How to Burp a Baby

By: admin
Date: June 7, 2021
Time to read: 7 min.

New moms and dads do not worry if you cannot get your baby to burp. Sometimes, they do not swallow air and just do not need to burp.

What happens if baby doesn’t burp?

Sure, you read in every baby book that you must burp your kid after feeding. The truth is, though, that if you forget, it will all be fine.

First, babies are resilient creatures. Second, the only reason you burp them is to teach them how. If you forget one time, nothing bad happens. The baby just either burps on their own if they need to do so, or they pass gas later. You might not appreciate the smell of the latter, but you will at least not have baby spit up on you.

Babies may not need to burp each time. You should try to burp them though at least once during or after the feeding process. The after burp takes precedence. You can save yourself some trouble by feeding your child in an upright position instead of while they lie down.

While mothers for centuries have burped and told their daughters to burp their children, a recent study reported in Science News uncovered evidence that babies who were consistently burped actually threw up more often. The study examined 71 mothers of newborns and their babies. The new parents were divided into two groups, one instructed on burping, the other given no directive to burp. During a three-month tracking period, the researchers found no clear advantage to a standardized burping procedure. The unburped kids had the same number of episodes of colic and fussiness. The burped children spit up more frequently. The researchers found no clear advantage to following a proper burping procedure since it showed no positive effect, plus it resulted in more spit up. Since few studies have been conducted on this time-honored tradition, future studies are needed. The study recommended though that you could only burp your baby when it seems uncomfortable or fussy.

So, how do you burp the baby?

You have a few options, seven to be precise.

How to Burp a Baby That Is Hard to Burp

Let’s start with the fastest way first so you can be done and get it over with completely. Also, know that by six months, your child will handle this on their own totally as long as they develop on the appropriate schedule. Once your baby can sit up, they can self-burp.

The Bicycle Exercise

The same exercise you probably do in aerobics works for your baby, too. While you bicycle your legs on your own, you have to move your baby’s legs for them. Lay the child on their back. Circle their legs by grasping their feet and bicycling just as you would if you were exercising. When you help your child do this exercise, you not only help them develop their legs, but you also help them move any air trapped in the abdominal area though their intestines and out of their body. You will hear it come out one end or the other and your child will be rid of the gas in their system.

The Over the Shoulder Method

This common method most people use during bottle feeding. You will need to burp your child every two to three ounces of food. If you breastfeed, burp the child between breasts. Here’s what you do:

Lay your baby against your body with their head facing you.
Lay their chin on the burp cloth on your shoulder. Kids who developed neck and head control can rest a little higher on your shoulder so that their stomach presses against your body.
Pat their upper back and rub it until they burp.

3. The Across the Lap Method

Essentially, you make a lap board out of your baby for this one, resting it on your thighs. You lay them face down so they look at the floor. Pat their upper back and rub it until they burp.

4. Alternate Positions

Okay, you need to know sports for this burping technique. Sometimes, they have a tough time burping because they need to move around a bit. That is tough to do when you do not yet know how to crawl or walk, and you are stuck hanging out with your parents all the time.

Some babies just have a “spot” where you hold them just so and they burp. In whatever position you hold them, you should have a burp cloth beneath their mouth because most children spit up when burped for the first few months. It is a normal baby thing.

Can you hurt a baby by burping too hard?

Sort of. Bouncing tends to be a bad idea. You do not want to have the baby throw up on you and that could happen. They cannot hang upside down until they get older, so do not try that. They need to develop head and neck control first. Along with not bouncing them, do not shake them. This is a serious statement. Shaking a baby can cause irreparable brain damage. The medical term for it is shaken baby syndrome and it causes an abusive head trauma (AHT).

You should try various static positions for your baby.

Lay them in your lap as you would a hockey stick while you wait in the box to get back to the ice.
Lay them across your forearm as you would a football against your jersey numbers.
You lay down and lay the infant against your chest.
Any other position that does not shake or roughly jostle the infant nor turn them upside down.

5. Rocking Them Forward and Backward

You sit the child on their bottom facing you with their torso upright. In infants, you will need to support their neck with one hand and their back with the other hand. Slowly rock them forward and backward repeatedly. Go slowly so they do not throw up on you.

6. Elbow to Knee Exercise

You can also try the elbow to knee exercise. Position the baby as you did in the bicycle exercise. Slowly move the child’s left elbow to their right knee until the two touch, then repeat the process with the opposing limbs. Repeat this process until they burp or pass gas.

7. Talk to Your Child’s Pediatrician

Let’s say you do try to burp your child each time you feed them. They just do not burp. They remain fussy until they pass gas every meal. Take them to the doctor. Why do babies have trouble burping? you might ask. Their pediatrician can examine them to determine the cause of the problem. They can prescribe a solution such as gripe water or gas drops. Use these as the doctor directs only. They can provide great results for a baby that cannot otherwise burp.

Pediatricians and Doulas Give Their Advice

According to Doula and newborn care specialist Devon Clement, you do not need to burp a baby at every feeding.

“Not every baby needs to be burped all the time. If their body is relaxed and they’re sort of soft and floppy, they’re probably fine,” she said. Once they seem a little agitated or start refusing to feed, then it’s probably a burp brewing.”

You can burp them really quickly though, and let’s face it, fast is best. You have other things to do. They probably want a nap. You may wonder “What if baby doesn’t burp and falls asleep?” Just like you would, they will pass gas during their sleep if needed.

According to Dr. Charles Shubin, a staff physician at Mercy Medical Center, said the best method he has used is the old standby – the over-the-shoulder technique. Here’s how he suggests you do it, based on the child’s anatomy.

“The technique I like, based on anatomical principles, is to have the baby tilted 45 degrees to the baby’s right on the burper’s shoulder. This position makes it easiest for the air bubble to find its way up the esophagus from the stomach.”

There you have it. Seven ways to burp and absolution if you forgot to burp the baby. You now know, you will not hurt them if you do not burp them. In fact, some cultures do not burp infants. They still develop just fine. Once the baby grows a little and can sit up on their own, they burp themselves.

Air in their stomach does the same thing to them as it does to you. It causes a little bloat. They will pass gas. You should not worry about it. All those resilient infants will soon enough be cooking themselves pizza rolls and graduating from high school. You will wonder where the time has gone while they belch loudly in front of your microwave.

Source

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/shaken-baby-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20366619