Does your baby stir and get irritable during or after feedings?
It’s more likely that she has swallowed a bit of air with that milk, making her feel uncomfortably full. Burping your baby is an important feeding step that can help her feel better.
These burping positions and tips aid in bringing up the air and make space for your baby’s full meal.
How do you burp your baby?
You can try the following steps to help burp your baby successfully:
• Just about halfway through feeding your baby, place her on your shoulder, face-down on your lap, or sit up (more details on that below👇).
• You can protect your clothes by always keeping a burp cloth or bib between your outfit and your baby’s mouth.
• You can place a gentle pat or rub on the left side of her back, which is where your baby's stomach is located. Though this may get the burp up for most babies, others might need a slightly firmer hand.
Why do you need to burp your baby?
It is very crucial to burp your baby at each feeding — even if she's sleeping.
When your baby feeds, she can't help but swallow a little air along with the breast milk or formula. Having those air bubbles trapped in her stomach can make her feel uncomfortable and full even before she’s finished eating.
This is why burping your baby to bring up any excess air is such a crucial part of the feeding process.
If she's fussing when feeding due to this discomfort, it will also cause her to swallow more air — which will lead to more crankiness and possibly spitting up.
If she starts protesting when feeding, try burping right away to see if it’s an air bubble in her stomach that is causing her distress.
What are the best positions for burping your baby?
There are three basic ways to burp your baby: on your shoulder, face-down on your lap, or sitting up.
You can try all four positions to see which gets the job done best for your baby.
1. On your shoulder: Hold your baby firmly against your shoulder. Support her bottom with one hand, while you pat or rub her back with the other.
2. Face-down on your lap: Place her tummy down across your lap (the stomach will be on one of your legs, her head on the other, turned sideways, supported, and placed slightly higher than her chest). Hold your baby securely with one hand, then pat or rub her back with the other.
3. Sitting up: Hold her in a seated position on your lap, while leaning slightly forward. Then, support her head and chest with one arm while you pat or rub with the other.
4. Walking: Once your baby has good head control, you can try holding her erect in front of you, facing out, while you stand and walk. Put one hand under her bottom and the other arm across her stomach to apply light pressure. This movement may help give an additional release of any trapped air bubbles.
How often should you burp your baby?
This surely depends on how you’re feeding your baby:
• When bottle-feeding, burp your baby at least once, either midway through feeding or after every 2 or 3 ounces, or more often if she seems irritable or is taking a long time.
• When breastfeeding, burp your baby when you change from one breast to the other to make room for more milk. Keep in mind that when a baby has swallowed air, she may stop eating and refuse to switch breasts simply because she feels uncomfortably full.
Is your baby managing only one breast at a time? Then burp mid-feed on the same breast.
If your baby shows any of the following signs when feeding, you may want to burp her more regularly — for example, after every ounce of milk during bottle-feeding or every five minutes during breastfeeding:
• She is gassy
• She spits up frequently
• She has Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
• She seems very fussy.
After the feeding is over, keep your baby in an erect position for about 10 to 15 minutes. This can help prevent her from spitting up, but you may need to burp longer if she does spit up or has been diagnosed with GERD.
What should you do if your baby doesn’t burp?
Some babies don’t swallow much air, so they simply are not frequent burpers. Other babies pass gas enough that they do not need to burp with the same frequency as a typical infant.
If your baby isn't a big burper, and doesn’t seem to be unusually bothered by gas pains, then it is nothing to be concerned about.
How Long Should You Burp Your Baby?
There is no particular length of time needed for burping your baby.
The more crucial factor is how often you burp her. Keeping that in mind, burp your baby frequently throughout feeds, even when it looks like she doesn’t need to be burped.
Waiting until after feeding to burp your baby may mean your baby has swallowed too much air and may become fussier, so it is better to stop feeding so frequently and try to burp your baby. You could also try paced bottle feeding, as this slows down the flow of breast milk or formula from the bottle, which could help prevent gas.
Other Cases When Burping Your Baby Might Be Beneficial
If your baby wakes up all of a sudden from sleep and you suspect it may be because of gas, burping her might help relieve the pressure and help her fall back asleep promptly.
A colicky baby, who may cry for three or more hours per day, might have gas from all the air she has swallowed during one of these crying spells. You can try burping her to see if it helps comfort her.
Dr. Favvy
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What kind of position have you used in burping your baby?
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Disclaimer
The
information on this blog is just for educational purposes only.
It
should not be used as a replacement for the medical care and advise of your
child’s pediatrician.
Always
consult your pharmacist before giving your child any drug.
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