Tummy troubles and gas is a common concern for most newborn babies. Infants tend to be gassy during their first few months because their GI tract is still underdeveloped and they tend to gulp in a lot of air when they are feeding. According to the Mayo Clinic(1), episodes of colic tend to peak in infants when they are about 6 weeks old.
One of the first skills that you’ll need to pick up as a new parent, therefore, is to learn to burp your baby. Learning to burp your baby can take time and needs practice. But it’s also something that you shouldn’t fail to do! If your baby has bubbles of gas trapped in his or her belly, it could make him excessively fussy and irritable. Here are some of the best tips on how to burp a baby and treat infant gas naturally.
A bottle-fed baby may burp more than a baby who is breastfed as they tend to feed faster. |
The over the shoulder technique is one of the best ways to burp a baby who has pain from gas built-up in their tummies. As the baby is held against the parent’s chest, it exerts gentle pressure on his tummy and helps to facilitate the easy release of gas.
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The seated lean technique is another parent-recommended technique for burping a baby. Most parents find that seating the baby on their lap and leaning him in different directions, help the baby to relax and brings out the air bubbles.
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The Belly Flop Technique is one of the basic burping(2) positions. This position again helps to put pressure on the baby’s tummy and force wind and trapped gas to be released.
A massage can be quite soothing for your baby’s painful and bloated tummy. If your baby has been crying for hours and is squirming in pain, try massaging the gas out.
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This burping technique is pretty straightforward! The idea is to simply move your baby’s legs as if he was riding a bicycle. The movement helps to apply pressure on the baby’s lower abdomen and release gas.
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The bouncing technique can be fun! Although it may be more appropriate for older babies who can hold their heads up.
Tummy time can not only help your baby develop strong shoulder, back and neck muscles, but it can also ease gas and alleviate any pain in your baby’s tiny stomach too. This burping technique is particularly recommended for colicky babies.
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If none of the above burping positions seem to be working for your baby, try baby gripe water. Gripe water is a liquid supplement that contains sodium bicarbonate and herbs such as ginger, fennel, cardamom, clove, and peppermint, etc.
The following are the recommended dosages:
Gripe water can be given up to six times a day.
If you find your baby fussing in the middle of a feeding, it is most likely due to discomfort from swallowed air. Whenever you find your baby fussing or crying, try to burp him right away. Keep your burp cloth handy and always remember to focus on the left side of your baby’s back when burping him!
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Babies are prone to acid reflux as their GI tract is still underdeveloped. Sometimes, the acid coming back up can irritate or hurt the baby’s esophagus causing him or her to cry while burping.
Spit-up or vomiting is common among babies who are less than a year old. This normally happens due to reflux i.e when the baby’s stomach is full, the stomach contents can sometimes flow back up the baby’s food pipe.
There is no definite age to stop burping a baby. Although, a baby’s digestive system typically starts to mature around 4-6 months and burping will become less of a necessity.