What's your best burping technique?

[rumtumtugger]

I'd like to try out some new tried and tested techniques for getting those last stubborn pockets of air out!

[FavoriteThings]

My babies were so bad that they were still being sick when they first started crawling. . I seriously started to wonder if I was going to have the only children on the planet who would still be being sick even when crawling all the time, and when they stood up too! Fortunately it was after about 2 weeks of being able to crawl that they stopped being sick. Phew.

[tiktok]

FavouriteThings, I don't know what I have done to annoy you, honestly. Sorry if have misquoted you - I can't see where I have done this! I quoted part of a post, but did not attribute it to you.

I am not saying no baby suffers from wind. I am not saying people should never burp.

I am asking for evidence that most babies must be burped because otherwise the wind travels through their system and causes pain. It is not credible that most babies are born without the ability to manage their 'excess' wind themselves.

Yes, many countries also burp their babies - it's very common. But it is still a cultural notion that all babies need to have it done to them. Usually the act of moving the baby to a sitting or semi-upright position allows the wind to be released and the patting etc is (probably) irrelevant - there's nothing wrong with doing it as long (obvs) it's not done to the point that a sleepy baby is kept awake :)

Really, I just don't get your challenging tone towards me, and you don't seem willing to explain, so I'm out :)

[FavoriteThings]

Not sure whether to respond or not. And you dont have to reply back to me.

You made it look like I was annoyed when I wasnt. I dont know if that was your intention, because it looked like that. Also your post made it look like that was my quote, when it wasnt.

fwiw, I have never "met" you on MN in my life before as far as I know.

I find posters wanting evidence for everything curious. A person doesnt do it in rl so I find it very odd that a few posters wont accept anything or consider anything on MN which doesnt agree with their life pov, unless there is "evidence".

So if for example there wre out of a birth rate of say 800,000 babies per year, "evidnce" that 300,000 need winding and 500,000 dont, what does that "prove"?

[tiktok]

But, but......FT, my post with the quote came immediately after yours, but that does not mean it was a response to yours, or that I was quoting you....this is how a talkboard works, sometimes 'cross-posting' happens. Contiguous posts are not necessarily in conversation with each other (this is why there is a convention to use the poster's name at the start of a post, if it is directed at one person in particular).

You certainly sounded annoyed, with your comment about this folder having a bad rep! But maybe I got that wrong, sorry.

I don't know why it is odd to ask people for evidence - my concern was that when someone said (not you) that most babies are likely to be in pain unless they are winded, it adds to the worries and nervousness of new mothers...unnecessarily. If this is true, then I'd like to see evidence (there is none, AFAIK). I think mothers have enough worries without adding to them.

(Yes, I have had babies, since you ask - I have three children).

[FavoriteThings]

Thank you for your last post.

I dont know if Zing is right in saying "most" babies , or not. But I would say that there are a considerable number. But who can tell what number exactly. 300,000 or 600,000. Who knows? Which is why I asked whether you were in science or early years or whatever.

I dont think parents need to be worried either way. Just take babs along to the GP or health visitor. Absolutely all new parents need help. No shame in that.

[neversleepagain]

I remember burping my twins and how the whole feeding process would take ages! I found rotating them on your knee helped to get out the stubborn wind and rocking them back and forth on gently on your knee. I would also sometimes put them on their stomach and rub their back.

The middle of the night feeds were the worst. Exhausted and trying to burp one tiny baby before her sister woke for her feed. How quickly the memories fade.

[worsestershiresauce]

I started out with the opinion burping was a rather odd concept that I wouldn't bother with. I soon worked out that if I didn't dd would declare she was full, when all she actually was was full of air. 5 minutes into her nap she'd wake up screaming, sick up some milk, and then want another feed.

It was so much easier to just burp her, feed her until she was full, and put her down for her nap minus the wind bubble that would otherwise wake her up.

If this is a cultural thing on my part I'm amazed. I thought it was a sanity thing myself.

[MrsPennyapple]

If I'm eating and need to burp, sitting up straight helps expel the air. Therefore it seems logical to me that a young baby who is unable to straighten their back might struggle to bring wind up. It feels uncomfortable to me if I don't expel that air, so it's reasonable to assume it's uncomfortable for a baby too. Therefore, based purely on my own experience, when I've fed DS, I will attempt to burp him.

If nothing is forthcoming I don't worry about it though, I might attempt a couple of positions but I don't spend ages on it. I'm more likely to try and encourage him to fart, as he has often taken ages to settle at night, and only gone to sleep once he's done a massive fart.

[magicstars]

I was shown two great techniques by people not living in the UK. Sit baby with little legs between your legs, your leg with baby's bum on slightly raised and baby tilted forwards, hand around chin to support neck, stroke upwards. Taught by an elderly Algerian lady. Russian babies also need burping - Russian lady taught me a similar method to use whilst standing up, but too tricky to try and write down and effectively the same as the first.

[Khaleese]

Pop on the knee and gently vibrate knee. No burping as such.

A friend brought her baby round and he was getting big slaps on the back!! I had to excuse myself.

[minipie]

I am asking for evidence that most babies must be burped because otherwise the wind travels through their system and causes pain. It is not credible that most babies are born without the ability to manage their 'excess' wind themselves.

tiktok I agree there's no evidence (unless you count infacol and gripe water sales, which I don't). but I disagree that it's not credible. that's like saying "it's not credible that most babies need help in order to fall asleep when they are tired" or "it's not credible that most babies will have to go through pain in order to get their teeth". both these things seem like cruel design flaws which you'd think evolution would have sorted out, but nonetheless they appear to be true. same applies to inability to burp/discomfort if wind is not expelled. I think the "fourth trimester" theory has a lot of sense.

[DesperatelySeekingSedatives]

Both of my babies were little windbags. DD especially really suffered if she wasn't burped (think knees up to her chin and screaming in pain and discomfort) and was sometimes violently sick as a result.

I found hoiking baby up under the armpits and 'bumping' them on my lap slightly while they leaned forward a bit helped. My stepmum swore by walking up and down the stairs (burns some calories at the same time) once or twice. My sister was a stubborn burper apparently.

[MissYamabuki]

DD never needed burping. She was mixed-fed and if she needed to burp after a feed, she would - little burps, big burps, hilariously massive burps - without intervention. But mostly she wouldn't burp and settled happily.

MIL was obsessed with wind and burping and during her visits would insist on snatching DD as soon as she was finished for the (apparently compulsory) 10-15 mins of back slapping and changing positions. She would get increasingly worked up if The Burp didn't materialise. DD would miss her sleep window and get very upset indeed, then MIL would say "you see, she's got wind". Just give me my baby back FFS.

I do realise for some people trapped wind can be a problem, but I wouldn't assume an uncomfortable baby needs burping.

Good luck

[lpbarton]

pop your little one on your arm, head up elbow end with arms and legs dangling down and gentle bump their bottom. Hugh relief and a bug burp!

[Ohnoididntdidi]

Sit them up straight on a hard surface then bend them forwards, trying to keep their back straight

[Sunflower1985]

Any good tips for trapped wind at the other end. My ds is getting this every morning for the past 2 weeks from 4am to 7am ish. Straining and grumbling. Struggling to sleep and making himself sick. I cycle his legs and have some massage techniques, but wonder if there's anything else I can do??

[MrTumblesKnickers]

This is really interesting, I had no idea there was controversy surrounding burping! DD wasn't a particularly windy baby and was also carted around in a sling most of the time so was upright.

However, my ILs were obsessed with burping her, whenever they held her it was always standing, whilst patting and jiggling. Even when she was obviously quite comfortable, it used to drive me mad.

[marzipananimal]

both mine pretty much burped themselves, I just sat them upright after a feed and maybe stroked their backs a bit to straighten them

[NoComet]

Surely the idea is baby feeds, baby falls a sleep.

Jiggling baby wakes it up, therefore I never did.

[FavoriteThings]

Star. But baby couldnt possibly fall asleep as baby hadnt taken much feed. And couldnt and wouldnt take any more until wind had come up. And in my case, babies prem and tiny, so couldnt let go short on a feed each and every time. btw scbu nurses had trouble too. And if you jiggled baby too hard, baby spewed everywhere anyway, so had to start again.

[ZingWantsCake]

sunflower gently massage baby's tummy in a reverse C direction - start from just below right ribcage and do clocwise a circular motion.
?
...?
?

like that

this follows the shape of the lower intestine and the direction is the same as the movement of bowel contents and gas.

start gently and as you learn and feel what you are doing you can add slightly more pressure.
I used to feel "bubbling" under my fingers which was usually followed by poo/gas and pain gone.

you can try lying baby on its back and gently push bent legs towards tummy as if you were trying to push knees towards their chest, but not that far - babies do this anyway.
or try a cycling/pedalling motion.

all of these massages/pressure applying should be done gently and you might need a good 5 minutes to get a result.

[jellyfl00d]

In my experience the majority of new baby's need winding and a lot of the techniques already described usually do the trick. I usual use sitting them on my knee and supporting the head with a hand whilst rubbing the back quite effective.
However older babies don't seem to need all if this and often sitting up or a change in position often brings up wind without any other intervention.

[PipkinsPal]

I was going to say drink dandelion and burdock it makes the most satisfying bloke burps and then I realised it was under a baby category

[HeroineChick]

I've had three babies

None ever needed burping

They were all bf in case that is of any relevance but I doubt it

[HeroineChick]

LMAO Pipkins :D