Excess gas without burping or farting can lead to bloating which can be painful. Common causes of gas are:
So how do you know if your baby’s gas and burping is normal or if something is wrong? Let’s start with how often you burp your baby during feeding.
Check your baby’s latch on the breast or bottle nipple and consult with a lactation consultant, speech therapist or your baby’s health care provider if they are having difficulties. A poor latch can contribute to your baby taking in too much air during their feeding and cause gas. They may suggest a different bottle, nipple, or feeding position to help.
If your baby spits-up a lot when burping and is crying in pain or stressed by the spit-up, talk to their health care provider about reflux or a feeding intolerance.
Babies with a dairy or formula intolerance or allergy can have intense pain with gas, bloating, and spit up frequently during or after feeding. If this is happening, talk to your health care provider about medications, changing the formula or about removing dairy from your diet if you are breastfeeding. Sometimes constipation or diarrhea go along with an allergy or intolerance and sometimes it is caused by something else, but both can cause painful gas and bloating.
It’s normal for babies to grunt, pull their legs up, and have red faces when they are farting or pooping, but consistent crying or screaming can mean there may be a problem. When babies have painful gas, parents will often ask if their baby has colic.
Colic is typically different from regular gassiness because the crying is:
Colic is very stressful for families. If you think your baby may have colic, talk to your baby’s health care provider for help.