The Drool Was Alright But The Resulting Rash Has Me Worried What Can I Do
Sometimes drool can lead to a rash around the mouth, owing to irritation that arises from excess moisture. To keep drool from getting in contact with babys skin, do wipe the drool off often with a soft, gently cloth. Because babies drool at night as well, before bed time, apply an moisture barrier ointment around his mouth and cheeks: Your pediatrician can guide you to the creams that are best for your baby, depending on his age.
Is It Normal For My Baby To Spit Up After Feedings
Sometimes, babies spit up when they eat too much, or when they burp or drool. Many infants will spit up a little after some or even all feedings or during burping because their digestive systems are immature. That’s perfectly normal.
As long as your baby is growing and gaining weight and doesn’t seem uncomfortable with the spitting up, it’s OK. The amount of spit-up often looks like more than it actually is. But spitting up isn’t the same as forcefully vomiting all or most of a feeding.
How Can I Keep My Baby From Spitting Up
If the doctor says your baby’s spitting up is normal, here are some things you can do to help lessen it:
- Burp your baby after each feed from each breast. Sometimes giving smaller feeds more often can help, rather than giving larger-volume feeds.
- Keep your baby upright after feedings for at least 30 minutes. Holding your baby is best, since the way your baby sits in an infant seat may actually make spitting up more likely.
- Don’t jiggle, bounce, or actively play with your baby right after feedings.
- Keep your baby’s head above the feet while feeding. Don’t hold your baby in a dipped-down position when feeding.
- Raise the head of your baby’s crib or bassinet. Roll up a few small hand towels or receiving blankets to place under not on top of the mattress. Never use a pillow under your baby’s head. Make sure the mattress doesnt fold in the middle, and that the incline is gentle enough that your baby doesnt slide down.
If your baby also gets bottles of breast milk or infant formula supplements:
- Burp after your baby drinks 12 ounces from a bottle.
- Don’t give the bottle while your little one is lying down.
- Make sure the hole in the nipple is the right size and/or flow for your baby. For example, fast-flow nipples may cause babies to gag or may give them more milk than they can handle at once. Many breastfed babies do well with the slow-flow nipple until they are 3 months old, or even older.
Many babies outgrow spitting up by the time they’re sitting up.
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Burp Your Baby More Frequently
Burping your infant during and after each feed is important in order to relieve some of the pressure in the stomach, helping to prevent reflux. Continue to burp every hour or so after a feed if you find that your baby is gassy. Burp bottle-fed infants often during feedingsabout every one to two ounces. If youre breastfeeding, burp your baby every time he or she pulls off of the nipple.
Tips To Minimize Spitting Up In Babies
Again, spit up is normal but to prevent it from happening as often, there are a few steps experts typically recommend.
- Dont overfeed. Babies stomachs are small, and its easy to overload them. Try feeding more often at smaller volumes if you notice that your baby often spits up during feedings.
- Hold baby upright for 30 minutes after feeding. Sitting chest-to-chest on you for at least a half hour after each feed might minimize the amount of spit up your baby experiences.
- Burp frequently. Burping gently during and after feeds for bottle-fed babies, at least once halfway through a feeding or after every 2 or 3 ounces, and when you switch from one breast to the other for breastfed babies can help reduce spit up.
- Limit post-feeding activity. Going straight from a feeding to playtime might cause milk to come back up, for example.
- Use a slow-flow nipple. If you bottle-feed, try using a slow-flow nipple. These are designed to slow down feeding and reduce the amount of air baby takes in while eating which may help reduce spit up risk.
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Is My Babys Spit
The appearance of the spit up can vary with the amount of time your baby had to digest it.
While the stomach contents may look like breastmilk or whatever was ingested, it is mostly made up of saliva and stomach acids. If concerned your baby is not eating enough because of how much they spit up do not rush to re-feed them. They are likely spitting up from eating too much or eating too quickly.
Spit up that has had some time to digest in your baby’s stomach may have a more vomit like appearance. The smell may be sour, and the texture will likely be curdled.
Babies that exhibit the above when spitting up are happy spitters. If your baby remains comfortable during and after spitting up they are likely not affected by their gastroesophageal reflux . Gaining weight normally and a casual disposition are both signs of a happy spitter. You can expect your baby to grow out of their GER within the first year. Less than 10% of babies still spit up regularly after this point. In these cases there could be an allergy or gastrointestinal issue.
How To Deal With Your Baby’s Spit
Many new parents wonder why their baby spits up so much. We asked the experts for the lowdown on this common concern, with tips for handling the mess.
Is your baby spitting up a lot after feedings? There’s usually no need to stress. “Seventy percent of infants under 3 months will spit up three times a day, and it’s even perfectly normal for them to be spitting up as often as 10 or 12 times,” says William Byrne, M.D., chief of pediatric gastroenterology at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, in Portland, Oregon. Keep reading to learn what causes babies to spit up and how to handle it.
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Spit Up Through The Nose Is It Normal
Reflux in infants is when the milk comes back up from the babys stomach and out the mouth or nose. It usually isnt a serious problem, and it can happen in healthy babies several times per day, though its less common after 18 months .
The natural reflex that pushes the milk back up is something your baby has no control over. The nose and throat are connected , and if spit-up happens quickly, it can be projectile and take you by surprise.
Several things may cause your baby to spit up frequently:
- Stomach valve: A sphincter muscle connects your babys stomach and esophagus. This muscle, the lower esophageal sphincter, is immature in newborns and sometimes allows food to escape into the esophagus .
- Distractions: When your baby gets distracted while feeding, the suck-swallow reflex can be disrupted. Large amounts of milk may be swallowed, causing slight choking, sending milk back out the nose.
- Swallowing air: If your baby is really hungry, he or she might feed in a rushed, gulping manner. This can cause them to ingest air as well. The air can then return later, bringing the milk with it.
- Coughing or sneezing: Your baby has little control over their body when newborn . The simple act of sneezing or coughing can cause milk to come back up the esophagus.
Why Is My Baby Spitting Up
For young babies spitting up is common, especially during the first three months. This condition, known as infant reflux, infant acid reflux or gastroesophageal reflux is due to a still developing valve at the esophagus. This valve, the esophageal sphincter muscle sits between the esophagus and stomach entrance. When a small babys stomach is too full, stomach contents easily pass the valve into the esophagus and travel up causing infant reflux.
As your babys body grows and develops so does this tricky valve, meaning less spitting up.
Breastfeeding and bottle feeding can both cause infant reflux. For strategies on how to best feed to avoid infant reflux in both cases we recommendthis article.
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What Is The Difference Between Spitting Up And Vomiting
Spit-up can be misinterpreted as vomiting especially if a baby spit-up so much. While spit-up can be taken lightly, vomiting should always be taken seriously because it usually indicates an issue that needs urgent action for your baby. Spit-up is an easy flow of babys milk, while vomit is a more forceful flow, usually shooting inches from the mouth and not just dropping slowly.
Does My Baby Have Gerd
GER isnt something to worry abouteven the healthiest babies have it. But for about 2 percent of full-term babies and a higher percentage of preemies, reflux causes pain and medical problems. In these cases, a doctor may diagnose gastroesophageal reflux disease . Telltale signs include a lack of interest in eating, extreme fussiness during feeding, wheezing, coughing, hoarseness, and failure to gain weight.
GERD is reflux in the extreme: So much acid splashes back up from the stomach that it irritates the lining of your babys esophagus. Your baby might try to relieve the discomfort by coughing, arching their back, or pulling their legs up to their tummy. If your baby has these symptoms, contact their pediatrician The doctor may recommend smaller, more frequent meals or additional burping.
AdditionalAri Brown, M.D., Parents advisor and coauthor of Baby 411 Grzegorz Telega, M.D., pediatric gastroenterologist at Childrens Wisconsin, in Milwaukee.
Parents Magazine
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When Your Child Is On Artificial Feeding
If your baby spits up after eating, the reasons for it may be the same as for children that are on natural feeding.
- The primary reason is overeating. When the child is on artificial feeding, it is much easier to regulate the amount of consumed food. The amount of the infant food in the bottle must strictly correspond to the age of the child.
- Check the hole in the teat as well. It should not be too large. During the process of feeding it is important to exclude air swallowing, that is why, the teat should be constantly filled with a mixture.
- The baby can regurgitate the mixture, because it does not tolerate it. Try to choose another infant food together with your pediatrician. Now special milk mixtures are produced that can prevent it from flowing out of the stomach .
- The stomach should be checked on the same principle as with natural feeding.
At The Doctor’s Office
If your doctor advises you to bring your baby in for a check-up, they will do a thorough evaluation of your baby to determine the best course of treatment.
For breastfeeding parents, the doctor may want to check your baby’s latch and breastfeeding technique. If you’re breastfeeding and your baby isn’t getting enough breast milk, you may be advised to consult with a lactation consultant and/or to supplement your baby with infant formula.
The doctor will also examine your child’s overall health. If the baby has an infection, the doctor may prescribe medicine to treat the illness.
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Why Do Babies Spit Up So Much And How To Prevent It
December 31, 2017 By Claudia C
A major part of parenting an infant is feeding and cleaning up after them. So, its quite common to see new parents maintaining a healthy stock of wipes with them at all times. And quite a lot of these wipes come in handy when the baby spits up, especially after feeding. Some babies spit up less than the others, but all parents at some point of time find themselves wondering why do babies spit up?
Nearly Half Of All Gerd Cases For Babies Under One Year Of Age Are Caused By Milk Allergies Keep Reading To Find Out Why Your Baby Is Spitting Up And How You Can Help Them Keep Food Down
Babies gurgle, cry, blow bubbles and of course spit up. From time to time your baby is likely to spit up or exhibit a reflux when feeding. Young babies do not have a developed digestive system. Food can sometimes travel from the stomach back into the esophagus. This may happen for a few different reasons.
In this article we will cover:
- What causes infant reflux
- What is normal spit up
- Tips to reduce infant reflux
- How Ready, Set, Food! can end infant reflux in older babies
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Is My Baby Eating Enough
Even if your baby spits up after every feeding, they’re probably taking in enough. Your pediatrician will evaluate your infant’s weight gain at their well-baby checkups. If everything’s on track, they’re getting the calories they need. It may seem like their whole meal is coming back up, but it’s likely less than a tablespoon, says Dr. Byrne. So don’t “top off” your baby with more milk if they spit up after eating. In fact, overfeeding can lead to even more reflux.
Types Of Dehydration In Babies
Hydration isn’t just about water. Instead, bodies need sufficient fluid levels as well as electrolytes, which are minerals, such as salt, that help regulate fluid balance.
There are three main types of dehydration:
- Hypertonic or hypernatremic: Loss of water
- Hypotonic or hyponatremic: Insufficient of electrolytes, which are the salts in your body
- Isotonic or isonatremic: Low levels of both water and electrolytes
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How Can I Tell If My Baby Is Getting Enough Food
Ask yourself these questions:
- Is your baby generally happy and healthy?
- Is your baby gaining weight?
- Is your baby wetting diapers?
- Is your baby growing well?
If you answered yes to these questions, you probably dont need to worryeven if youre dealing with a lot of baby spit up. But remember: You know your baby best. If something seems off, call your pediatrician.
Otherwise, if your baby is unusually fussy, seems to lack energy, or if the baby spit up has blood in it, or looks and smells like vomit, it is time to call the doctor.
S For Reducing Baby Spit
If your baby is spitting up frequently, and you would like to try to reduce how much they are spitting up, there are a few things that you can try to see if they help:
- You can feed your baby in an upright or semi-upright position.
- You can try to feed your baby smaller amounts of milk in each feeding.
- If your baby is formula-fed, you may want to try a different formula to see if that helps
- If you are breastfeeding, you can try to experiment with your own diet to see if that helps. Some mothers find that eliminating dairy from their diet can reduce spit-up.
Though burping after feeding is frequently recommended to new parents, one study in 2015 found that burping increased the risk of spit-up in infants up to three months old.
Avoid following advice that directs you to place your baby on their stomach while they sleep to prevent spitting up. It is important to place your baby to sleep on their back, as this reduces the risk of sudden infant death syndrome, also known as SIDS.
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