Swallowing air and removing gases:
Your baby may swallow air while feeding. If you do not help him, these gases can cause him discomfort and irritation as well as make him cry. That's why it's important to help him relieve the gas he's built up.
Children need to remove gases correctly. If they do not, they can cause discomfort and irritation, as well as parental anxiety. That is why in this article we tell you how you can help your little one to have a proper gas evacuation.
Babies and gases:
It is very common that the baby, during the first months of his life, does not know how to fully control the sucking technique. As a result, he may also swallow air when feeding, especially from a bottle.
So the buildup of gas in her little stomach can cause discomfort and some anxiety. In fact, he will feel uncomfortable and angry, and then most likely he will end up crying.
Types of gases:
There are two types of gas that little ones can accumulate.
Stomach gases:
The most common cause is the air that the baby swallows while feeding, as mentioned earlier.
Intestinal gases:
In this case it is gas caused by poor digestion or food intolerance. In these cases, after consultation with the pediatrician, a change of formula may be recommended.
How can you help a child to deflate gas?
It is essential, while breastfeeding or bottle feeding, that we hold the baby in the correct position. In this way, he will be able to suck in air better and swallow less air.
- The areola and nipple should form a pacifier in the baby's mouth. On the other hand, if he's only sucking on the nipple, he'll likely be swallowing air while you're feeding him, too.
- The baby's gums should not press on the nipple. This way, he will not have milk and will only swallow air.
Allow him to burp:
Burping is the most effective way to help your baby pass gas properly. However, there are some situations that will help get rid of it better.
Among them, the most famous are:
- Place the baby on his chest with his head on your shoulder.
- Sit him on your lap with his back to you and place your hand on his chest and your fingers on his chin.
- Place the baby face down on one arm. With its own weight, the stomach presses on the arm, making it easier to expel gases. However, remember that the baby's head should be slightly higher than the rest of the body.
- When the baby is in the correct position for burping, his back should be massaged or gently patted.
In fact, we must help the baby to expel gas in this way for 5 to 10 minutes. However, do not worry if you still cannot hear the characteristic belching sound, as it is not always audible and may go unnoticed. So, after 10 minutes, we can put the little one to bed without any problem.
When should a baby burp?
It is necessary to help the child get rid of gas. However, you may be wondering when. Normally, we need to burp the baby after breastfeeding. However, in some cases it may be necessary to cut off the power supply to expel and continue the gases:
- If the baby is restless while breastfeeding, he may swallow air. That's why we can stop every five or ten minutes to get him to blow his gas and then continue.
- We can also help her get rid of gas when moving from one breast to another.
- In the case of bottle feeding, if the baby seems upset, we can stop every 60 milliliters to help him expel the gas, and then continue to feed him.
Choosing the right pacifiers:
If your baby is bottle-fed, it is imperative that you take care of the condition of the nipple. In fact, it may not be appropriate for the child's age, and if it is larger, it can cause him to swallow air.
Therefore, it is best to choose pacifiers suitable for your child's age to ensure that no air enters them. On the other hand, there are special pacifiers that avoid this problem, and thus reduce the amount of air that comes out of the baby's limb during feeding.
Is the baby still burping?
Sometimes we may tend to think that the baby always swallows air when he eats. That's why we think we should make it happen no matter what. However, this is not necessarily the case. Especially in the case of breastfeeding, if the sucking method and position are correct, the baby may not swallow air.
In this sense, if we obsess about burping when we don't need to, we may be holding it back. It is best to try to help him for at least 5-10 minutes by massaging his back or gently patting him, and then simply letting him rest.
