Home Remedies for Newborn Gas Relief You Need to Know
In this article we will cover some home remedies for newborn gas relief that can help put you at ease.
Is it a common thing for your baby to be gassy? Yes it is! Your newborn can pass gas sometimes around 13 – 20 times in one day!
Baby gas pain is an issue in day time, but it can especially be a problem at night time. Here you’re trying to get sleep, but the air bubbles and gas can keep you awake. Your infant’s digestive system is at work at nighttime while they sleep for growth and also it digests all the milk.
The best thing to do at night is to prevent it by not allowing air while feeding. You can also burp the baby at the time of feeding and after it.
Many newborns often pass gas as their digestive tracts are at developing stage and still haven’t been matured and rather than worrying too much about it you can try fixing it at home as it can easily be done.
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What is Gas in Babies?
Gas in babies can be seen as an outcome of air being trapped in the stomach of your baby because of the digestion process or when the baby swallows air.
There are many occasions for babies for taking in air, for example, when they’re feeding or when they cry for long time.
Why Baby Gas Happens?
Drinking too fast from a bottle can result in gas as the baby quickly gulps down the milk.
Additionally, drinking from nipple flowing which has slow flow can result in the baby gulping additional air when feeding. You can make your baby drink formula prepared bottle with lots of air bubbles.
Not well tolerating present baby formula
Symptoms that the baby has got gas
Babies have trouble with gas beginning in early weeks and sometimes it can also be seen in toddler stage. In around 4 – 12 weeks your baby can show have lots of gaseous activity.
It is quite difficult for the parents to see the baby crying, from all the gas, but that is often the most obvious first sign.
The baby exactly can’t tell that the gas makes them uncomfortable so many other signs are there that must be looked out for:
- Bloating
- Fussiness
- Hard Tummy
- Clenched Fists
- Red Faced
- Clenched Fists
- Arching Back/ lifting legs/stretching the body
- Farting/ passing gas
If helping the baby with passing gas helps in relieving them of stomach discomfort and they’ve calmed down, then you can be sure that gas was the issue.
However, there are a lot of similarities between gas and constipation. It doesn’t get relieved through passing gas. You can know when the baby gets constipated through observing the stool. Whether they’re passing hard stool? Does your baby struggle in having bowel movement? If you notice such symptoms you can find the exact cause by visiting the pediatrician’s office.
Home Remedies for Treating Gas Issues in Babies
Gassy babies often show fussiness and discomfort and it’s not simple to settle them down. In many cases, their belly can appear a lot bloated than normal. Foul smell from gas shouldn’t be of much concern for you as this condition can be treated at home without spending too much in the pediatrician’s office.
Here are some effective home remedies for newborn gas relief you need to know:
- Using Gripe Water for Babies
The Gripe water is herbal supplement for treating stomach discomfort. It consists of common herbs such as ginger and fennels.
Gripe water has been considered safe to relieve pain through digestion and gas issues. However, you should be sure to look out for a formula specifically meant for babies and It doesn’t have sugar, alcohol, or any artificial flavors.
Many brands don’t include anything that can be harsh on your baby’s health.
- Early Feeding for your Babies
When you’re keeping up with the eating and sleeping schedule of your babies, you can time all feedings so that they have been predictable.
Feeding babies before getting into full-on hungry cry can help in relaxing and also not gulping down bottle.
Anticipating what baby wants for nursing or bottle feed, is also helpful in relaxing and also feeding at comfortable pace.
- Changing the Way of Bottle-Feeding of your Baby
According to Dr. Jen Trachtenberg, Infant stomach gas is more commonly seen in babies who are bottle-fed compared to breastfed newborns as breast milk is digestible compared to formula. Also, any bottle that you’re using, along with the feeding technique, can be the reason for the gas issue. However, you won’t have to worry, as babies causing pumped milk or formula through bottles aren’t destined for gas. You only have to make some adjustments.
Some tips by Trachtenberg for reducing gas issues for bottle-fed infants are:
Holding the baby bottle upright – Rather than laying the baby back in arms while they eat you can sit them upright at around 90-degree angle so less gaseous air is in the nipple.
Frequent burps – According to Dr. Trachtenberg, Frequent burping helps in prevention of gas. If you’ve stopped mid-feeding any no burp is present for baby, you can again try in few minutes. The Kids Health suggests bottle-feeding infants two or three ounces with also every time switching breasts when nursing.
Also, altering size of the baby bottle nipple helps.
- Changes in your baby’s diet
While breastfeeding your baby, you often eat foods that the baby is sensitive of and it can result in your baby becoming gassy.
There are common foods that promote gassiness in the baby such as:
- Nuts
- Eggs
- Gluten
- Soy
- Dairy
If you’re unsure about the exact food that is causing gas, you can cut down a specific food in the diet for one week at a time for seeing whether it helps or not.
- Trying tummy position changes
While the infants shouldn’t be left alone on their stomach, standing while the little one logs in tummy time helps in passing gas.
According to Trachtenberg, placing the baby on the tummy while they’re awake helps in alleviating infant gas. “Pressure on the belly helps in easing pain and moving things through and out of rectum and intestines.”
- Warm Baths for Babies
When you’re in luck! Cutest baby time is also great for relieving gassy newborns. “Warm baths are fine for helping in reliving infant gas,” according to Trachtenberg.
Not only do many babies relax after they partially become submerged in warm tubs – helping in gastrointestinal (GI) tract operating capably – the warmest temperature helps in also soothing sore tummies.
- Pumping your Newborn’s Legs
Similarly, as a little brisk walk helps while you’ve got bloated tummy, baby exercise is also helpful for your babies to get rid of stomach gas.
Bicycling motion is among the simplest and most commonly used techniques used by parents for aiding in gas relief of their little ones. For this mild exercise “you need to place your baby comfortably on their back and in a light and firm manner grasp their lower legs while bringing them towards chest. This must be done in alternating motion while they’re bending at knee, similar to the bicycling motion.”
The exercise is also possible through both legs getting together at once. This can assist move gas through intestines.
- Mildly massaging the baby
Baby massages are a good thing as they are adorable and fine ways for bonding. Even better news is that they can offer your baby relief from gas.
Daily massages can also improve the bowel habits of baby with little constipation,” according to Karen Reyes, who is a certified infant massage instructor. “Through providing right massage for the baby, you can minimize abdominal pains, while helping they in crying less and relaxing, resulting in low intake of air.”
Let’s go through a simple at-home method of massaging.
“While the baby gets positioned on the back, you can make use of two or three fingers for gently but also firmly (avoiding tickling of infant) while making circular motions beginning on left side of the baby’s abdomen.
While working ascending colon, you can move up towards the abdomen. You must be careful while moving above navel and should avoid the ribs. Then you can continue massaging down right side to descending colon in clockwise fashion. It helps in relaxing colon and moving trapped gas and alleviating constipation.
- Ensure that no problems are caused by the baby formula
Special formulas are available for babies with gas issues and these help the infant in better digestion of milk. All these gentle formulas partially break down probiotics and protein. These formulas are costlier compared to conventional formulas.
If such formula suits your baby, there are some ways of saving on it. It is possible to sign up for the coupons from manufacturer or getting samples from the pediatrician’s office.
- Comfortable carrying position for Babies
Infants love being held comfortable and close! The baby must be snuggled in between chest and chin and being swayed.
An interesting baby holding position is known as the colic carry. For this, you need to turn the palms up, and lay the baby on the forearm with keeping head towards to elbow. Have a gentle tap back for giving them bounce for helping in moving the formed stomach gas.
Relief from Baby Gas and Comfort
When you’re stressing out over gassy baby, you need to remember that it isn’t always difficult. Eventually, babies develop skills of self-burping. After they’ve started sitting up the burping can get simpler.
In no time you’ll get the idea about the right things to do to fix the issue, and you’ll be able to relieve the gas problems in your baby quickly. If your baby gets comforted with the help of either of the aforementioned techniques, you’re doing just fine and with time the issue will fade away!
