Most babies experience trapped or uncomfortable wind at some point in the first year of their life. I often get parents reaching out for support for their unsettled, windy baby and wondering what they can do to help them and so I wanted to share some top tips for reducing wind in your baby.
The best thing you can do is to try and prevent the intake of excess air to stop it travelling down to your babies tummy and causing them grief. When a baby is struggling with wind they are likely to be cranky, unsettled, cry, pull their knees into their tummy and be more wiggly. Once they have removed the trapped wind they tend to be more settled and relaxed once more.
There are a number of medications and oral solutions that you can give to babies (check age requirement if using) but there is NO scientific evidence to show that these are actually effective. I personally think some of the super sweet sugary type of drops just taste yummy to baby so it acts as a distraction as they like the taste!
The best thing to do to help your baby is to prevent any excess air entering their digestive system and using techniques to keep the tummy soft and relaxed. With that in mind here are some of my top tips to prevent excess air causing an issue for your little one…
1. Early feeding cues.
When your baby is crying this can mean that they are already hungry. Spotting early feeding cues can mean you are ready to feed them before they go from 0-100 in what seems like 3 seconds flat. These cues can take a while to spot and you will need to watch your baby closely for them but when you do start to notice them and you become familiar with your little ones subtle signs telling you that they are beginning to get hungry you will be ready, and as a result they wont go nuclear on you and end up swallowing lots more air which will give them that discomfort we are trying to prevent.
2. Optimising the latch and feeding positions.
Ensure that you baby is latching on to either the breast or bottle effectively to optimise their feeding. If their latch isn’t as effective as it can be air can creep in and be swallowed again causing uncomfortable wind in their belly. If you are not sure about how you can optimise your baby’s latch there is support available. For breastfeeding mothers find a local qualified breastfeeding supporter, group or IBCLC who can offer you advice, alternatively you can call The National Breastfeeding Helpline 0300 100 0212. For bottle feeding mothers reach out to your Health Visitor or a feeding supporter who can offer proper advice or book a support session with Baby & Me.
3. Winding.
It is important to wind your baby regularly. Ideally if your baby struggles with wind, winding during and after a feed is recommended (particularly for bottle fed babies as they do take in more air when feeding). If you are breast feeding use any natural breaks in feeding to wind your little one. Experiment with winding positions and techniques for your little one to see what works for them.
4. Don’t shake it!
If you are bottle feeding don’t shake the bottle when making up your baby’s formula. Shaking the bottle introduces air bubbles into the milk which are them swallowed. Instead, either roll it between your hands, swirl it gently or use a sterilised spoon to gently stir it in if rolling and swirling don’t work.
5. Massage.
To help keep your baby’s comfort levels high use regular baby massage to remove wind from their digestive system so it doesn’t build up and cause a problem. You can focus on the tummy massage strokes a couple of times a day to maintain a nice, relaxed tummy if needed. Remember to only massage your little one when they are awake and happy and hold off for around 20-40 minutes post feed so they don’t end up bringing their milk right back up again.
Has your little one experienced uncomfortable wind? What have you found helps them? Share your experience and tips in the comments!
Want to learn the Baby & Me Baby Massage strokes for the tummy? Click HERE to purchase our baby massage course to do in your own time. If you would like some in person support or zoom support to help you with reducing and managing your little ones digestive issues book in for a colic support session HERE.
