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Your baby, just like every other baby, swallows some air when they drink milk. This air collects in the stomach, causing your baby to feel uncomfortably full even before he has finished feeding. Some other things that can cause excessive air build up in the baby’s stomach are:
- excessive crying
- sucking too rapidly during feeding
- sucking in air when the bottle is empty
- sucking air when milk does not fill the teat completely during feeding
This can cause a lot of uneasiness in your little one, and of course, you as a parent will do anything to diminish that. This is why burping is important after feeding.
How do I burp my baby right?
There are no fancy techniques to burping, these simple methods are guaranteed to help:
- Hold your child upright with their head resting on your shoulder
- Place your baby in a sitting position on your lap
- Gently tap their back, or rock them gently up and down.
- To avoid any discomfort to your baby, burp him during a feed and at the end of the feed. If he cries excessively, try to burp him before the feed so that he will be able to take his feed well.
Things to keep in mind:
- If your baby hasn’t been burped, or if there is excessive gas in their bellies, it is common for newborns to regurgitate (throw out pre-digested milk) tiny amounts of their feeds. This happens when a baby who is hungry has taken in too much air. Burping will help to release the air from his stomach. This is no cause for concern; it tends to happen within the first year of your little one being born.
- When it comes to the breast fed vs bottle fed debate, generally, a breastfed baby swallows less air than a bottle-fed baby. This is because the baby's mouth tends to latch onto the mother's nipple fully. This way the baby gets a constant flow of milk, and they can suck at their own pace until they are satisfied. For a bottle feed, make sure you hold the bottle at the correct angle to your baby’s mouth. This will ensure that the baby is sucking in liquid instead of air!
Now, it doesn’t matter if you are breastfeeding or bottle-feeding your baby, it’s important to burp them. Burping not only helps reduce the discomfort your baby feels after their feed as air is expelled from their stomach, it also enables them to be able to take in the amount of milk they require. It keeps them feeling comfortably full and satisfied!
And a comfortable baby is a happy baby that will not only play joyfully but also sleep and rest well.
