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Step 1
Burp your baby before, during, and after a feed. The more air your baby releases in burps, the less air will enter his/her digestive tract and the less gas pain your infant will feel.
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Step 2
Lift your baby's legs as if you are changing his/her diaper. Repeat a few times. Often, your baby just needs that extra pump of the legs to release gas.
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Step 3
Gently move your baby's legs in a bicycling motion while your infant is on his/her back.
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Step 4
Bend your baby's legs so that they gently press against your baby's stomach. Bend them together or alternate between right and left legs.
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Step 5
Carefully twist your baby from the hips to one side and back. This motion tends to help the gas move through the intestines.
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Step 6
Rub your baby's stomach gently in a clockwise motion.
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Step 7
Put your baby in a football hold. Rest your infant's belly on your forearm, allowing his/her legs to straddle your arm. Support your baby's head in your hand with his/her face turned out to the side. The pressure on your infant's stomach tends to provide some gas relief.
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Step 8
Give your baby a water/chamomile tea mixture, gripe water, or Mylicon. All three of these are known to help some infants release gas. For the chamomile tea method, mix 1 oz of chamomile tea with 3 oz water. Allow it to cool. Give your baby one teaspoon of this mixture. Gripe water is an all-natural mixture of herbs and can be made at home, ordered online, or purchased at some grocery stores. Mylicon's generic name is simethicone. It can be bought over-the-counter at most drug stores.
Comments
bossypants said
on 5/24/2009 Thanks for a variety of options! I'm guessing some of these might work on "big" babies, too, altho probably not the football hold! :)
writedesign said
on 3/7/2009 Oh, the joys of motherhood. 5*