Winding
Babies
often gulp in air while they’re feeding and it can cause uncomfortable air
bubbles to form in their tummies, whether you’re breast or bottlefeeding. You can help your baby expel
these air bubbles by encouraging him to bring up wind or ‘burp’. He may spit up
a little of his feed when he does it, so have a muslin handy!
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 (watch our video on how to bottlefeed correctly).
Winding your baby? after a feed
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 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.
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Last Modified: 18/06/2007
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