What Foods Can Cause Gas for Breastfed Babies

Mother massaging little baby boy

Read time: 6 minutes

What should I know about gas in breastfed babies?

Know that about babies accept gas
Understand the many causes and symptoms of gas in breastfed babies
Learn tips and tricks to help preclude and relieve gas in your baby

One of the most common concerns parents have is their baby'south gas. While gas is ordinarily not harmful, the pressure level that gas bubbles create may crusade pain when it becomes trapped in your infant's stomach or intestines.¹

Gas is particularly common during the showtime 3 months of life when your little one's digestive tract is notwithstanding maturing.² Y'all may even notice information technology's worse at night.^three Nearly of the fourth dimension, gas is from swallowing too much air, only at that place may be other reasons your piffling i is gassy.

Read on to acquire how to help your baby with gas.

Mutual causes of gas discomfort in breastfed babies:

An wrong latch while nursing leads your infant to swallow too much air^three
Excessive crying fills your baby'south abdomen with air¹
Strong allow-down or crowd, causing baby to gulp chop-chop and swallow air³
Constipation^ane
Young digestive tract is still learning to process breastmilk, gas, and stool effectivelyⁱⁱ
Sensitivity or allergy to a food in mom'southward nutrition^{1, 3, 4}
Introduction to a canteen or to formula. Baby may eat air while drinking from a bottle or may demand to get used to formula's ingredients.^{3, 7}

Common symptoms of gas in breastfed babies:

Excessive burping: May indicate that your infant is swallowing as well much air from feeding or crying^ane
Spitting up (while typically completely normal): May be a sign of gas build up within the breadbasket.⁵ Trapped gas bubbling tin button some breastmilk back up.
Excessive flatulence (once again, usually completely normal and a natural way to salvage the pressure level of gas)¹
Bloating or swollen abdomen: May mean that gas is trapped in the intestines^vi
Your baby may: Weep, curvation their back, draw their legs up toward their tummy, or clench their fists.⁸
Trouble sleeping is often a symptom of besides as a result of the combined symptoms listed above – a savage cycle!

learning center article 15 How to manage gas in breastfed babies?

Not certain how to assistance your little one? Come up chat with our team of registered dietitians, young man moms, and lactation specialists, available from Monday – Friday viii am – eight pm (EST) and Saturday – Sunday 8 am – iv pm (EST). Chat at present!

What can I exercise to aid prevent gas in my breastfed baby?

Cheque and adjust babe's latch

If your little one is non latching deep enough, they may exist swallowing more than air. A painful latch or a 'clicking' audio fabricated while baby is feeding may indicate their latch needs adjusting^, ¹³ ^, ¹⁴ Shallow latches are oftentimes remedied with a new breastfeeding position along with some minor latch corrections. If you're able, get in touch with a lactation consultant who can aid with proper technique.

Note that if every position is painful even after corrections, telephone call your baby'southward wellness care provider to check for other causes, such as tongue-tie or apartment / inverted nipples.

Have questions nearly your piffling one's latch? Chat live with our Happy Baby Experts for free breastfeeding back up. Chat now!

Help baby bargain with your stiff let-down (milk ejection reflex)

If you find your breastmilk sprays out forcefully during the first few minutes of a feeding, causing babe to cough, clamp down, or pop off the breast, you lot may have a strong let downward or oversupply.²⁵ Trying to beverage milk then fast often causes infant to also accept in quite a bit of air.

Hither are some tips to help your little one handle your overactive let-down:

Hand express before latching baby. Start the menses of milk by massaging the breast and catch the spray in a burp cloth until the flow slows to a drip; then latch your little one.^{nine, 3}
Attempt laid-back breastfeeding. This position has you reclining on your back (flat or at an bending) while baby is abdomen-to-belly with you lot. While you are on your back and infant's caput is above the breast, gravity helps to slow the menstruum of milk.^ane ⁰

For many moms, having a strong let-down is normal during the offset few weeks when breastmilk supply increases dramatically and is regulated by hormones.¹ ^ane Once the body understands how much milk your baby needs, breastmilk production regulates in response to supply and demand. This often happens around 4 weeks postpartum and many women observe their let-downs are no longer as forceful.¹²

Is baby's gas caused by food?

While it's rare for mom's diet to exist the cause of babe gas, it does happen occasionally.^xx If y'all suspect that your babe may be sensitive to something in your diet, keep a food log. Runway your meals and beverages for several days along with the gas symptoms your infant is exhibiting. Check to see if any patterns or links emerge.

Since it's fairly uncommon for your infant to react to something you are eating, effort not to get overboard finding a dietary cause.²⁰ You and your little one both need a total range of nutrients to support good health and development. Taking likewise many things out of your diet may have other potentially negative health furnishings.²¹ Additionally, the hardship of following such a strict eating pattern has been linked with women stopping their breastfeeding journey early on.²¹

Learn more than: Is your baby reacting to something in your milk?

Employ paced bottle feeding if introducing a bottle

Sometimes a nipple size that is as well big or a bottle latch that is besides shallow can make your baby swallow more air. Paced bottle feeding helps your trivial one regulate the flow of milk similar to how they would while breastfeed.

Use a newborn or stage i nipple to ensure the menstruation of milk is non also fast.

Learn how to utilize Paced Canteen Feeding

Ask our Happy Baby Experts about canteen feeding if you have more questions! Conversation at present

What can I practise to assist alleviate gas in my breastfed babe?

Apply gentle pressure to your baby'due south belly

Tummy Time: This position tin can put gentle pressure on your baby'due south belly, helping to provide gas relief. Look at least xxx minutes later on a feeding to allow your fiddling i's belly to settle before starting breadbasket time.^seven

Or endeavor a more advanced move – utilize both easily and a lot of guided support to lay your baby breadbasket down on a large beach or exercise ball and gently gyre her on the ball in a circular motion.

Forearm Hold: As well called the football concur, magic hold, and the colic deport. Try carrying your baby face downwards with her torso resting on your forearm, the front of her diaper expanse in your hand and her chin cradled in your elbow.⁹ Make sure to tilt infant's head to the side to avert blocking their nose or mouth. Carrying your piddling one in this face-down position will place the aforementioned gentle force per unit area on their belly that is accomplished during tummy time.

Burp your infant during and after a feeding

Take a break betwixt sides or fifty-fifty during a feed to get a burp or 2 out.⁸

You may choose to burp your infant while they are in a seated position, with their caput supported by the cradle of your hand.¹ ⁷You tin can likewise burp your baby in the typical position: upright and over your shoulder.⁸

Be patient while burping because information technology may take some fourth dimension for the gas bubbles to surface. You can ever try laying babe downwards for a moment or two to permit the bubbling re-settle and and so lifting babe up and trying again. If your little 1 doesn't burp subsequently a few minutes, it's ok to move on.

Try infant massage on your infant'south tummy for gas relief

While your baby is laying on their back, gently rub their tummy in a clockwise motility so pull your hands down the curve of the abdomen. Massaging in a clockwise direction helps to move gas along as that is the route the abdominal tract follows.^one ⁹ Echo several times to help motility trapped gas.

Read more than: Baby massage benefits and techniques

Bicycle your infant's legs

Bicycling your babe's legs in a circular motion can assistance to move the intestines and release gas trapped.⁷ With your infant lying on their back, take their legs in your hands and bike them slowly back and forth as if they were riding on a bike. Take a break every now and then to press both of babe's knees gently into their own stomach for some extra force per unit area.

Read more than: How Do I help My Breastfed Baby with Diarrhea and Constipation?

Do gas drops like simethicone piece of work?

Simethicone breaks down bubbles of gas trapped in the stomach and intestines. It is not absorbed by the trunk and therefore considered to be prophylactic for babies (but still cheque with your baby's doctor before starting any kind of medicine or supplement for gas).⁷

In clinical trials, simethicone drops accept non been found to be very effective, only many companies offer coin back should yous desire to give these drops a shot with your footling one.^vii, ²² ^, ²⁴

Wait information technology out!

For most babies, the number one about constructive treatment for gas is fourth dimension. Call back that babies are likely to be gassy no matter what because their digestive organization is nonetheless young. If y'all cannot discover an apparent cause for your baby's gassiness, they probably just need a picayune more fourth dimension to mature.

Let's Chat!

We know parenting often means sleepless nights, stressful days, and endless questions and confusion, and we desire to back up y'all in your feeding journeying and beyond.

Our Happy Infant Experts are a team of lactation consultants and registered dietitians certified in infant and maternal diet – and they're all moms, also, which means they've been there and seen that. They're here to help on our gratuitous, live chat platform Monday -Friday 8am-8pm (EST), and Saturday – Dominicus 8am-4pm (EST). Chat Now!

Read more about the experts that help write our content.

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