How to Prevent Infant Baby Gas

Gas is a natural product of the human digestive system, for adults as well as babies. However, excessive amounts of gas can be a serious problem for many babies, leaving them fussy and miserable from abdominal pain. The most common reason for excess gas is swallowing too much air while eating, crying or sucking. Normal digestive processes as well as intolerances to certain foods may also produce excessive amounts of gas. Finding ways to address these causes of excess infant gas can help your baby -- and you -- feel happier and more comfortable.

Instructions

1

Burp your baby during and after feedings. Burp him after he has eaten 2 to 3 oz., if bottle-feeding, or when you switch breasts, if breastfeeding. Stop feeding your baby and burp him if he gets fussy during a meal. For extreme cases of gas, such as with gastroesophageal reflux, burp your baby after every ounce or after breastfeeding for five minutes.

2

Limit the amount of air your baby swallows while bottle-feeding. Use a slow-flowing bottle nipple to help your baby eat more slowly. Hold her at a 45-degree angle and make sure that the nipple is filled with milk. Purchase bottles and nipples designed to limit the amount of air your baby swallows. Don't let her drink from an empty bottle.

3

Reduce the amount of air your baby swallows while breastfeeding. Ensure your baby latches on correctly, since a poor latch increases the amount of air your baby swallows. If your baby coughs and chokes while eating because you produce too much milk, work to slow down your milk flow. Use a breastfeeding position that keeps his head just above breast level. Lean back while nursing or lay on your back. Express milk by hand or with a pump until the initial milk flow slows down. Remove your baby during a let-down.

4

Stop eating foods your baby has a sensitivity to if you are breastfeeding. Most foods people assume create gas in babies because they cause gas in adults -- such as broccoli, spicy foods and carbonated beverages -- won't negatively affect your baby. The foods most likely to cause excess gas are actually dairy proteins, though a few other foods -- including peanuts, wheat and eggs -- may also upset a baby's digestive system. If your baby seems extra fussy after you eat a potentially allergenic food, eliminate it from your diet for a week. Watch to see if your baby's behavior improves. If it does, try eating the food again. If she goes back to being gassy and fussy, that food may be responsible for her discomfort. You may need to try eliminating several foods, one at a time, before you figure out which ones bother her.

5

Reduce your baby's consumption of solid foods. If your baby is under 6 months, eliminate all solids from his diet or at least limit solids to the most gentle foods, such as rice, bananas and avocados. Don't give him any juice. Ensure that your baby eats only baby cereals, since other cereals may have too much fiber for a baby's developing digestive system. Introduce any high fiber foods slowly so your baby's system has time to get used to the extra fiber. Solid foods are much more likely to give a baby gas problems than to help with them.