When a baby has gas, tiny bubbles develop in their stomach or intestines, sometimes causing pressure and stomach pain. Many gassy babies are not bothered by gas, but some become restless and cannot sleep until they have passed their gas. Others cry for hours.
Signs of a gassy baby include spitting up, crying, drawing legs up, and a reduced appetite. Usually, gas will pass; talk to your child's healthcare provider if the symptoms don't go away. Some babies have food allergies or sensitivities, lactose intolerance, or eat too quickly.
Some positioning tips: Feed your baby as upright as possible; lay your child on their back and pedal their legs with your hands to help expel gas from below; if your child is awake after a feeding, place them on their belly. Increase tummy time.
You can tell if your baby's gassy if he's particularly fussy, crying a lot or very unhappy, especially if you've ruled out other causes like hunger and tiredness. Your baby may sound like he's in pain and squirm in discomfort. This can be normal, but talk to your pediatrician if you have concerns.
Gas pains can be very distressing to both parents and babies. If you notice your little one is extra cranky, squirmy, or pulling their legs up to their chest in discomfort, these are all telltale signs that they probably need to pass gas…and they'll feel so much better when they do.
When a baby has trouble sleeping due to gassiness, it may be tempting to place them on their side or stomach to see if that helps their digestion. However, to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), the best sleeping position for a gassy baby—and every baby—is on their back.
Also, babies with colic may burp frequently or pass a significant amount of gas, but this is thought to be due to swallowing air while crying, and is not a cause of colic. The face may be flushed. The abdomen may be tense with legs drawn toward it. The hands may be clenched.
What position should I lie in to relieve gas? Your side. Lying on your side with your knees bent can help to relieve trapped gas. If you don't feel relief after a few minutes, pull your knees closer to your chest or try alternating between straight legs and bent knees.
Using a pacifier.
“Almost all babies will find some baby gas relief by sucking on a pacifier,” O'Connor says, because the sucking action releases endorphins that will soothe them.
Babies usually experience gas troubles almost right away, even after only a few weeks of life. Most infants grow out of it by around four to six months of age—but sometimes, it can last longer. Most infant gas is simply caused by swallowing air while feeding.
So, can pacifiers cause gas? While pacifiers are not the major culprits of producing gas, they are one of the minor causes. “Babies can swallow air during feeding, when using a pacifier and while crying,” Natasha Burgert, M.D., wrote in Forbes.
At nighttime, there's less movement and the gas can build up and get trapped. Additionally, babies tend to feed close to bedtime, and air introduced during this feed can become trapped. Also, our digestive systems are still very active at night and the results of digestion can be… gas!
In healthy babies, gas is caused by the air and should not be a source of distress or pain. But babies have immature digestive systems, which means the food does not move smoothly from time to time, and the result can be a bit of uncomfortable gas.
Gas is particularly common during the first 3 months of life when your little one's digestive tract is still maturing. You may even notice it's worse at night. 3 Most of the time, gas is from swallowing too much air, but there may be other reasons your little one is gassy.
While trapped gas may cause discomfort, it usually passes on its own after a few hours. Some people may be able to relieve pain due to trapped gas using natural remedies, certain body positions, or OTC medications. Avoiding known trigger foods or drinks can help prevent trapped gas from occurring.
Colic is often defined by the “rule of three”: crying for more than three hours per day, for more than three days per week, and for longer than three weeks in an infant who is well-fed and otherwise healthy.
Just as crying is a fact of baby life, so, too, is baby gas. But when your infant has painful gas, especially if it's frequent, it can cause your baby to cry or become fussy—until it's passed; unlike colic, which causes crying and fussiness that lasts for hours across days and weeks.
The best way to get a gassy baby to sleep is by helping them release their gas. If one burping position doesn't work, try another position. If none of those options work, laying your baby on their back and bicycle their legs– they may cry and wiggle, but even that may help move the gas free.
Tummy time.
Placing a baby on their stomach while awake helps to relieve gas pains. By gently increasing the abdominal pressure, tummy time pushes gas bubbles up and out. Tummy time is also a great way to strengthen the head and neck muscles needed to reach early motor milestones.