be very obviousyou notice bloating, flatulence, and fussiness. If your baby fusses, turns red, or cries for several seconds with gas, this is not terribly worrisome. If your baby cries excessively and is very gassy, this may indicate a different problem, such as gastroesophageal reflux or an infection. If this happens to your baby, consult your doctor immediately.
How to Keep Gas Away and Make Your Baby Comfortable
Feed your baby at a 45 degree angle. In other words, dont have your babys head low while feeding. Keeping your babys head at an inclined angle helps aid digestion and reduces gas.
Try smaller, more frequent feedings. If your baby is bottle-feeding , try giving him a smaller quantity on a more frequent basis. Smaller more frequent feeds help reduce spitting up and large quantity feeding, which can both cause of gas.
Breast milk helps improve intestinal immunity and reduce gas. Work to ensure that your baby latches for at least fifteen to twenty minutes at each feed. By latching longer, he will get the thicker hind milk, which reduces spitting up and, subsequently, gas.
Frequently Asked Questions About Baby Gas
How To Help A Baby Get Rid Of Gas
- Move around. Any activity that involves torso movement will help push the gas through and provide some relief.
- Get upright. Moving baby from a supine position to an upright position can help move things along, with the added benefit of being more comforting.
- Belly down. Tummy time is fun and distracting and can help massage that stomach to help gas find its way out.
- Snack time. Although not a direct fix for gas, a quick feed can help soothe baby as things work their way throughso long as there are no air bubbles in the bottle and baby is burped often.
Another sign of trapped gas is, of course, a grumpy baby. If a baby stops smiling and is visibly uncomfortable, theres a good chance that there is something inside that needs to be released. For really little babies, though, moving the gas bubbles from inside the digestive tract to the open air is no mean feat. Their undeveloped organs are ill-equipped for pushing that air out, and their lack of motor skills make any deliberate attempt almost futile.
Luckily, there are a few things parents can do to help ease the passage.
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Some formula or mommy milk can also have a pain reducing effect, Palmer says.
MORE: How to Burp a Burpless Baby
Alleviating gas is about making a baby comfortable. And, if done right, it can be an extremely satisfying end to an episode of fussiness.
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Effective Positions To Relieve Gas
One of the ways to relieve infant gas is to try holding your baby in different positions. Burping babies helps remove some of the air that babies swallow when eating. Try to use different positions while burping that feel comfortable for both of you. Try one of these three positions to relieve gas:
- Sit upright and hold your infant against your chest. In this position, your babys chin will be on your shoulder while you support them with your hand. Gently pat your baby on the back.
- Hold your infant sitting up across your knee or in your lap. In this position, you will be gently supporting your babys head and chest by holding their chin. With the heel of your hand on your babys chest, be careful to hold your babys chin and not their throat. With your other hand, pat your babys back gently.
- Lay your baby face down on your lap. In this position, support your babys head and ensure that its higher than their chest. Pat their back gently.
Flo was recommended to me by my OB-GYN. It helps me track my periods in order to have better health and does it in a personalized way. It also helps me identify patterns in my daily life activities, from workout patterns to mood trackers. Most importantly, it allows me to understand my body in a better way, according to the data input and analysis.
What Should I Know About Colic
- What are symptoms of colic
- Learn the difference between fussy and colicky
- Know how to help your colicky baby
Colic is often discussed but seldom understood. A colic baby has seemingly never-ending episodes of inconsolable crying, no matter what you try to do to calm them. The term colic comes from the Greek word kolikos meaning suffering in the colon. Doctors and scientists assume that colicky crying is the result of pain in the gut, but often no clear answer exists as to why a colicky baby is so hard to soothe and the crying is so intense.
Interestingly, new studies coming out may indicate that some causes of colic may be infantile migraines, or intense headaches.1
What is Colic?
While the causes of colic are challenging to pinpoint, newborn colic is assumed if an otherwise healthy and well-fed baby meets the Rule of Threes:2
- Crying lasting at least three hours a day
- Occurring at least three days a week
- Has been happening for more than three weeks
Any baby can suffer from colic, as the condition does not discriminate between gender, birth order, or feeding method. Worldwide, the prevalence of colic occurs between an estimated 5 19% of infants.3
How long does colic last?
Episodes of intense crying seem to appear more often during growth spurts or at the end of the day and seem to peak at about 6 weeks of age. The good news is that the condition resolves itself in up to 90% of infants by the age of 4 months .4
Is my baby fussy, colicky, or something else?
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Little Remedies To The Rescue
Gas pain can be triggered by things like colic, so products like Little Remedies Gripe Water or Little Remedies Gas Relief Drops are quick and easy solutions. Gripe Water, a mixture of water and various herbs, is considered to be an effective homeopathic remedy for quickly eliminating babys pain and discomfort. Gas Relief Drops can even be mixed with formula or water, so they offer a quick solution for gassy babies.
Signs Of A Gassy Baby
If you suspect that your fussy baby is genuinely uncomfortable, and they keep squirming and pulling up their legs, they might have some gas that refuses to pass. The best way to confirm your suspicions is to try some gas-relieving techniques. “If your baby seems much better after passing gas, then that’s a telltale sign that the problem was gas,” says Jennifer Shu, M.D., an Atlanta-based pediatrician and coauthor of Food Fights: Winning The Nutritional Challenges of Parenthood Armed with Insight, Humor, and A Bottle of Ketchup. This applies to gassy breastfed babies and gassy bottle-fed babies.
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What Is The Difference Between Gas Drops And Gripe Water
Gripe water offers a combination of homeopathic ingredients like fennel and ginger. It soothes tummy troubles with its herbal ingredients and can also help babies pass gas. However, if gas is the main culprit of your newborns discomfort, gas drops with simethicone may be more effective for bloat relief. Ask your pediatrician if youre unsure which treatment to try.
Reducing The Need To Fart
Farting is the way the body releases swallowed air and other trapped gasses. The positions listed above may help relieve gas temporarily, but many people also look for ways to reduce the need to pass gas.
While it may be impossible to make farts disappear completely, there are some ways to reduce the number of times a person has to pass gas each day.
Many foods increase the amount of gas that results from the digestion of food. Beans are well-known culprits, but these pulses contain many nutrients so should still be included in a healthful diet.
Soaking beans before cooking them may help reduce flatulence in some people, while others may want to limit the quantity of beans they eat.
Cutting down on other foods that cause gas may help as well. This includes foods high in sulfur or certain fermentable carbs and fibers, such as:
- cauliflower
- beer
- carbonated drinks
Dairy foods, including cheese and ice cream, may also cause gas, especially for people who are sensitive to lactose.
Another important tip is to chew all food slowly and with a closed mouth. A lot of trapped gas is swallowed air, which is more likely to happen if a person eats quickly or with their mouth open.
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What Should I Know About Baby Massage
- Learn the benefits of infant massage
- Know when to massage your baby
- Learn how to give your little one a baby massage
A gentle rubdown is a sweet way to bond with your newborn, but its more than a feel-good activity. Studies have linked infant massage to several health benefits not only for baby, but also for mom. So go ahead, enjoy kneading those chubby thighs and gently stroking that round-as-a-Buddhas belly!
What are the benefits of infant massage?
Its well documented that skin to skin and kangaroo mother care does wonders for babys health and wellbeing.1, 2, 3 Infant massage doubles down on this skin to skin contact, acting as another way we can provide healing touch to our babies.
When done right, infant massage may help your little one cry less, sleep better, and even lower levels of stress hormones.4, 5, 6 In fact, massage has been found to help premature infants gain weight and even potentially lead to a shorter hospital stay.7, 8
For mom, baby massage not only helps to increase the mother-infant bond, but it has also been shown to improve symptoms of postpartum depression.9, 10
Have more questions? Our team of registered dietitians and lactation consultants is available to chat for free! Theyre here to help on our live chat from Monday Friday 8am-8pm , and Saturday Sunday 8am-4pm . Chat now!
When is the best time to massage my baby?
Waiting until at least 45 minutes after baby eats will help prevent tummy troubles or spitting up.