3 common techniques to burp your baby and how often you should do it
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- Common methods of burping a baby include over the shoulder, seated, and lying down.
- You should burp a bottle-fed baby after every two or three ounces they drink.
- For a breastfed baby, you should burp before switching to the other breast.
- Visit Insider's Health Reference library for more advice.
Babies get cranky for a number of different reasons. They may need a nap, some food, or just a good, old-fashioned burp.
Babies often swallow air while eating, which can aggravate their stomachs and make them cranky. That's why you may want to take regular breaks from feeding to help your baby burp it up.
"Sometimes you don't know what they are being fussy about, but if it happens to be after or during feeding, it's a good idea to just pause and burp the baby," says Gladys Vallespir Ellett, RN, a nurse, childbirth educator, and lactation consultant at Hassenfeld Children's Hospital at NYU Langone.
A fussy baby who continues to eat could potentially swallow more air and only become more uncomfortable, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Here's what you need to know for how to burp your baby.
How to burp a baby
According to the AAP, there are three primary methods for burping, two of which Vallespir Ellett discusses in this video.
1) Over the shoulder: Drape a burp cloth over your shoulder in case your baby spits up, and place your baby against it. With your dominant hand, gently pat the baby's back. There's no exact spot to pat, just aim for the area that corresponds to the stomach, she says.
2) Seated: Sit your baby on your leg, and place a burp cloth over your lap. While carefully supporting your baby's jaw and chest with one hand, gently pat his or her back with the other.
3) Laying down: The AAP advises laying your baby across your lap on his or her stomach, making sure the baby's head is higher than the chest and gently pat their back.
Parents should feel free to experiment to determine what works best, Vallespir Ellett says. "It's just trial and error, and parent comfort and confidence." Just make sure you support the baby's head and neck properly, she says.
You should consider making burping a habit
Even if your child is not fussy, the AAP recommends burping your child regularly to slow eating and reduce the amount of air swallowed. For a bottle-fed baby, the AAP advises burping after every two to three ounces drunk. For a breastfed baby, you should burp before switching to the other breast.
Breastfed babies tend to swallow less air, and so they may burp less. Even so, burping can help stimulate them and keep them awake to eat, Vallespir Ellett says.
Insider's takeaway
Babies don't always burp, so don't worry if yours doesn't. If he or she continues to fuss, try different burping positions and pay attention to how the baby responds. "If you've tried it all, sometimes you just have to wait it out," Vallespir Ellett says.
If your baby is acting very uncomfortable, they may have gas trapped lower in the intestinal tract which they need to expel out the other end. Vallespir Ellett suggests laying the baby on a firm surface, taking each leg in a hand and moving them in a bicycling motion.
Over time, feeding and burping your baby will get easier, she says. "The more you do it, the more likely you are going to get to know your baby, and know their behavior and their habits."