Five Tips to Help a Gassy Baby
Many people are surprised the first time they hear their baby pass gas. “Was that really the baby!” Infants pass gas very often; this is because babies are on liquid diets, eat extremely frequently, their guts are immature, and are adjusting to the food they are drinking. While baby gas is typical, and babies are generally happy with day-to-day gas, the real problems arise when gas won’t pass and becomes stuck in the intestinal tract. Today, we are here to offer you five tips to help a gassy baby!
Common signs of a gassy baby
A gassy baby is typically noticeably uncomfortable and fussy; here are a few signs that your baby may have gas.
- Arching their back more than usual
- Hard to the touch or bloated looking stomach
- crying more than normal
- clenched fists
- red in the face
- pulling legs up to their tummy
Now that we know some of the common signs of a gassy baby, let’s talk about some helpful tips for soothing baby gas.
1) Burp and then burp some more
Babies swallow additional air during each feeding; if this air is not relieved through burping, it can make your baby fussy, the bellies upset, and the gas can get stuck in their stomachs. There are many different methods to burping your baby, and our recommendation is to burp your baby until you get one good burp or for ten minutes.
2) Try the “I love you” tummy massage
The I love you baby belly massage method can be a great help in getting babies’ bowels to move, as it massages your baby’s intestines. For in-depth details on how to give your baby the “I love you massage,” click here.
3) Warmth on their stomach
If your baby is in visible pain from gas, you can try putting something warm on their stomach. Our favorite trick for this is a clean sock filled with rice. What you do is fill up a clean sock with rice, tie the end, and then stick the sock in the microwave for ten to fifteen seconds. When you take the sock out, make sure to stick it on your wrist to ensure it isn’t hot. Then you can place the warm sock directly on your baby’s belly. The warmth can help to relieve some of the gas pains and help to get things moving.
4) Baby bicycles
This method can be beneficial to relieve baby gas! To do this, lay your baby on their back and gently press one knee towards their chest at a time, like if you were riding a bike.
5) Gas drops or gripe water
Two common over-the-counter treatments are often given to gassy babies: gas drops and gripe water. Gas drops work by breaking up the gas bubbles in the stomach, which can make it easier for your little one to pass gas. The main ingredient in gas drops is simethicone. Another standard over-the-counter treatment for baby gas is gripe water. Gripe water is considered alternative medicine. It is made of various herbs and is thought to help soothe and calm the intestinal tract. While both gas drops and gripe water can effectively ease baby gas, we recommend consulting with your pediatrician before administering either to your baby.
Every baby is different
Each baby is different, and every gas relieving method won’t work with all babies. Baby gas can be frustrating, and seeing our tiny humans in pain can be tricky, but it does pass! We hope that our five tips to relieve baby gas are helpful to you, and as always we would love to hear any tips and tricks that have worked for you. Thank you for reading this week’s blog, “Five tips to relieve baby gas” For more helpful tips on all things pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and parenthood, tune into our weekly blog.
