One of the more satisfying aspects of feeding your baby is when you hear a loud burp, letting you know that your baby got rid of that nasty, extra air. If your baby doesn’t get rid of the extra air she takes in from eating, she could spit up or become cranky. With practice, you can learn how to get your baby to burp quickly during and after each feeding session. Varying your burping routine can help your baby burp faster.
Step 1
Put a burp cloth over your shoulder or over your lap. A burp cloth can be an actual burp cloth you might have received at your baby shower, or you can use a cloth diaper, a dishrag or a small towel. You want to protect your clothes in case your baby spits up a little (or a lot) while burping.
Step 2
Hold your baby against your chest. Make sure his chin is on your shoulder. Hold your baby’s lower back or hold him under his butt with one hand and pat his upper back gently with your other hand. You can do this sitting, standing or walking. Some people like to sit in a rocking chair or walk because the rocking or walking motion may help your baby burp faster.
Step 3
Sit your baby down on your lap toward your knees. Support her by holding her chest and her chin with one hand, but be careful not to strangle her by placing your hand on her throat. Pat your baby’s back with your free hand. Patting harder doesn’t help your baby to burp faster. You only have to pat gently.
Step 4
Lay your baby face down on your lap with his head slightly over your legs. Hold his chin up a little so that it’s higher than his chest. Pat your baby on the back gently.
Step 5
Burp your baby during and at the end of feeding instead of only burping one time at the end. If your baby swallows too much air during feeding, she might feel full and not eat enough. Typically, bottle-fed babies swallow more air than breast-fed babies do. You should burp a bottle-fed baby every 2 to 3 ozs. and a breast-fed baby after your switch breasts. You can burp your baby more often if she tends to be fussy or gassy.
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