Babies can be very gassy, especially during the first months of their life. Sometimes, the baby manages to cope with the problem quickly, but most infants need help. Gasses cause severe pain and don’t let kids enjoy their life. Is there any way to relieve their symptoms? Is it possible to prevent and avoid this discomfort?
Why Do Children Suffer from Gas?
A baby’s belly becomes gassy because the air gets inside it differently. The most common ways are:
- when a baby cannot stop crying, it gets a stuffy nose and gulps too much air with the mouth
- when the flow of milk or infant formula is too fast, a baby has to breathe faster to control the process
- unprepared digestion that works quickly and doesn’t allow the stomach to process food properly
- sensitivity to infant formula or breast milk when a mother eats the wrong foods
- a pacifier effect (a baby swallows air due to the sucking process)
Consequently, most babies get too much air inside their tummies and experience discomfort in the belly area.
How to Recognize Colics in a Baby
Infants cannot speak, so they cannot say what hurts them. That is why one should be aware of the possible symptoms of bloating. Your baby is having colics if:
- he/she cries
- his/her face is red
- he/she doesn’t sleep well
- he/she holds the legs close to the belly for a long time
- he/she squirms as if feeling uncomfortable
- his/her mood is usually low
- hi/her tummy is hard
- he/she burps too often
If all symptoms match, you should do something to relieve a baby’s condition.
How Can You Relieve Your Baby’s Gas?
Experts recommend doing the following things if your baby suffers from colics.
Select the Highest Quality Baby Formula or Keep to the diet
European brands have developed many formula types to satisfy the needs of newborns. Some can eat an average formula and feel OK, while others need a special formula. For example, Organic’s Best shop deals with reputable European brands, such as HiPP, Lebenswert Bio, Holle Bio Stage 1, BebeM, and more. They offer formulas based on cow and goat milk to adjust the product to sensitive tummies. What products do parents usually choose?
- Vegan formulas for milk-intolerant babies
- Goat milk formula for babies with sensitive tummies
- Cow formula rich in vitamins and minerals
- Hypoallergenic foods for babies with cow milk intolerance
- Anti-reflux formulas for frequently burping infants
- 1-3 stage formulas for different age babies
The adequately selected formula often helps parents prevent gasses in babies or make them less painful. Breastfeeding mothers should avoid gassy products in their daily menus. They are beans, cabbage, high-fat cottage cheese and milk, peas, yeast pasty, peaches, and carbonated beverages.
After a Meal, Belching is Required
When infants eat, they swallow air together with food. Caregivers should help them relieve the excessive air in the digestive system through belching. It is necessary to hold a baby straight and gently pat the baby’s back. Some kids require in-the-meal burps. It happens when babies feel discomfort during meals and are reluctant to eat regular portions because the air has taken up too much space in their tiny stomachs. As a rule, an infant needs up to 10 minutes to relieve gas after meals.
Choose the Correct Feeding Position
Pediatricians recommend keeping a baby’s head higher than its stomach area. In addition, parents should avoid lying positions because it doesn’t let a baby control the milk flow and burp when needed.
Moreover, choosing suitable nipples and milk flow is significant. First, babies can choke if the nipple’s hole is too big. Second, too small holes make a child make more effort to get food, so it gulps more air. Third, the same happens when a mother breastfeeds wrongly (both the position of a baby’s body and mouth are improper).
Do Tummy Exercising
Experts recommend laying a baby on its tummy and gently tapping its back to relieve gasses. Besides, gentle messages of the belly area and cycling exercises work well. However, parents should not do that immediately after feeding because a baby can throw up food.
Consult a Pediatrician
Health experts show the correct technique of belly messaging, breast and formula feeding, cycling, and baby holding during meals. Then, if nothing helps, they can prescribe another formula or gas drops.
