What's the best position to burp my baby? Support your baby's head and neck, make sure their tummy and back is nice and straight (not curled up), and rub or pat their back gently. You don't need to spend ages burping your baby, a couple of minutes should be enough.
Give her a gentle pat or rub on the left side of her back, which is where your little one's stomach is located. This may get the burp up for most babies, but some need a slightly firmer hand.
The theory behind the practice is that while nursing, babies inhale air that needs to be expelled after feeding. Patting their backs causes them to bring up that air, and well, burp.
Finally, as long as the baby's head and neck is supported, you can burp them while they're on your lap, on their stomach. What you shouldn't do is hang your baby upside down, contort them into unsafe positions, or lay them in a spot where they could fall.
Some babies may be more prone to gas and discomfort if they go to sleep without being burped, while others may not have any issues. However, if a baby is already asleep and showing no signs of discomfort, it is generally safe to let them sleep without burping.
Change your baby's positions
But not only might we have better luck burping in other positions, the actual changing of positions might just do the trick. For instance, if you've been holding your baby over your shoulder, move him to a football hold. If that doesn't work, try sitting him upright.
Take heart that when sleepy babies feed, they're usually so relaxed that they're less likely to intake extra air. If you find that he isn't fussy, wiggly, or restless at wake-up time, he may not need to burp each time. In short, it's okay to put him to sleep without burping.
When burping your baby, repeated gentle patting on your baby's back should do the trick. Cup your hand while patting — this is gentler on the baby than a flat palm. To prevent messy cleanups when your baby spits up or has a "wet burp," you might want to place a towel or bib under your baby's chin or on your shoulder.
Gently patting your baby's back by applying pressure to their tummy is the most effective way to burp your baby.
Husain says that regardless of the position, gently pat your baby on the back (not on the bottom) to aid in burping. Patting your baby helps bring up that extra swallowed air so your baby doesn't feel uncomfortable and gassy.
A gentle patting motion helps push your product deeper into the skin rather than rubbing it on the surface. It makes sense to spend a couple of minutes dabbing your face with creams rather than hastily rubbing it and getting done in a couple of fleeting seconds.
Lean her forward and pat her back. You can also try rubbing her back. Sometimes just holding her up facing you with your hands around her upper chest will do the trick. If your baby doesn't burp, don't worry.
If the baby does not burp after 5 minutes of trying, gently lie them down on their back, either in their crib or on another safe surface, such as a playpen. After a few minutes, carefully pick the baby up and try burping them again. Sometimes, lying down helps move the air bubbles around, making them easier to release.
New parents may worry that their newborn will have stomach problems if she doesn't burp after feeding. But pediatrician Dr. Cindy Gellner says not to worry: the air in your baby will find a way out.
What is the difference between spitting up and vomiting? Spitting up is the easy flow of a baby's stomach contents through his or her mouth, possibly with a burp. Vomiting occurs when the flow is forceful — shooting out inches rather than dribbling from the mouth.
Bouncing or Patting Your Baby
If he won't burp, try patting him more firmly with your whole palm, as light pats may not be effective. Another option is to pat his bottom. Many parents swear this is the only way to get their babies to burp.
put your baby down as soon as they've been fed and changed. not change your baby unless they need it. not play with your baby.
Many parents ask: Do you burp a baby after a dream feed? and the answer is always yes. You want to burp a baby after a dream feed—or any feed—before putting them back down on their back.
Taking a break from feeding to burp the baby may reduce the amount of air in their stomach. This can prevent hiccups. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, it is a good idea to burp bottle-fed babies every time they consume 2 to 3 ounces.
In general, breastfed babies don't need as much burping as bottle-fed babies because they tend to swallow less air when feeding. In fact, some very efficient nursers don't need to be burped at all. But some breastfed babies definitely do need to be burped.
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.
Any burp is enough. It can be one big one, a few small ones. If none is heard within something like 10 minutes, then you can assume that it just slowly evaporated over time.