If you notice that each time you eat something your baby becomes fussy, try avoiding the food for a while and see what happens. Many mothers have reported foods such as kale, spinach, beans, onions, garlic, peppers or spicy foods cause infant gas, while many babies tolerate these foods just fine.
Sometimes it's due to gas, or the the type of formula, bottle, or nipple used, or something else entirely. Put a warm towel or warm water bottle on your baby's belly, checking first to make sure it's not too hot. Hold your baby upright. Put your baby in a swing — the motion may have a soothing effect.
Infants are usually gassy because they have immature digestive systems and swallow air during feedings. Some babies may have sensitivities that could be affected by a breastfeeding mom's diet or a certain type of formula.
You can use any type of clean water — tap or bottled — to prepare liquid-concentrate or powdered formula. If you use well water or you're concerned about the purity of your water supply, talk to your baby's doctor or the water department.
What to Do
- Apply gentle pressure to your baby's belly.
- Burp your baby during and after a feeding.
- Feed your baby at an angle.
- Try infant massage on your baby's tummy to relieve gas pressure.
- Check in with a lactation consultant.
- Keep a food journal.
- Wait it out!
- Use gas drops like simethicone.
Preparing the EquipmentWash your hands with soap and water before cleaning bottles, making formula, and feeding your baby. Distilled or purified water can be used without boiling first. All other water should be boiled first, including all other bottled water and all tap water.
Baby's body must use energy to heat the cold liquid as it digests. Some parents report that drinking a cold bottle causes their baby to have a stomachache.
- Best Overall: Comotomo Natural-Feel Baby Bottle.
- Best Budget: Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Fiesta Bottle.
- Best for Combo Feeding: Philips Avent Natural 4 Ounce Bottle.
- Best for Easy Latching: Munchkin LATCH BPA-free Bottle.
- Best Glass: Dr.
- Best for Pumping: Medela Breast Milk Bottle Set.
Tommee Tippee is a great go-to option for babies suffering from gas and/or colic. Many parents swear by the Tommee Tippee bottles with their internal ventilation system that draws air away from the milk so baby doesn't drink it. It's even been proven to reduce colic symptoms by up to 80%.
A good rule of thumb is to make sure your bottle of choice is BPA-free. Bottle shapes are generally standard (tall and straight), angled (bent at the neck), and wide (designed to hold wide, short nipples that mimic a breast). Bottles come in small (4 oz) or large (8 oz).
Bottles. It's a good idea to keep five to ten bottles on hand at all times so you've always got a clean one ready. Buy four-ounce bottles for a newborn, then transition to eight- or nine-ounce bottles when your little one's appetite grows (and it will) at around four months.
The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests saying bye-bye to the bottle before your baby is 18 months old.
Anti-colic bottles and anti-colic teats are designed to reduce the amount of air your baby takes in while feeding, which is thought to be a possible cause of colic. If your baby is unsettled after feeds and suffers with wind, it may be worth investing in one of these systems.
Breast milk is made from mother's food intake and some babies, especially reflux or windy babies who are gut sensitive, can be in discomfort from drinking wind forming breast milk. The wrong size and shape teat can make reflux much worse.
The Baby that Doesn't Burp (Much)With a bottle like Dr. Brown's® Options+™, baby will burp less because they're not taking in nearly as much air as other bottles. As long as baby is gaining weight appropriately and doesn't seem uncomfortable, burping isn't always necessary.
Even if your baby falls asleep, try burping them for a few minutes before placing them back down to sleep. Otherwise, they make wake up in pain with trapped gas. Not all babies burp, though, no matter if it's on their own or with your help.
While older children (and new parents) can snooze peacefully for hours, young babies squirm around and actually wake up a lot. That's because around half of their sleep time is spent in REM (rapid eye movement) mode — that light, active sleep during which babies move, dream and maybe wake with a whimper.
Some of the signs that your baby is allergic to the type of formula you're feeding him or her are:
- Excessive crying or fussiness after a feeding.
- Extra gas.
- Very loose, watery stools. However, if you are concerned about your baby's stool habits, the color, or consistency, changing formulas is not necessarily the answer.
A bloated stomach may look slightly larger than normal and feel hard to the touch. Another sign of lactose intolerance is symptoms starting shortly after feedings — within 30 minutes to 2 hours of consuming breast milk, milk-based formula, or solid foods containing dairy.
