What causes trapped wind in babies?
Wind in babies is caused by trapped air bubbles in their stomachs, which they are unable to expel and thus require assistance in doing so. Wind is extremely common, especially between the newborn and three-month stages, as a baby's digestive system matures. Some babies can suffer for months with trapped wind, while others may have no problems at all - it truly is a matter of chance and varies from baby to baby.
When it comes to wind, prevention is the preferable cure. When less air enters your baby's tummy in the first place, they will experience less trapped wind. The most common cause of baby wind is when they swallow too much air when breastfeeding or from a bottle.
If you're breastfeeding and your baby is experiencing trapped wind, they may not be latching on effectively. Try sitting them upright during feeds.
When bottle feeding your baby, sit them upright. Make sure you tip the bottle high enough so the milk fills the whole teat as they’re feeding. This will help prevent the baby from ingesting too much air along with their milk. Also, shaking your baby’s bottle to mix up a feed or ensuring that all the milk inside is at the same temperature can introduce air bubbles.
It may also help to try a different kind of bottle or a slower-flowing teat. If your baby is guzzling down their bottle of milk very quickly, then chances are they’ll be taking in a lot of air along with their feed.
How To Relieve Trapped Wind
Burp Your Baby
Burping your baby by patting or rubbing their back is one of the most effective ways to induce burping. Keep a muslin cloth handy in case your baby brings up some of his feed with it. You should experiment with different positions for rubbing your baby's back. Find the position that works best for your baby, whether over your shoulder, sitting up while you support them, or tummy-down on your lap.
Lie baby on their back
You may have already seen the viral TikTok video going around of how to relieve trapped wind from your baby, and it does work! Hold their feet and do a bicycle motion with their legs for a bit, making sure to straighten their legs right out, too, then press them up into their body until you meet resistance. Hopefully, you will hear a nice little toot, so you know you’re on the right track. Carry on until no more gas seems to be passing.
How Can The Babocush Help Trapped Wind In Babies?
It’s not always possible to hold and burp our babies 24/7, so if your baby suffers particularly from wind or colicky symptoms, it can be difficult to settle them. But this can mean you never have your hands free. Not ideal if you are a busy parent!
The babocush is designed to help ease symptoms of trapped wind and colic. By positioning your baby comfortably and securely on the babocush instead of laying them on their back after feeding and burping, you can help to soothe and settle your baby. Find out more about the benefits of the babocush, including colic and reflux relief, as well as easing trapped wind.
