Sit your baby on your lap facing away from you. Place the palm of your hand flat against their chest and support their chin and jaw (don't put any pressure on the throat area). Lean your baby forwards slightly and with your free hand, gently rub or pat your baby's back.
If the baby does not burp after 5 minutes of trying, gently lie them down on their back, either in their crib or on another safe surface, such as a playpen. After a few minutes, carefully pick the baby up and try burping them again. Sometimes, lying down helps move the air bubbles around, making them easier to release.
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.
Support your baby's head and neck, make sure their tummy and back is nice and straight (not curled up), and rub or pat their back gently. You don't need to spend ages burping your baby, a couple of minutes should be enough.
Most babies will outgrow the need to be burped by 4-6 months of age. You can often tell that a baby needs to be burped if he or she is squirmy or pulling away while being fed.
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.
What happens if a sleeping baby doesn't burp? If you're concerned about what happens if your baby won't burp after feeding, try not to worry. He'll likely be just fine and will end up passing the gas from the other end.
What Is Baby Spit-Up? 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.
How long do you have to burp a baby for? There is no specific length of time for which you should burp your baby. Instead, aim to burp your baby frequently during his feeding: If you're bottle feeding, burp him after every two to three ounces of milk. If he's nursing, burp him each time he switches breasts.
Patting your baby on the back helps move the air bubbles up, but sometimes the patting just 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. Many parents swear this is the only way to get their babies to burp.
To help prevent the milk from coming back up, keep your baby upright after feeding for 10 to 15 minutes, or longer if your baby spits up or has GERD.
You may worry that if your baby spits up while on her back she will choke. This is a natural concern. However, your baby has natural ways to prevent spit-up from going down the windpipe (also called the airway). This special protection even exists when she is on her back.
Although overfeeding a baby is rare, it can happen. The most common cause of an overfed baby is a parent or caregiver misinterpreting a baby's hunger and fullness cues. When a baby has enough to eat, they turn away from the breast or bottle and do not want to suck.
Some positioning tips: Feed your baby as upright as possible; lay your child on their back and pedal their legs with your hands to help expel gas from below; if your child is awake after a feeding, place them on their belly. Increase tummy time.
Babies may start hiccuping during feeding because they have excess gas that's irritating their stomach. Propping them upright and gently tapping their backs can help.
Taking a break from feeding to burp the baby may reduce the amount of air in their stomach. This can prevent hiccups. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, it is a good idea to burp bottle-fed babies every time they consume 2 to 3 ounces.
Any burp is enough. It can be one big one, a few small ones. If none is heard within something like 10 minutes, then you can assume that it just slowly evaporated over time.
Myth: Babies who sleep on their backs will choke if they spit up or vomit during sleep. Fact: Babies automatically cough up or swallow fluid that they spit up or vomit—it's a reflex to keep the airway clear.
Can you put baby down with hiccups? In most cases, it's totally fine to put baby on their back when they have hiccups; those little diaphragm spasms don't interfere with breathing so there's no physical or medical reason not to.
Newborns who sleep for longer stretches should be awakened to feed. Wake your baby every 3–4 hours to eat until he or she shows good weight gain, which usually happens within the first couple of weeks. After that, it's OK to let your baby sleep for longer periods of time at night.
Don't lift your newborn by or under their arms
Your baby's head and neck muscles are very weak for the first few months. If you pick them up by or under their arms, you risk injuring their arms or shoulders. Worse, their head will dangle and could flop around, potentially causing a brain injury.