Infant Care Tips: The Best Ways for New Parents to Burp Their Newborn
Burping is an essential aspect of newborn care as it helps your baby release any air bubbles that have become trapped while breastfeeding and bottle feeding. All babies will swallow small amounts of air while feeding that accumulate in the stomach and cause discomfort. As easy as it may sound, properly burping a baby requires experimentation to discover the technique that works best for your little one. Here is a list of our favorite burping practices for an easier and more enjoyable feeding experience for both parents and babies.
Why Burping Is Important
Before exploring other techniques for burping a baby, it is important to understand the guidelines for feeding a child. While consuming milk, babies tend to intake air alongside the liquid. This air often leads to discomfort, and gas, or might even result in vomiting if not properly managed. Moderate to frequent burping helps reduce gassiness while baby is feeding.
Three Effective Burping Techniques
The Over-the-Shoulder Method
This is one of the most traditional and widely used burping methods. With this way of burping, parents can take advantage of working with gravity to help aid in systems that are prone to reflux.
How you can do it safely:
Place the infant upright against your chest with their chin resting on your shoulder.
While doing so, support their head and neck with one hand.
Gently pat or rub their back using the other hand.
Ensure you have a burp cloth or towel on your shoulder to catch any spit-up.
This method works well because it gives your baby plenty of support while allowing for trapped air to escape easily. This is also a soothing position that many babies appreciate.
The Lap Sitting Technique
If you prefer to sit while burping, this is a great method to use. Lap sitting is particularly good for parents wanting to have greater control over their baby’s movements, or for newborns who need additional neck support.
How you can do it safely:
Place your baby on your lap, but ensure that they are facing away from you.
Support their chest and chin with one hand, ensuring that no pressure is exerted on their throat.
Use your other hand to gently pat or rub the infant's back.
Again, use a cloth to catch any spit-up.
This method permits the use of both hands while keeping the baby upright to gently minimize reflux or spit-up.
The Laying on Your Lap Method
For some gassier infants, the most suitable position might be on their tummy where gentle pressure helps to release gas bubbles that are stuck.
How you can do it safely:
Position baby face down across your lap.
Support their head with your hand so it’s slightly above the rest of their body which is laid against your lap.
Pat or rub their back gently.
In case your baby spits up, put a burp cloth under their mouth to catch any mess.
This position helps in more than just burping for babies that have milder cases of gas or colic.
When Your Baby Should Be Burped
Burping should be included as part of your feeding routine as it can drastically improve your baby's comfort levels. Here are a few pointers on when to burp:
Breastfeeding: Attempt to burp your baby during transitions when changing sides or after the baby has finished with one breast. Compared to bottle-fed babies, breastfed babies tend to swallow less air but will still need to be burped.
Feeding with a bottle: Make sure to burp your baby during and after feeding. As babies tend to swallow air while drinking from a bottle, it is recommended to burp them more often.
Indications that your baby needs to be burped.
There’s a lot of variation as to how burps can sound and how often they get released, especially in babies. Some babies can make do without it after a meal while others may have to let it out multiple times. Keep an eye out for your little ones in these situations which can indicate when it's time to burp them.
Wriggling, squirming, or pulling the nipple while feeding.
Crying, fussiness, whining, or refusing food after feeding.
A belly that feels tender and swelled.
Showing a reluctance to eat more while being served food.
These signs are clear, if they do appear, it is wise to pause and burp the baby before further feeding.
What to try when your baby does not easily release a burp.
Not being able to burp doesn't have to trigger concern. A child who doesn't seem to swallow a lot of air may not have to burp too much. If tossing around or overly discomforted, you will have to try other positions or let the baby stay upright for a few minutes to move the air passively.
Final ideas to consider while effortlessly burping:
Focus on being patient, it can take some time for your baby, especially with those who do not burp as easily as others. So try giving them 2-3 minutes in different positions to help.
Be Gentle: Gentle pats and rubs work the best because an infant’s skin is tender and soft. Hence, forceful back pats are unnecessary.
Don’t Ruin Your Clothes: Always have a burp cloth around since old clothes can get damaged. Babies tend to vomit after burping, specifically during the initial few months.
After mastering proper burping techniques, it is possible to reduce the discomfort a baby feels after feeding due to trapped air. Always remember that each baby is unique, so be patient while testing different methods. You will, over time, figure out a system that works for you and your baby best.
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