What Are The Proper Techniques For Burping Infants
There is no one right way for burping babies. However there are several tried and tested burping positions as demonstrated on this “how to burp a baby” page. You may find one your baby finds best or you might try all of them at some time. I usually try one and if that doesn’t work, change the burping position to another one.
“How to burp a baby” properly involves taking the pressure off the stomach and holding the baby upright . There are several techniques that will achieve this, as seen below.
- How to burp a baby – position 1.Hold your baby with her head over your shoulder and her chest against your chest. Gently rub or pat the back. You do not need to be too vigorous, just pat gently if you elect to pat rather than rub. I cup my hand slightly to pat the back. Use a burp cloth and put it over your shoulder to catch any small vomit. See the picture on the right
- How to burp a baby – position 2.Sit your baby on your lap. Put the thumb and forefinger of one hand on the bony part of the baby’s jaw and hold the baby’s jaw forward. The other hand can gently rub or pat the back. The baby’s position should look like a triangle – by pulling the head forward, the spine is stretched and pressure on the stomach relieved. See the picture on the right
You may even know how to burp a baby with another position – if it works, keep doing it.
When Should You Burp Your Baby
Some babies don’t take in very much air during feedings, so they don’t need to burp as much. Other babies swallow more air while they feed. For example, if you have a strong let-down reflex or an overabundant breast milk supply, the fast flow of your breast milk can cause your baby to swallow more air. In these situations, you will have to burp your baby more often.
A good time to burp your breastfed baby is after they stop nursing or if they become fussy during a feeding. Your child may stop nursing and seem uncomfortable if they need to burp. If you nurse from both sides at each feeding, you can try to burp your baby in between alternating breasts, and after each feeding.
If you breastfeed from just one side at each feeding, you can burp your baby when they stop nursing. After you burp your child, offer the same breast again to see if your baby wants more. Then, when the feeding is complete, burp your baby again.
Burping is also helpful if you have a sleepy baby. If your newborn falls asleep at the breast, burping may help to wake them up and keep them breastfeeding a little longer.
However, if your baby is breastfeeding well and actively sucking, you don’t need to stop for a burp. Wait until they stop nursing on their own, and then burp them.
Burp Between Changing Sides Or Mid
A sleepy baby may enjoy their feeding so much that they overeat and dont realize they need a pause to burp. Help your baby have a gentler burp and avoid any major gas pain by slowing down the feed.
Burp your baby between switching sides at the breast or before they finish their bottle. This will also help your baby make room for more milk instead of burping and spitting up any of their food.
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Is It Normal For My Baby To Vomit With Burping
It is quite common for babies to have a small vomit with the burp. It is relatively easy for babies to vomit – read more. As long as your baby is happy in herself and not distressed with the vomit, and she is putting on weight there is no need to worry about your baby vomiting with burping.
If your baby is distressed when vomiting with feeds, this is gastro-esophageal reflux disease – read more.
What If My Baby Doesnt Burp After Feeding
Whether your baby is breastfed or you are bottle-feeding, if youre exclusively using breast milk or supplementing with infant formula, youve probably had some questions about burping. We are often asked from new parents everything from how to burp a baby to how often you need to burp a baby.
Lets talk all things burping!
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Burping Newborns: The Basics
Newborns might have wind if they swallow air when crying or feeding. They get rid of wind by burping or passing wind from their bottoms.
Put a cloth over your shoulder. Put baby over your shoulder and support baby with your hand on the same side. When baby is upright, gently rub babys back with your other hand.
Your baby might vomit up some milk during burping. This is normal.
What Happens If The Baby Doesn’t Burp
If after several minutes your baby still seems to be uncomfortable, you could try giving the baby a warm bath to help the baby relax. After the bath, give your baby a gentle tummy massage by softly rubbing your hands over the babys tummy in a clockwise and circular motion. After attempting to help ease your baby’s trapped air bubbles, if your baby is still upset, there may be something else wrong. Check to make sure if the baby is still hungry, has a dirty nappy, or isnt feeling well. If your baby is often uncomfortable after winding or during feedings and you are unable to provide comfort, never hesitate to contact your doctor for further evaluation.
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Why Is Burping So Important
When babies drink from bottles, they tend to swallow air along with their formula. This might be due to a lack of suction between the babys lips and the plastic nipple, there may not have been a constant flow of liquid to the babys mouth allowing for the baby to suck in air out of the bottle, or he may have simply been drinking too fast creating his own air bubbles as he drank.
Sometimes the air in a little ones tummy may simply be gas. This can happen from eating too much, eating too fast, or even the formula not agreeing with him. Just like in your body, in any of these situations, his stomach will create gas to alleviate some of the pressure caused by stomach acids. Either way, when their little tummies fill up with air or gas, it can lead to spitting up, crankiness, and gassiness.
Burping releases this air trapped in your infant’s stomach, making him more comfortable and less fussy. And it also frees up room in your baby’s tummy so he can settle in and feed longer. Burping can be beneficial for babies who spit up often, have a lot of gas problems, or have symptoms of GERD .
That said there’s no rule that all babies have to burp during or after every feeding. Some babies burp a lot due to a great deal of gas production, while others rarely need to at all.
Burping While The Baby Is Sitting:
This method is used for slightly older babies around 4-5 months old. These babies can be made to sit on you lap after feeding with the support of your hand. With your other hand, you can hold the jaw of your child up. Now using the hand that you have supported your babys back with, rub the back. Ensure that the head of your child does not drop in the downward direction to stop the blood flowing down on his head.
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Do You Burp Babies After Breastfeeding
That said, not all babies need to be burped. Though babies with reflux or colic may need regular burping, others have no issues with gas and can fall asleep at the breast or bottle with ease. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, breastfed babies tend to need less burping because they take in less air than bottle feeders. A 2015 study published in Child: Care, Health, and Development, explains that burping may actually not be needed in babies and could potentially cause more spit up.
What To Do If Your Baby Doesnt Burp
If your baby is asleep, try burping them for a minute before you lay them back down. Sometimes babies dont need to burp as much at nighttime because they eat slower and dont get as much air while feeding.
If they wake up crying, soothe them, check to see if they need a clean diaper, feed them again if its time, and try to burp them after that feeding.
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Some Frequently Askedquestions To Perfect Your Burping Skills
How long do you burp ababy?
It is best to burp your baby after every feed however, if you notice she was extra hungry and gulped down her milk very fast, it is best to burp her between the feeding. After your baby is well feed, burp her for about 10 to 15 minutes and have her upright to avoid having the milk coming back up. If your baby has GERD and tends to spit up, you might need to burp her a little longer. Think of this as a bonding session you can sing or talk to your baby.
Do you need to burp anewborn?
As we all know, babiesare different, and some tend to be gassier than others, but all babies need tobe burped after every feed. It is to ensure any trapped air has been released,and whats left in her tummy is the milk she needs. And you might notice yourbaby immediately sleeps after her feeding if this happens ensure you still burpher to keep her comfortable.
What happens when babydoesnt burp after feeding?
If your baby does notrelease the trapped air she might have ingested while feeding, it might createsome discomfort for her later. This air tends to move to her little intestinesthat now ends up as gas, making her feel full than she really is, and we knowhow trapped gas feels uncomfortable for you, let alone your baby. Trying toburp her reduces all this discomfort or crankiness in her next feed.
Why is it so hard toburp a newborn?
What Is A Wet Burp
When your baby burps, they may bring up a little bit of breast milk along with the air. There is no need to worry. These little wet burps or spit-ups and expected and normal. Spit-ups are small and flow slowly out of your baby’s mouth.
If breast milk is forcefully shooting out of your child’s mouth, that’s vomiting, and it’s not normal. Of course, occasional vomiting is usually not a concern. But if your baby vomits after more than one feeding, or has other symptoms such as fever or diarrhea, contact your child’s doctor right away.
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Want More Advice About Burping Your Baby Come See Us
If youre wondering whether youre burping your baby properly, if your baby seems overly gassy and you want some advice on what to do, or if you have other questions relating to your babys health and well-being, please call 232-1919 to make an appointment with one of our Westchester Health pediatricians. He/she will help you work out solutions that will bring relief to both you and your baby. Whenever, wherever you need us, were here for you.
To read Dr. Adlers blog in full, click here.
What Causes Burping In Babies
Burping in babies is caused by trapped air in the stomach. As babies feed they gulp air as well. The air takes space in the stomach so there is less room for the milk. The trapped air has to be released – so burped out – to make space for the milk.
Babies have poor truncal tone so they can’t sit up straight. This means there is pressure on the stomach and can trap air – when this trapped air is released, it forms a burp. The answer to “How to burp a baby?” is to relieve some of this pressure which can be trapping the air so it can be released.
Not all babies have trapped wind so if your baby doesn’t seem to have wind then don’t worry – there is no need to continue trying to ‘burp’ your baby if she seems comfortable.
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Change Sides For Feeding
Switch nursing is a breastfeeding technique involving alternating breasts multiple times. According to verywellfamily.com, this technique is very helpful during the first few days of breastfeeding, when the milk supply is just building up and the baby is still trying to figure out the best, cozy and comfortable positions for him. Each time the baby slows down, stops sucking or falls asleep, the movement of changing sides and the change in the breastmilk flow will help to wake him up and encourage him to start feeding again.
The extra stimulation on both breasts by switching sides also helps to build the breastmilk supply. You are stimulating both of your babys eyes and both sides of his body and his brain and reducing the chances of your baby developing a favored side, which can make breastfeeding quite challenging. Once the breastmilk supply goes up, you can stop changing sides frequently and allow the baby to finish on one side before moving to the other.
Causes Of Gassiness In Babies
Some people believe that bottle-fed babies are more likely to get gassy, but evidence of this is only anecdotal. Bottles may expose babies to more air as they gulp and may make it easier to overfeed your baby. But every baby is different and even breastfed babies can be very gassy sometimes because theyre sensitive to food in their mothers diet.
Though uncommon, a breastfeeding mother may have to experiment a lot before figuring out exactly what they ate to cause their babys upset stomach. Theres no solid research to tell a mother what exactly causes her babys excess gas. Also, many babies with gas arent bothered by it.
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How To Properly Burp Anewborn Baby
There are threecommon got to positions for burping your baby, before getting to know whatworks for you try all three positions and see what gets things moving fasterfor you and baby.
1. Try to place your baby on your shoulder.
Place your baby onyour shoulder and firmly hold her, with one hand use it to support her bottom,while the other hand on her back, either gently patting or rub her.
2. Having your babys face down on your lap
While seated, haveyour babys tummy down across your lap with this position, it will have herstomach on one of your legs, while her head on the other, ensure her head isturned sideways so that she can breathe easily. One hand will be holding yourlittle angel while the other gently rubbing or patting her back.
3. Have your baby sitting up?
While also seated,have your baby in a sitting potion on your lap and try to have her leaningslightly forward. With one arm, you will support her head and chest, while theother hand is rubbing or tapping on her back.