Ask Dr Sears
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
MENUMENU
  • Pregnancy & Childbirth
  • Feeding & Eating
  • Parenting & Behavior
  • Health Concerns
  • Brain Health
  • A to Z Topics
  • Blog
  • About Us
  • Wellness Institute
  • Home
  • Topics
  • Health Concerns
  • Fussy Baby
  • Gassy Baby

Gassy Baby

gassy-baby

Comfort Your Gassy Baby

Swallowing air and passing gas is common in infancy. However, 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.

How to Relieve a Baby with Intestinal Gas

Follow these tips to help with a gassy baby:

  • If breastfeeding, be sure baby’s lips form a good seal far back on the areola.
  • If bottle feeding, 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 to relieve a gassy baby:
    • Abdominal massage
    • Baby bends. Lie baby on his/her back, bend knees and legs toward abdomen applying gentle pressure on tummy.
    • Simethicone drops
    • Tummy rolls (see coping with colic)
    • Warm baths
    • Infant probiotics may be helpful with gassy and/or colicky infants.

For more information on how to relieve a gassy baby, visit our website.

Related Articles

  • How to Soothe a Fussy Baby
  • Baby Calmers
  • Cup Feeding
September 14, 2020 September 14, 2020 Dr. Bill Sears
The Health Brain Book
Become a Dr. Sears Certified Health Coach
regular girl prebiotic fiber and probiotic blend for healthy natural balance

Vital Choice

Dr Poo Sunfiber Prebiotic

About Ask Dr. Sears

AskDrSears.com is intended to help parents become better informed consumers of health care. The information presented in this site gives general advice on parenting and health care. Always consult your doctor for your individual needs.

Recent Articles

  • Gently Weaning Your Toddler or Preschooler
    Gently Weaning Your Toddler or PreschoolerAugust 5, 20230
  • Can You Help Your Kids Grow Taller? – 5-Step Action Plan
    Can You Help Your Kids Grow Taller? – 5-Step Action PlanDecember 27, 20220
  • Dr. Jim on Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)
    Dr. Jim on Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)November 8, 20220


Resources

  • Sears Parenting Library
  • Dr. Sears Family Newsletter
  • Dr. Sears Wellness Institute
  • Prime-Time Health

Connect

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

  • support@askdrsears.com
  • Contact Ask Dr Sears
  • About Ask Dr Sears
  • About Dr. William Sears
  • Dr. Sears Wellness Institute
  • Media Relations Information


© 2020 AskDrSears.com All Rights Reserved.