How to Help a Gassy Baby

Your fussy baby probably has gas!

There are a variety of ways to help prevent gassiness in babies. But what about when you baby is crying and already gassy? Here are some tricks to try on gassy babies.

Instructions

1. Burping is the first action in helping a gassy infant. Pat your baby's back to help work up any bubbles. If nothing is coming up, lay your baby on his back for 20 seconds and then hold him upright and burp him. The changing of positions can really help your crying baby.

2. Use the secret weapon for gassy babies! Lay your baby on her back, hold onto her ankles and alternate moving her legs in a bicycle motion, bending her legs and gently pushing her knees into her tummy. This move was such a lifesaver for my gassy baby. It worked like a charm. Whenever she was really fussy, we would do this move and it wouldn't be long before she was tooting away!

3. Tummy time can help gassy babies. Give your baby supervised tummy time so he can work out his own gas, while exploring the world around him.

4. Walk around the house lightly bouncing her. Also, shift her around, changing the way you hold her. Sometimes, changing from one position to another helps things to move along. Take turns with someone holding her and help calm her, a lot of times, as the baby is being passed to another person, some gas will escape! The change of scenery might help distract a gassy crying baby as well.

5. Hold her high up on your shoulder so your shoulder is gently putting pressure on her tummy and gently bounce while singing a song to comfort her.

6. Massage your baby's belly with some massage oil, this will help relax her and break up the gas bubbles. Run your baby's belly in a circular motion. Rub down her legs and gently tug on her legs a little bit. Holding her lower legs, make gentle pulling motions towards you. Your baby may scoot towards you a little as you do this. If she gets too close, just move her back and do it some more. This worked great with my daughter, especially combined with The Secret Weapon!

7. Gripe water is great for colic, gas, teething pain or other stomach ailments. It's been used for a very long time. It works wonders when you eat something that upsets your baby through breast milk, or anytime baby gets something that doesn't agree with his tummy. In my experience, Gripe Water works MUCH better than Mylicon.

Tips & Warnings

• Burp your baby in the middle of her feeding, then again at the end of the feeding to help prevent gassiness.

• Mix a few drops of pure lavender essential oil with massage oil and use on baby's tummy and back. This really helps relax and calm a fussy baby. Heck, it calms and relaxes kids and adults too!

• If you are nursing, avoid foods that are likely to upset babies stomach like garlic, caffeine, cabbage, broccoli, beans and other gassy foods.

• If using formula, try switching to a new formula if you baby seems to be gassy a lot.

• As babies get older, they get less gassy so hang in there!

• Make sure baby is latched on properly and not gulping down air while breastfeeding.

• If you feel like you are loosing your cool, put baby down in a safe place and take a time out.

• NEVER shake your baby!

• Don't let baby suck on an empty bottle.

Resources

• How to Get your Baby Back to Sleep
• How to Put a Baby to Sleep
• How to Lower Risk of SIDS
• Organic Gripe Water