Having a gassy breastfed baby is THE. WORST.
The problem is that your baby doesn’t know how to pass it, and it’s uncomfortable, and can even be painful!
My first baby had horrible gas issues. Because of her gas, I was stressed out and sleep deprived (her gas was so much worse at night).
I’m sure you might be feeling the same, as well as feeling extremely helpless because there’s nothing worse than your baby screaming in pain from gas.
There are so many causes of gas in babies (and we’ll talk about that later).
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For her, it was four things:
- A milk allergy/MSPI (Milk and Soy Protein Intolerance)
I was breastfeeding her, and her body was unable to breakdown the milk and soy proteins that were passing through her tiny body. This equalled horrible, painful gas and a whole bunch of other symptoms including blood in stool.
- A breast milk oversupply
My poor baby was constantly fighting to keep with with my fast flow.
- The introduction of solids
Even though i waited until she was 6 months old to introduce solids because I knew she already had some digestive issues, it was still a horrible experience.
- TEETHING
You’ve probably never heard of gas as a symptom of teething, and it’s hard to find evidence of it anywhere other than baby forums, where desperate moms are asking whether or not their baby’s gas could be because of teething. I’m telling you that yes, yes it can. My baby never, NEVER drooled, she literally swallowed all of her extra saliva, which I believe irritated her tummy and gave her excess gas.
So as you can see, I’ve dealt with gas from many different avenues, and for a large part of my child’s babyhood.
So let’s try to figure out the cause of your baby’s gas.
Why Is My Baby So Gassy?
An Immature Digestive System
Unfortunately, some baby gas is completely normal and inevitable due to your baby’s developing gut which is adjusting to digesting and processing food.
Milk allergy/MSPI
As I mentioned above, my baby’s main gas issue was caused by the milk and soy proteins in my breastfeeding diet.
If you are concerned that your baby might be dealing with the same intolerance, find out what the other Milk Allergy Symptoms In Babies are.
Excessive Crying Can Lead To More Gas
Sometimes baby’s cry, apparently for no reason. When your baby cries, he inevitably swallows a large amount of air simultaneously, therefore becoming more gassy.
My advice: You know your baby. When I told a pediatric gastroenterologist about my baby’s extreme gas and how she screamed because of it, he said, “How do you know it’s not the crying that’s causing the gas?”
Baby Might Take In Extra Air While Breastfeeding Or Bottle Feeding
While you are breastfeeding, there are a few things that could cause excess gas.
- A poor latch
If your baby has a poor latch, he will be sucking in air along with breast milk.
Related: Top Breastfeeding Latch Tips
- Overactive Letdown or Oversupply
If your baby is choking or coughing, especially at the beginning of a feed, you might be dealing with an overactive letdown. Your baby might be struggling to keep up with the flow and in turn gulping air.
An oversupply can cause gas if your baby is getting too much watery foremilk and not enough fatty hindmilk. Make sure that your baby is sufficiently emptying the breast before switching to the other side, or consider block feeding.
- Bottle feeding expressed milk
If you are bottle feeding breast milk, you should be using a bottle that is anti-colic and designed for breastfed babies. Learn about the best bottles for breastfed babies.
You’re Not Burping Your Baby Enough
I know this might sound ridiculous, but it’s not. I remember reading somewhere that breastfed babies don’t need to be burped.
Ha! Due to so many possibilities that I’ve already mentioned, it’s possible that your breastfed baby needs to be burped, and burped well.
Foods That Cause Gas In Breastfed Babies
Want to know what foods to avoid when breastfeeding for gas?
While it’s not common, there is always the possibility that certain foods in a breastfeeding mom’s diet can be bothersome to baby. The top offenders are dairy, soy, nuts, cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower, eggs, wheat, chocolate and citrus.
Simply make sure not to alter your diet unless you are sure that a certain food is bothering your baby.
I clearly remember my baby screaming in a way that she had never screamed before for hours on end right after I ate a large amount of broccoli. I know that the broccoli was the cause, even though I’m sure medical professionals would say that it was unlikely.
Remember, you know your baby better than anyone else!
Introducing Solids
When introducing solids, your baby might again go through a period of adjustment. Alternately, your baby’s system simply might not be ready for solids yet. Don’t worry, the saying “solids before one are just for fun” is true. There’s no need to stress if your baby isn’t ready for solids when he’s “supposed” to be.
I could tell you to avoid starting certain solids with your baby because they are “gassier”, but the truth is that every baby is different. Butternut squash is supposed to be one of the ideal first foods for baby, but my baby reacted horribly to it.
What I can say is that if your baby seems to have a sensitive digestive system, skip the oatmeal and cereal (it’s not nutritionally necessary anyway!) and start with veggies or fruits.
Gassy breastfed baby at night
Does your baby seem to be gassier at night?
When a baby lays down and is still for such a long period of time, the gas kind of builds up.
Best sleeping position for gassy baby
If your baby is older (able to roll from belly to back and back to belly), he will probably find it more comfortable to sleep on his tummy. However, for younger babies this is of course not recommended.
Your baby will likely sleep better in a more upright position (gravity!). For us, the Rock’N’Play was a lifesaver. My baby wouldn’t sleep anywhere else.
If you’re trying to figure out how to help a gassy baby sleep, you need to be proactive.
How To Relieve Baby Gas
There are many breastfed baby gas relief methods and baby gas home remedies. Once again, know that all babies are different, and that what works for one baby might not work for another.
Here are my top suggestions for baby gas relief:
Baby Probiotics
Your baby’s gut flora can be negatively affected by your amniotic fluid and by passage through the birth canal. If our gut flora isn’t great, then it’s affecting our babies. Probiotics are live bacteria that help to provide a good balance of organisms within our digestive systems.
There are many benefits to probiotics, even for babies.
For my babies, I used Biogaia.
Gripe Water For Gas Or Newborn Gas Drops
There are many types of gripe water and gas drops out there.
For my first baby, Colic Calm was a miracle. It’s super messy, but I didn’t care. It WORKED. As soon as I gave it to her, I audibly heard the gas bubbles moving through her body and then she would pass it. It was seriously amazing.
For some reason, Colic Calm didn’t seem to work as well for my second child (who also had a milk allergy). For her, Little Remedies Gas Drops worked well.
The Windii
How creepy/ingenius is this?! I only wish that I had thought of it first. Check out the Windii for a completely natural (and extremely effective) way to relieve your baby’s gas.
A Warm Bath, Baby Massage For Gas And Bicycling Baby’s Legs
We employed this nightly routine in order to try to alleviate gas before bed. A warm bath will help to relax your baby, then if can be followed up by a baby massage and bicycling of your baby’s legs.
This video shows the correct way to do baby massage for gas relief:
Give Your Baby Extra Tummy Time
Extra tummy time during the day (or right before bed) can provide just the right amount of pressure on baby’s belly to get those gas bubbles moving.
I hope this post was helpful! As your baby gets older, you will have to deal with these gas issues less and less.
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