An essential part of your baby’s feeding routine is burping. Your baby may swallow a lot of air while feeding, and burping can help remove some of that gas and ease his discomfort and also help prevent him from spitting up. Find out how to burp a newborn and take some tips to make burps more effective.
Burping a Baby: Positions to Try
Here are three proven burping techniques. After trying each technique, you’ll likely choose the one that works best for you and your baby:
1. Hold your baby upright on your chest with his chin resting on your shoulder and supporting him with one hand while you gently pat his back with the other hand.
2. Place your baby on your lap while he is sitting, supporting his head and chest with one hand while gently patting his back with your other hand.
3. Lay your baby on your lap with his belly facing down, with his head always supported above his chest, and pat his back.
Baby burp tips
Try these tips the next time you need to burp your baby:
1. Pat repeatedly and gently on the back. 2. Hold your hands while patting your baby’s back, as this is gentler than using the flat palm of your hand. 3. Place a towel or bib on your lap or shoulder to protect your clothes while your baby is burping, in case your baby is spitting up (sometimes called a “wet burp”)
Now that you know how to burp your baby, these tips will help you do it effectively
How long should you burp your child?
There is no set time limit for your baby to burp. The most important factor is how often you burp him. With this in mind, burp your baby frequently throughout the feeding period, even when it seems that he doesn’t need to burp.
Waiting until after a feeding for your baby to burp may mean that your baby has swallowed a lot of air and may be upset, so it is best to stop feeding now and then and try to burp your baby.
Here are some tips for burping your baby while feeding:
• If you’re bottle-feeding your baby (which can include formula or expressed breast milk), you’ll want to burp after every 2-3 ounces of milk.
• If you’re breastfeeding, burp your baby every time he moves to your other breast. Some breastfed babies may not need to burp as often, as they may not swallow as much air.
• If your baby does not burp after some time, go back to feeding. Not every baby burps every time you want them to burp. If your baby shows any of the following signs, you may want to burp him more regularly – for example, after every ounce of milk during bottle feeding or every five minutes while breastfeeding:
• Bloating and gas
- He spits a lot
- He seems picky
After feeding, keep your baby in an upright position for 10 to 15 minutes. This can help prevent him from spitting up. You may need to burp him longer if he spits up or has been diagnosed with gastroesophageal reflux disease.
Other situations when burping your baby is helpful
If your sleeping baby suddenly wakes up and you suspect it might be gas, burping him may help relieve stress and help him fall asleep again.
A colicky baby, who may cry for three or more hours a day, may have gas and bloating from all the air he swallowed during one of these crying spells. You can think about burping him to see if that calms him down.
We hope these tips will help you burp your baby to ensure greater comfort.
Don’t forget to stock up on plenty of nappies, which you will definitely need after every feeding and burping.