Comforting the Gassy Baby

Swallowing air and passing gas is a normal part of growing up. But excessive intestinal gas can make a young baby miserable. A mother of one of my gassy little patients describes these bloated episodes: "When my daughter is trying to pass gas, it is like a mother going through a difficult labor." Try these ways of getting the air out.

Letting Less Air InGetting More Air Out

• If breastfeeding, be sure baby's lips form a good seal far back on the areola.
• If bottlefeeding, be sure baby's lips are positioned on the wide base of the nipple, not just on the tip.
• Tilt the bottle at a thirty-to-forty-degree angle while feeding so that air rises to the bottom of the bottle; or try collapsible formula bags.
• Eliminate fuss foods from your diet if breastfeeding (see elimination diet.
• Feed baby smaller volumes more frequently
• Keep baby upright (at about a forty-five-degree angle) during and for a half-hour after a feeding.
• Avoid prolonged sucking on pacifiers or empty bottle nipples.
• Respond promptly to a baby's cries. First and foremost, be sure to burp baby during and after feedings. You can also try the following techniques and remedies (see Comforting Colic, for more about these):
• abdominal massage
• baby bends
• simethicone drops
• glycerin suppositories
• tummy rolls

  See also Coping with Colic.