How to wind your baby
Whether you are breastfeeding or bottlefeeding, your baby will probably take in small amounts of air along with his feed. This can become trapped in his tummy, causing pain and spasms, and can also prevent him from feeding properly as he may feel full when he isn’t.
Breastfed babies tend to experience fewer problems with wind, as they can better control the flow of milk and can go at their own pace, which means they take in less air. However, even breastfed babies can have problems with wind, especially if they are particularly fast feeders or you have fast-flowing milk. Bottlefed babies tend to feed more quickly and therefore tend to take in more air as they go.
How to prevent wind while feeding
There are several ways you can help avoid problems with wind both while feeding and afterwards…
- Whether you’re breastfeeding or bottlefeeding, make sure you feed your baby in an upright or near-upright position, as this will help any air bubbles to come up naturally.
- If you’re bottlefeeding, make sure you tilt your baby’s bottle so that the nipple is constantly full of milk and doesn’t contain any air. If your bottle-fed baby is regularly suffering from wind, you may want to experiment with using slower-flowing nipples on his bottle, or different shapes and styles of feeding bottle.
Winding your baby
Before you start winding after a feed, make sure that you have a muslin cloth handy, as many babies will spit up some milk when bringing up wind. Try different winding techniques to see which best suits your baby…
• Over the shoulder Hold your baby up high against your shoulder and gently rub or pat his back.
• Sitting up Sit your baby as upright as possible, supporting him with one hand on his chest with your thumb and forefinger holding his chin. Lean him forward slightly and gently rub or pat his back.
If your baby pauses for a break during a feed, you can use this opportunity to try to bring up any air (you can also do this when he’s switching to your other breast) but don’t force him to take a ‘winding break’ – this will probably just result in him starting to cry and taking in more air.
If your baby isn’t bringing up any air after a few minutes, don’t keep trying to wind him – it may be that he doesn’t have any to bring up, or it may be released later. Some babies absorb wind further into their gut, and can experience discomfort later after a feed as a result, often when you put them down for a nap. A warm bath and gently massaging your baby’s tummy in a counter-clockwise motion or gently bicycling his legs can also work wonders, especially with wind in his lower digestive tract.
Most babies stop having trouble with wind once their digestive tracts mature and they can sit up.
Using medication to treat wind
Herbal remedies can be helpful in easing wind in both babies and adults – dill, ginger, chamomile, fennel, catnip and lemon balm act in various different ways to soothe the digestive tract and help break down any accumulated air. Gripe water is a traditional remedy – ask your pharmacist for information.
For further information on how to wind your baby, watch our video.
The information in this feature is intended for educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your health, the health of your child or the health of someone you know, please consult with a doctor or other healthcare professional.
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Last Modified: 08/05/2007
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