How Can I Relieve My Baby’s Gas?

Does your baby have colicAreIs they gassy or fussy? Seeing your baby in pain and not knowing how to help them is terrible. This page will try to shed some light on how to relieve gas and burp a newborn baby.

Spitting up frequently, crying after a feed, trouble falling asleep and excessive fussiness all point to the possibility of trapped air that needs to escape. The escape route for the trapped gas could be via a baby’s mouth or bottom. Both are discussed below in detail.

Helping Your Baby Expel Air From Their Mouth

Feeding Methods

Babies often swallow air while drinking milk, whether breastfed or bottle-fed.

If you breastfeed:

• Make sure you have a good latch. Your baby’s lips should be flanged around your nipple, and you should not hear any clicking sounds while breastfeeding. Any clicking sounds indicate that the suction between the breast and the baby’s mouth allows air intake. Try breastfeeding positions that may help reduce gas intake.

If you bottle-feed:

• Be sure to use the right nipple size for your baby’s age. Nipples for older babies allow more milk to flow at once, which could cause your baby to swallow air.
• Bottle feeding at an angle is recommended. Read more about pace bottle feeding here.

No matter how you feed your baby, most babies need to be burped after feeding. Sometimes it can be difficult for the gas to escape. For this reason, it can sometimes help to burp your baby at intervals during a feeding. Some babies struggle more than others; burping them every 2 to 5 minutes during feedings may help.

Burping Methods

While burping your baby, you will want to put gentle pressure on the belly to force the air to move up and out. The different burping methods you can use are as follows:

• The Over the Shoulder Burping Method

Be sure to have your baby’s tummy resting somewhat on your shoulder. You can then gently but firmly pat your baby on their back in an upward motion. This gentle pressure and movement will help to release the trapped air. Be sure to have your baby on a burping cloth, as the air may bring some spit-up with it. Cloth diaper inserts are a great alternative to burping towels.

If your baby spits up a lot between feedings, consider reading our page on how to deal with acid reflux.

• Sitting Upright Burping Position

Put your baby on your lap, with your hand supporting their head and neck. The free hand should be pressing gently on the baby’s belly. Again, massage in an upwards motion. Usually, because of the bent-over position, this method works great. This method is shown in the video below.

The Lap Burping Method

You should use this method if your baby seems fussy and uncomfortable, but you should not use it directly after a feed.

Lay your baby over your lap, with one of your legs under their tummy. Your free leg should be under their head. You should turn your baby’s head to the side. Don’t forget the burp cloth! Rub your baby’s upper back in circular motions or pat very lightly.

If you have tried all these methods and your baby still seems uncomfortable, you might want to give your baby 5 minutes to try to work the burp out themselves. After 5 minutes, try the methods above again.

Keeping your baby upright for half an hour after feeding will help prevent trapped air and reflux. Wearing your baby in a sling is a wonderful way to do this and has many advantages.

After that initial half-hour, you can try allowing your baby to work the air out during some tummy time.

Helping Your Baby Expel Air From Their Bottom

The Knee Cuddle & Bicycle Kicks

• You should not use this method immediately after feedings.
• Lay your baby on their back with both of their legs extended. Then you can move your baby’s legs in a circular motion. Bend their knee, alternating or simultaneously, towards their chest, then extend it again.

I Love You Massage

• This massage works wonders after a bath.
• You can use coconut oil or baby lotion to help your hands move more easily across your baby’s skin.
• Learn more about baby massage here.

Other Avenues

Using the Windi to Relieve Baby’s Gas

The Windi is a little device placed slightly inside a baby’s rectum. This small device is super effective, and often it provides instant relief.

Probiotics

If your baby continually has reflux issues, gas, or constipation, it may be another issue, such as an imbalance in their microbiome. You can use probiotics to feed the good bacteria in your baby’s gut. This good bacteria is sometimes needed for the gut to work efficiently and can dramatically change a baby’s comfort level. Probiotics are often recommended to mothers and babies to promote gut health and boost the immune system. Learn more about probiotic use here.

An elimination Diet

It is rare for the foods you eat as a breastfeeding mother to be causing gas, but if your baby has a true allergy, this could be the case. If you have explored all of the above and are sure that something in your diet or your baby’s formula is causing the discomfort, you can try an elimination diet — allergies in the breastfed infant discussed here. If your baby is on formula, you can talk to your pediatrician about using a different formula.

In Conclusion

I hope the information on this page has been helpful and reassured you. There is a learning curve when becoming a parent, and there are many new things to discover. You will go through countless hurdles, but this will be the most worthwhile job ever!