Gas and Burping Your Baby

Most excessive gas in babies is due air swallowing ("aerophagia") during feedings and not to a problem with the milk. You can prevent most gassiness in your baby with effective burping.

How to Burp Your Baby

• Don't try to burp baby when she is avidly feeding. That is likely to upset her, make her cry, and cause her to swallow even more air. Pick a time when she slows down or is taking a break on her own.
• Use the burping position she appears most comfortable with. There are three basic positions in which to gently pat and rub baby's back:
  - over your shoulder
  - sitting on your lap, facing out or to the side
  - lying face down on your lap

Note for Bottle Feeding Your Baby

To avoid air swallowing during bottle feeding, make sure that as the bottle has more air and less milk, the air is always at the bottom of the bottle, not at the nipple area, so the air doesn't get swallowed.

Persistent Gas in Your Baby

Less commonly, gas may signify a mild digestive problem. If this is the case:

• Check with your pediatrician about switching your baby's formula.
• Avoid certain foods like cow's milk products, certain veggies, and caffeine-containing foods and liquids if you are breastfeeding.
• Try an anti-gas medicine (although their effectiveness has not been proven).
• Try infant massage between meals.
  • Place your infant facing you on your lap. Move her legs around like a bicycle.
  • Rub warm oil on her belly and gently massage.

When to Worry About Baby's Gas:

If your baby's irritability is severe and chronic, you should suspect something other than gas as the culprit. And if your infant is not growing well, the gas may be an indication of a significant digestive problem. Call your baby's doctor to discuss any concerns you may have.