Newborns are so cute and snuggly.  Until they fart.  I mean honestly, they can pass their gas with the best of them.  At times I mistake my son for my husband, no joke.  Its hard not to giggle just a little when he toots like a motor boat.  That is, until his little gassy spells turn into a full blown tummy ache.  He cries, and stiffens, fidgets, the whole deal.  Then his toots are no longer cute, but sad.  Who wants to see their baby in pain?  And we know it hurts!  I’ve had gas pains before, and I could see myself crying at 30 years old! 

There are lots of things to try when your baby gets gassy.  My favorite is the bicycle.  Laying the baby down on their backs and making their legs move as if they were riding a bike.  That has always helped my kids get the bubbles out.  More frequent burping during feeding is supposed to be a huge help as well.  Sadly, my kids never really were helped by that one.  No matter how much I burped them they still got a case of the tummy aches. 

If you breastfeed, you can always experiment with your diet, to see if something you are eating is causing the troubles.  For formula fed babies it becomes a little more tricky.  Different bottles and nipples can all be experimented with.  All three of my kids have preferred a different bottle, so I can’t even recommend one, it truly depends on your child.  I can however, suggest a trick to help with the bubbles that are made while making formula.  Each morning, make enough formula to feed your baby for an entire day.  Keep it in a container in the fridge and pour and serve as necessary.  (Bottle warmers are perfect for this!)  Making a large batch of formula and letting it settle gets all those bubbles time to pop and your baby is less likely to drink them.  You can also talk to your doctor who can recommend a different formula for your baby.  And if all else fails, there are gas drops and other remedies that your doctor can recommend that you can try too.  Hopefully in the end you’ll have yourself a happy tooter.

-Stephanie Wright