How to Cure Infant Gas

According to child-health nurse and parenting educator Rowena Bennett, infants suffering from gas experience symptoms such as flatulence termed as passing gas, burping or belching, abdominal cramping or pain, abdominal bloating, constipation, diarrhea, vomiting, spitting up, crying and/or sleep disturbances. Gas symptoms in infants typically are caused from digestion, swallowed air during eating, breast-feeding or bottle-feeding, crying or while sucking on a pacifier, incomplete digestion of milk and/or food, gastrointestinal infections such as the stomach flu, and certain medications, such as those used to treat reflux, pain or fever.

Things You'll Need

• Towel
• Heating pad
• Pediatric massage oil

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Instructions

Treating Infant Gas

• 1

  Burp your infant regularly during feedings to remove excess air swallowed while feeding. Treat infant gas by burping your infant after every two ounces of formula. For breast-fed infants, provide burping time after feeding on each side.

• 2

  Give your infant a warm bath to soothe gas symptoms. A warm bath can help your infant relax and encourage the bowels to expand and release gas. Try rubbing your infant's tummy gently as you bath him to encourage gas release

• 3

  Try warming a towel in the microwave, placing it on your knees and laying your baby down on his stomach on the warm towel to promote passing gas. A heating pad set on the lowest level also can be used. To prevent burns, heat temperatures on either item always should be checked before laying your baby down.

• 4

  Give your infant a tummy massage using oils; massage his tummy in a clockwise motion to encourage gas release. Use long, circular motions, and alternate lifting your infant's legs up in a bicycle motion. Do not give your infant a tummy massage if you have recently tried using a warm bath for gas treatment--combining these methods could create too much stimulation.

• 5

  Consult your pediatrician about side effects before using medications formulated to treat infant gas problems. The effectiveness of these types of medications has not been proved, and they could contain alcohol and medications that create a sedative affect in infants. These types of medications will not reduce or correct the cause of excess gas in your infant, and possible side effects might outweigh the benefits.