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.
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.
Babies have been known to fuss and cry, especially during the first three months of life. The range for what's considered typical crying is difficult to pin down. In general, colic is defined as crying for three or more hours a day, three or more days a week, for three or more weeks.
Signs of a Gassy Baby
If you suspect that your fussy baby is genuinely uncomfortable, and they keep squirming and pulling up their legs, they might have some gas that refuses to pass.
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.
If your baby has gas, try rotating his legs like he's on a bicycle, try infant gas drops, massage Opens a new window his tummy and offer your baby extra tummy time. If you've just fed your baby and he seems uncomfortable, try burping him again to relieve gas pain.
Use Soothing Movement
Gently rocking an infant or putting them in an infant swing, once they are at least three weeks old and can hold their head up, may help them pass gas. The motion also soothes them and may help them stop crying, reducing the amount of air they swallow.
The gas escapes while they rest. Babies should always sleep on their backs, even if they're gassy. Do not try to relieve your baby's gas by putting them to bed stomach down. You can, however, try burping them while they're laying stomach down across your lap or give them some supervised tummy time to move the gas.
“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. Infant massage. Simply rubbing your child's belly may be helpful, since massage can help calm the nerve signals in baby's immature intestines.
Some babies are calmed by a swing. Gently rub your baby's back. Change your baby's position: Sit them up if they have been lying down, or hold them face-out if they have been facing your chest. Hold your baby near low, rhythmic noises, like the sound of the washing machine or a recording of a heartbeat.
Who Gets Colic? Colic most often starts when a baby is about 2–5 weeks old and gets better by the time the baby is 3–4 months old. Any baby can have colic.
Colic episodes are more intense, louder, and higher pitched than "normal" crying. Infants with colic may sound as if they are in pain or are screaming.
Parents of infants with colic correlated crying to stomach aches and a disturbed gut function [2,16]. In a qualitative study they remarked that their infants had bowel movements more than ten times/day or hardly at all and that the stools were green, explosive and foul-smelling [2].
With a baby that vomits or spits up a lot, it's relatively easy to understand that the baby may have reflux, where as a baby that might just have excessive bouts of crying but is rarely sick and still gains weight would often be deemed to just have 'colic'.
Takeaway. Gassiness is a common issue in babies. It often occurs at night and can bring significant discomfort. It may mean your baby doesn't settle easily or will be woken up during sleep.
Gassiness is often worse at night. This is due, on the most part, to baby's immature digestive system and has nothing to do with what mom does or eats.
While the best sleep position for a gassy baby is still on their back, sometimes, gas pains make it harder for your little one to sleep. If this is the case, you may find that swaddling your baby before bedtime will keep them warm and comfortable during the night, as well as reduce any discomfort.
Can Infacol cause drowsiness or sedation? No, Infacol is not absorbed into the bloodstream and has no effects on the central nervous system.
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.
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.
Gently massage your baby, pump their legs back and forth (like riding a bike) while they are on their back, or give their tummy time (watch them while they lie on their stomach). A warm bath can also help them get rid of extra gas.
The warmth may help relax the stomach muscles, reducing pressure and releasing air bubbles. Just be sure to test the temperature and make sure it's not too hot.
On a bed, sofa, or the floor, lie on your side. Gently draw both knees toward your chest. If you don't get relief after several minutes, try slowly moving your legs down and up a few times. Try using your hands to pull your knees closer to your chest, if you can do this comfortably or without causing more pain.