Babies, especially brand new ones, are tricky customers. They need so much, from feeding to changing to burping, but their ways of communicating what exactly they need can be a little tricky to understand. Over time, you'll start to figure out what your baby means with a certain cry or wiggle, but in the meantime, this little primer of signs your baby needs to burp, like yesterday, will hopefully help you figure out one of the basics.
When your baby needs to burp, she is likely to start squirming when you're trying to feed her or start to fuss while taking a bottle or breast. Your baby might even refuse to keep eating until the gas has passed. Every baby is different in how often he needs to be burped. Babies who are breastfed are less likely than bottle-fed babies to need frequent burping because the flow of formula through a nipple can be faster, causing them to ingest more air. Luckily babies need to be burped less frequently starting from around two or three months old, according to Parents. Even still, they will need some help passing gas.
In the meantime, look out for these clues that will help you figure out when your baby really needs that burp.
1Stops Feeding
If your baby stops feeding, that can be a signal that he needs to burp. Baby Care Advice explained that babies need to burp because they sometimes swallow air when they're feeding. Ingesting air can make a baby feel full without drinking as much breastmilk or formula, so he could stop when he thinks he's full but really just needs to burp. "Burping can help her to expel some of the air that she swallows," they say, which will provide immediate relief.
2Squirms Or Fidgets While Feeding
Squirming or fidgeting can be a sign that your baby needs to take a burp break from feeding, said Dr. Sears. Likewise, if your baby does the same after feeding, she might still need to burp.
3Wakes Up From Sleep To Burp
Sometimes a baby will wake up from sleep because they just need to be burped. Young babies who spend a lot of time on their backs can have air build up long after they've fed, explained Parenting. Burping your baby should be one of the first things you try if she wakes up in the night. She might be hungry, but she might simply need to burp.
4Scrunch Knees Up
Newborn babies use a lot of little signals to let you know that they need something, although figuring out what that something is can be easier said than done. Babies often scrunch their knees up if they are in pain, according to Care, so if you spot your little one doing that, try a burp to relieve the gas she may have built up.
5Grimacing While Feeding
Breastfeeding or being fed a bottle shouldn't usually make your baby look grumpy! It's most babies' favorite pastime, after all. So if your baby is grimacing while feeding or making facial expressions that look visibly uncomfortable, according to Dr. Sears, he could be telling you he needs a burp.
6Hesitating Between Breasts
If your baby hesitates when you take her off one breast and offer the other, she might be full — or she might need to burp, notes Baby Center. Similarly, if your baby hesitates when you offer her the second half of her bottle, she might need to get the air out of the way so she can enjoy the rest of her meal.
7Spits Up A Lot With Every Burp
Spit up can be caused by air getting trapped under milk — both can easily come back up when your baby burps the air up. If your baby is frequently spitting up with every burp, Healthy Children notes that it might be a sign that your baby needs to be burped more frequently.
8Makes A Sucking Sound While Feeding
One thing to keep in mind is that if you can hear your baby sucking in air while he's feeding, she's probably sucking in air while she's feeding. Keeping your baby as upright as possible and ensuring that they have a proper latch on the nipple or bottle can help reduce how much air a baby is ingesting.
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