The key to burping is to support your baby's head and neck, make sure their tummy and back are nice and straight (not curled up), and rub or pat their back gently. You do not need to spend ages winding your baby – a couple of minutes should be enough.
Give her a gentle pat or rub on the left side of her back, which is where your little one's stomach is located. This may get the burp up for most babies, but some need a slightly firmer hand.
Sit your baby on your lap supporting the chin and chest with one hand. Rub or pat the back with your other hand. Tip: Use repeated, gentle pats on your baby's back. Rest your baby faced down on your lap and gently rub or pat the back.
The idea behind burping a baby is that air gets into the baby's stomach during feeding and the patting or rubbing encourages the bubbles of air to consolidate and move up through the stomach and throat as a belch.
Take heart that when sleepy babies feed, they're usually so relaxed that they're less likely to intake extra air. If you find that he isn't fussy, wiggly, or restless at wake-up time, he may not need to burp each time. In short, it's okay to put him to sleep without burping.
Burping requires only gentle pats–you do not need to hit your baby's back. You are patting too hard if your baby's head flops back and forth or they cry while being burped. Instead, support your baby's head while holding them high on your shoulder and gently rub or pat their back.
If your little one still won't burp – and they don't appear to be in any discomfort – they may just be a non-burping kid, and that's okay. But if your baby seems regularly uncomfortable or distressed during feeding, and you can't quite eke out a burp, it might be a good idea to speak to your doctor.
You can sit them sideways and pat them on the back and it's a good way of being able to visualize your baby's face and whether or not they are spitting out what they are burping. You don't have to pat hard. Sometimes people just actually rub the back. That works as well so gently pat.
Place your baby face down on your lap or your forearm so they're looking sideways, supported by your knee or hand. Rub your baby's back gently with your other hand. Avoid this position if your baby brings up milk or vomits a lot. Some babies might be unsettled during and after a feed until they've been burped.
Spit-up is what happens when the contents of your baby's tummy come back up easily -- not forcefully -- through their mouth. It often comes along with a burp. It's not the same as vomiting, which is when your baby throws up their stomach contents with force and muscle contractions.
The theory behind the practice is that while nursing, babies inhale air that needs to be expelled after feeding. Patting their backs causes them to bring up that air, and well, burp.
Avoid stretching their legs out. Allow their body to stay in a curled up position, which may make them less likely to wake up. Use the hand that is on their back to rub it, making circular motions first. If rubbing does not produce a burp, try gentle pats between their shoulders.
A gentle tummy rub
Baby massage is a method nurses use to soothe infants with gas bubbles. It's called the “I love you” massage. Lie your baby down on her back, then start rubbing her tummy in a circular motion and mimic writing the letters “I,” “L” and “U” with two or three fingers across her belly.
New parents may worry that their newborn will have stomach problems if she doesn't burp after feeding. But pediatrician Dr. Cindy Gellner says not to worry: the air in your baby will find a way out.
Just like adults, if there's air in your baby's belly, it will make its way out, either from the top or the bottom. There's no harm in not helping this process along unless your baby's healthcare provider has told you it's important for them to burp.
In general, breastfed babies don't need as much burping as bottle-fed babies because they tend to swallow less air when feeding. In fact, some very efficient nursers don't need to be burped at all. But some breastfed babies definitely do need to be burped.
Pat or bounce your baby
Patting your baby on the back helps move the air bubbles up, but sometimes the patting isn't enough. If he won't burp, try patting him more firmly with your whole palm, as light pats may not be effective. Another option is to pat his bottom.
Mom Squad blogger for Dayton Children's Hospital in Ohio, tells Parents that caretakers should "pat your baby on the back, gently for a minute or so," adding that, "for newborns, make sure you are supporting the head and neck." Newborns look delicate, and they are, which is why support is crucial, but you also need the ...
Can you burp a swaddled baby? You can burp a swaddled baby. But, just like your baby needs their whole body to feed, it's also helpful if they have access to their full body to burp.
Position your baby upright and burp if needed.
It's possible that the hiccup functions to remove swallowed gas from the stomach—essentially “an evolved burping reflex.” Gently patting your baby's back while they're held upright may ease the presence of an air bubble in the stomach.
Finally, many parents wonder if burping is necessary during a dream feed. Dr. Hamilton-Spence's advice is that burping your baby is not essential, though you can certainly do it if you think they need it. “The need to burp after feeding really depends on each baby; some can go without it,” she says.