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.
How can I tell if my baby has gas?
It's common for babies, especially newborns, to experience gas when breastfeeding. Gas is a normal part of the gastrointestinal (GI) system, and we all have gases in us from time to time. For breastfed babies, gas might be caused by eating too fast, swallowing too much air or digesting certain foods.
The "Colic 333 Rule" is a common guideline for identifying colic in a healthy, well-fed baby: crying for more than 3 hours a day, for more than 3 days a week, for more than 3 weeks. While it's a helpful way to recognize persistent, intense crying spells, it's not a strict diagnosis, and you don't need to wait three weeks to seek help if you're concerned. Colic usually peaks around 6 weeks and lessens by 3-4 months, but it's important to rule out other issues with a doctor.
Gentle touches like rubbing your baby's back while they're on their tummy or swaddling them can provide much-needed comfort. Top tip: the natural soothing effect of a pacifier, such as the Philips Avent Ultra Air Pacifier can help tackle discomfort caused by 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. Gas can have distinctive symptoms, too, such as a swollen-looking belly.
Overfeeding signs are more obvious and severe and include:
The "4-4-4 rule" for breast milk is a simple storage guideline: fresh milk is good for 4 hours at room temperature (up to 77°F/25°C), for 4 days in the refrigerator (39°F/4°C or colder), and up to 4-6 months (or longer) in a standard freezer (0°F/-18°C). It's a handy mnemonic, though some organizations like the CDC recommend up to 6 months in the freezer and the AAP up to 9 months, with deeper freezers offering even longer storage.
The hardest week with a newborn is often considered the first six weeks, especially weeks 2-3, due to extreme sleep deprivation, constant feeding demands, learning baby's cues, postpartum recovery, and a peak in inconsolable crying (the "witching hour"), making parents feel overwhelmed as they adjust to a new, exhausting routine. While the first week is tough, the challenges often intensify as the baby becomes more alert but still fussy, with major developmental hurdles like cluster feeding and increased fussiness peaking around 6-8 weeks.
The 7 key danger signs for newborns, often highlighted by organizations like the WHO, are not feeding well, convulsions, fast breathing, severe chest indrawing, lethargy/unconsciousness (movement only when stimulated), high or low temperature, and jaundice (yellow skin/soles) or signs of local infection like an infected umbilical stump, requiring immediate medical attention.
Colicky crying is louder, more high-pitched, and more urgent sounding than regular crying. Colicky babies can be very hard to calm down.
Signs of a gassy baby:
Crying follows feeding or occurs in short spurts. Discomfort improves after passing gas or burping. Baby is consolable with cuddling or movement.
Symptoms associated with gas or gas pains include:
The discomfort from gas will pass. Gas discomfort from burps and farts typically peaks at six weeks and improves immensely by 3 months of age. At that point, even the fussiest babies tend to settle.
No, absolutely not. You cannot cuddle your baby too much. But new parents ask me that all the time because they think that too much cuddles could spoil their baby. Science tells us that cuddles strengthen that bond between parent and baby.
When fed too much, a baby may also swallow air. This can produce gas, increase discomfort in the belly, and lead to crying. An overfed baby also may spit up more than usual and have loose stools. Although crying from discomfort is not colic, it can make crying more frequent and more intense in an already colicky baby.
Breastfeed whenever your baby seems hungry, not according to the clock. As a guide, young babies usually feed between 8–12 times each day (every 2–4 hours). Initially feeds can take up to an hour, but both the number and length of feeds reduce as your baby grows and the milk volume at each feed increases.
The "Colic 333 Rule" is a common guideline for identifying colic in a healthy, well-fed baby: crying for more than 3 hours a day, for more than 3 days a week, for more than 3 weeks. While it's a helpful way to recognize persistent, intense crying spells, it's not a strict diagnosis, and you don't need to wait three weeks to seek help if you're concerned. Colic usually peaks around 6 weeks and lessens by 3-4 months, but it's important to rule out other issues with a doctor.
Gas pains in babies may start soon after birth or within a few weeks. The most typical culprits of infant gas pains are a still-developing digestive system and swallowing air while feeding. This gassiness and discomfort caused by trapped air bubbles in the stomach and intestines usually peaks at six weeks.
Reflux. Reflux and colic are closely related and are often confused. Reflux can also be caused by oversupply and both are more often a problem when a baby is given large feeds with long gaps in between. A baby who has reflux often spits up milk and cries more when he is lying down or is in a car seat.
You can help get rid of unwanted gas by simply laying your baby flat on their back and moving their legs in a bicycling motion. It's works as a form of baby massage for gas. Better yet—give them some supervised tummy time.
Yes, newborns can sleep with pacifiers. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies use pacifiers at nap time and night to reduce their risk of SIDS.
Does swaddling help with gas? It can! Research shows that swaddling (when done correctly) can reduce excessive crying, soothe pain, and improve sleep. This means a swaddled baby is less likely to take in air from crying, which means less gas.