when do babies start bringing too wind for themselves

[goneHaywire]

dd 6mo is able to expel wind from the bottom end but what about burping? when will I be able to stop winding? will she ever stop waking up at night with trapped wind?

[Purplelooby]

Bit confused - does she burp when you wind her??

[crochetcircle]

My dd2 has been bringing up burps unaided since about 3 months old. She's got a very strong beck which might help... I can't remember when I stopped winding my first. I'll be interested to see what others say - I would guess there's a huge range.

[tiktok]

Babies are usually able to burp by themselves from birth - a lot of the patting and winding we do is a waste of time, really (not saying it's all a waste of time for everyone.....). Other cultures think we're mad.

Why do you think it's trapped wind waking her, goneHaywire?

[MamaMary]

tiktok that is really interesting. What do other cultures do? I feel like I need to spend ages winding my DD every time she comes off the breast. She won't go on again until she has burped.

[Zara1984]

Tiktok that's very interesting!! I wish I could put it into practice (I fecking hate winding) but I'm always terrified DS will throw up most of the contents of his bottle if I put him down to bed without burping. Now I think maybe he voms for fun rather than due to not winding ;)

[goneHaywire]

tiktok she's writhing and straining to push out something, on pumping her legs and rubbing her back a large amount if wind eventually comes out

[ZuleikaD]

The HV told me the same as tiktok and consequently I've never winded a baby - they can struggle to pass it but apparently there's nothing you can really do to help!

[tiktok]

What do other cultures do?

Nothing :)

They worry about other things that we don't worry about, instead. Keeping the baby's kidneys warm, that sorta stuff :) It would make an interesting thread for people from a non-UK culture or with grannies and mothers from a non-UK culture to contribute to.

I don't think there is anything wrong with 'helping' a baby burp. The cuddling, closeness and soothing is nice, and the change of position may well help dislodge an air bubble. Individual babies do seem to need help and specific patting or whatever.....but probably not as many babies as is thought.

Babies do burp after a period of crying and unsettledness and seem happier afterwards so maybe in those instances the lack of burp was bothering them....but crying causes an intake of air anyway.

I'd still wonder if your baby is waking because of 'trapped wind' haywire - but I can't prove anything :) Pumping her legs and rubbing her back may well release a burp, and she may be calmer afterwards, but maybe she would have burped anyway, and the calmness comes from the attention and contact you give her.

emoticon :)

[Purplelooby]

I wonder whether other cultures just generally keep their babies upright more often, for example by baby wearing? Just a theory, because DS always does HUGE burps when I let him sit upright, but the rubbing/patting really doesn't seem to make a difference.

[tiktok]

purple, yes some other cultures do the upright thing, and definitely the change in position seems to be linked with burps.

[ZuleikaD]

Minor digression into other cultures... a friend of mine had a cleaner who also helped out with the baby, and she used to try and 'stretch' the baby - literally pulling her arms and legs in vertically opposite directions. Not till she yelped or anything - the baby seemed fine with it - but it still horrified my friend (and me when she told me). Apparently it's just what they do in the cleaner's part of Nigeria to ensure they grow up with straight spines. Or something.

[tiktok]

There was a thread on MN a while ago, started by a mother who was horrified when her dh's relatives turned the newborn baby upside down and started to spin it - essential in that culture (can't remember where it was now) for something or other :(

[silverangel]

We gave burping DTs when it became apparent it didn't make a difference how long we patted / rubbed for. The best way to make them burp was to go from sitting to standing and tip them back slightly, they usually did a huge burp on the way back!

[Purplelooby]

LMAO at the strange essential cultural things, but I bet they all have a reason (though not necessarily a relevant one...). Come to think about it, the stretching thing sounds a bit like some stuff that we did in our baby massage - it wasn't part of the massage, it was sort of exercise stretchy thing.

OP are you still here? I would say that considering the above information, the answer is 'when they spend time upright'.

[Purplelooby]

(or if that fails, turn them upsidedown and spin them around )

[oldebaglady]

I don't do patting at all, do just postion up-ish for a bit after feeds (a cuddle basically) but IMO, people pat, then wind comes up, then people connect the two whereas it was gonna come up anyway!

same for my DC1