While the best sleep position for a gassy baby is still on their back, sometimes, gas pains make it harder for your little one to sleep. If this is the case, you may find that swaddling your baby before bedtime will keep them warm and comfortable during the night, as well as reduce any discomfort.
Can Swaddling Help with a Baby's Gas? Yes. If your baby is younger than 2 months, you can help them release gas by swaddling them.
Many parents wonder about the best sleeping position for a gassy baby. You may have heard that side sleeping (particularly on the left side) is better for releasing gas. However, safe-sleep guidance calls for babies to be placed to sleep on their backs until the baby's first birthday.
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.
Lying down encourages air to pass deeper into the digestive system, which may worsen gassiness in babies.
“Almost all babies will find some baby gas relief by sucking on a pacifier,” O'Connor says, because the sucking action releases endorphins that will soothe them. Infant massage. Simply rubbing your child's belly may be helpful, since massage can help calm the nerve signals in baby's immature intestines.
Work it out. Gently massage your baby, pump their legs back and forth (like riding a bike) while they are on their back, or give their tummy time (watch them while they lie on their stomach). A warm bath can also help them get rid of extra gas.
Also, babies with colic may burp frequently or pass a significant amount of gas, but this is thought to be due to swallowing air while crying, and is not a cause of colic. The face may be flushed. The abdomen may be tense with legs drawn toward it.
Tummy time.
Placing a baby on their stomach while awake helps to relieve gas pains. By gently increasing the abdominal pressure, tummy time pushes gas bubbles up and out. Tummy time is also a great way to strengthen the head and neck muscles needed to reach early motor milestones.
You should stop swaddling your baby when he starts attempting to roll over. Many babies start working on this move at about 2 months old. Swaddling once your baby can roll over may increase the risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) and suffocation.
Swaddling helps babies sleep longer, reduces anxiety, and prevents face scratching. Risks include overheating, hip dysplasia, and decreased arousal, which may increase the risk of SIDS. To swaddle safely, don't over-swaddle, ensure a secure swaddle, and avoid swaddling too tightly.
While pacifiers are not the major culprits of producing gas, they are one of the minor causes. “Babies can swallow air during feeding, when using a pacifier and while crying,” Natasha Burgert, M.D., wrote in Forbes.
Not only might swaddling help your colicky baby get to sleep, there's a good chance it will help them stay asleep, too. Researchers have found that babies who are swaddled sleep more soundly than those who aren't. That's because when a baby twitches during sleep, their own movements can wake them up.
Make sure to burp your baby well.
If baby has had enough to eat, it may stir while you are going through the act of the swaddle but your baby will settle down quite quickly after being swaddled.
Passing gas through the mouth is called belching or burping. Passing gas through the anus is called flatulence.
But when your infant has painful gas, especially if it's frequent, it can cause your baby to cry or become fussy—until it's passed; unlike colic, which causes crying and fussiness that lasts for hours across days and weeks. Gas can have distinctive symptoms, too, such as a swollen-looking belly.
Common causes for baby gas
If your baby is flatulent, there could be many culprits for it. Some of the most common causes of increased gassiness include feeding issues, formula or food intolerance, crying and constipation.
On a bed, sofa, or the floor, lie on your side. Gently draw both knees toward your chest. If you don't get relief after several minutes, try slowly moving your legs down and up a few times. Try using your hands to pull your knees closer to your chest, if you can do this comfortably or without causing more pain.
The warmth may help relax the stomach muscles, reducing pressure and releasing air bubbles. Just be sure to test the temperature and make sure it's not too hot.
Babies often swallow air when sucking on the breast or a bottle, especially if they drink too quickly or don't have an optimal latch on the nipple. They can also swallow air when crying. Food sensitivities. Hypersensitivities or allergies to certain types of food in mom's diet are less common causes of baby gas.
If the baby does not burp, he or she may get gassy. The best part is that correct breastfeeding positions, such as upright or semi-upright positions like the laid-back position, will help to solve this issue.