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Congratulations on bringing your little bundle of joy home! It is now time to put all the knowledge which you attained in those nine months of pregnancy to the actual test. Jokes apart, studying about a baby, his behavior is completely different from the scenario when the baby is home. Whether you are breastfeeding or giving formula to the little one, of the most important tasks to care for is – burping. Among other things, ‘how to make a baby burp’ is a question parents are most paranoid about. Most of the time even with the best techniques a baby refuses to burp. And that makes the parents scared and paranoid. While most babies burp easily, it is not the case for all.
How to make a baby burp?
A well-noted point which we would like to reiterate here is the fact, that burp is not always the sure-shot sign that the milk is digested or air bubbles have passed out. There are many babies who don’t burp that often and are still happy and gay. Whether your little one is breast milk or formula milk, or even when you have breastfeeding problems, she can swallow in air bubbles, which might make her fussy post-meal times. Also, when air bubbles get trapped in the stomach, they take up most of the space, and hence the baby can feel fuller even before the entire feed is over.
One of the most common questions which then comes up is ‘Can I burp my baby in between the feeds?’. Well, the answer to this is YES. It is ideally the best practice to burp your baby in between the feed and when the feed is over. In the case of formula feeds, do this when you have reached halfway down the bottle. While these are the most common practices mothers follow across the world, it is best to take things up as per the schedule and habits of your own baby.
Top 3 positions which will help your baby burp in an easy manner:
1. The classic shoulder position
Hold your little one with her head upright, resting on your shoulder. Use one hand for supporting her bottom, and with the other gently pat on her back. The pat should just be gentle, it should not be too soft, or the air bubble might come up only.
2. The belly flop
This is also one of the tried and tested techniques and generally used in the initial few days when the baby is just a few days old and parents might be apprehensive of holding the baby upon their shoulders. Place your baby on her tummy over your lap. When the baby is on her tummy, this puts pressure on the tummy and then the air bubbles are naturally coaxed out of the system. Just pat gently for more encouragement.
3. The throne
Hold your infant in a seated position on your lap. This can be a tricky position as an infant or newborn is still very fragile and is not able to support her neck. Support her neck and chest with one hand and with the other pat her back.
We are sure with these techniques burping will become an easy part of life for you and your little ones. Watch out for these tips while burping your baby:
- Always keep a burp cloth handy or in vicinity when burping. You might never know a spit up might be on its way as it is a very common occurrence during the burp sessions.
- A gentle pat on the baby’s back will just do the trick for you, but still, a certain percentage of infants require a firmer pat.
- Last but not the least, it is completely okay if your baby doesn’t burp. Not burping sometimes is a completely normal thing. So, don’t fret the next time if you did not hear your baby burp.
Additional source: https://ingeniousbaby.com/sleep-sack/
Now that you know how to make a baby burp, you can rest assured about your bundle of joy and be a master in baby care. Isn’t that easy? Have you tried any other effective baby burping positions? Tell us in the comments below if you did.
