It is a very common thing for babies to pass out gas. A normal baby can actually pass out gas about 13 to 21 times daily. The reason is that infants have many chances of swallowing air during activities such as eating, breastfeeding, crying or sucking a pacifier. Once air gets trapped in your baby’s tummy, you may notice that your baby may fart often, cry a lot and even get fuzzy.

Moreover, excess air also causes a hard and bloated tummy and sometimes gassy babies may seem like they are either seriously uncomfortable or in pain. There are, however, a number of things that can make a gassy baby feel relieved.

• During and after nursing
One of the easiest way to make your baby feel relieved is to burp her during and after she nurses. Of course, there is more than one way of burping a baby and all you need to do is experiment and settle for what works for you. Nevertheless, it is worthy to note that it is normal for babies to bring up small amounts of milk when they burp. Thus, before burping your baby, ensure that you put a clean old towel or muslin square over you.

• Over your shoulder
If you choose to burp your baby over your shoulder, then you should begin by holding your baby in such a manner that her chin is resting on your shoulder. Then proceed to support her bottom with one hand, while gently rubbing and patting her back with your other hand. You can be rest assured that she will burp in a short time.

• Sitting on your lap
Aside the shoulder method, you can also burp your baby while she is sitting on your lap. To achieve this, you simply need to sit your baby on your lap, facing away from you. Then use one of your hands to support your baby’s body, notably her chest, while your fingers gently supports her chin and jaw. Nevertheless, ensure that you keep your fingers away from her throat. Proceed by leaning your baby slightly forward and gently patting or rubbing her back for a while with your free hand until your baby eventually burps.

• Face down across your lap
You can as well burp your baby by putting her face down across your lap. You can begin by lying your baby face down on your legs, but at a right angle to your body, so that she lies across your knees. Use one of your hands to support your baby’s chin and jaw, while ensuring that her head is slightly higher than the rest of her body. This position will prevent air from rushing to her head. Then proceed to rub or pat your baby’s back gently with one hand until she burps. Rest assured that once your baby burps, she will be relieved from the discomforts caused by the excess gas in her tummy.

Other common ways to relieve your baby from excess tummy gas include keeping her head higher than her stomach while nursing or feeding her, switching to a slower flow nipple if you are bottle feeding her and above all, gently massaging her back or giving her tummy time.

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