Do we really have to burp babies? Here’s what the research says

Parents often deliberate Burp babies after feeding. Some people think that burping after feeding is like that essential to reduce or prevent unpleasant crying or to reduce the amount of milk your baby regurgitates after feeding.

It’s true, like children adults, they swallow air while eating. Burping releases this air from the upper a part of the digestive tract. So when a baby cries after feeding, many assume it’s because they need to burp. However, this isn’t necessarily true.

Why do babies cry or “spit up” after feeding?

Babies cry for a lot of reasons that have nothing to do with “trapped air.”

They cry after they are hungry, cold, hot, scared, drained, lonely, overwhelmed, needing help from an adult to calm down, feel discomfort or pain, or for no identifiable reason. We actually have a reputation for crying for no known reason; it’s named “colic”.

‘Spitting up’ – when a baby gently regurgitates a little bit of milk after a feed – is common because a muscle in the newborn’s upper abdomen isn’t fully ripe. This signifies that what goes down can too easily come back up.

Spitting up often happens when a baby’s stomach may be very full, pressure is placed on the belly, or the baby is lifted after lying down.

Spitting up after feeding decreases as the baby gets older. Three quarters of the children one month spit after feeding at the least once a day. Only half of babies are still spitting up after five months, and just about all (96%) stop spitting up by their first birthday.

There is not much research on burping in babies.
antoniodiaz/Shutterstock

Does burping help reduce crying and spitting?

Even though parents are advised to burp their babies, there isn’t much scientific evidence on the subject.

One study conducted in India encouraged caregivers of 35 newborns to burp, while caregivers of 36 newborns weren’t supplied with any details about burping.

Over the next three months, moms and caregivers recorded whether their baby spit up after feeding and whether it showed signs of intense crying.

This study found that burping didn’t reduce crying, but actually increased spitting.

When should I be concerned about spitting or crying?

Most crying and spitting is normal. However, these behaviors aren’t:

refuses to feed

she is vomiting a lot that the milk gain is slow

coughing or wheezing, restlessness while feeding

vomiting blood.

If your child experiences any of those symptoms, please contact your doctor or health visitor.

If your baby seems unbothered by the vomiting and doesn’t have some other symptoms, it’s probably a laundry problem slightly than something else I want medical help.

It is normal for kids to often cry and fuss; two hours a day, about the first one six weeks is average.

By the time they’re three months old, this often reduces to about one hour a day.

Crying more often doesn’t necessarily mean that something is mistaken. The intense, inconsolable crying related to colic is experienced up to 1 / 4 of young children however it goes away by itself over time.

If your baby is crying greater than usual or for those who are anxious that something is mistaken, it’s best to contact your doctor or health visitor.

If your baby likes to be burped, this shouldn’t be done. But don’t stress for those who skip it.
Miljan Zivkovic/Shutterstock

Not everyone burps their child

Burping babies seems to be a standard practice in some parts of the world and never in others.

For example, a study conducted in Indonesia showed that the majority of moms breastfeed he burped rarely or never their children after feeding.

An element which will influence whether a culture encourages burping could also be related to one other aspect of infant care: the period of time the baby is carried.

Carrying your baby in a wrap or baby carrier may reduce the time children are crying.

Babies carried vertically on the belly of their mother or other caregiver undoubtedly find comfort on this closeness and movement.

Babies in slings are also held firmly and upright, which helps swallowed air rise and escape through burping if essential.

Using wraps could make caring to your baby easier. Studies (including randomized controlled trials) have also shown that ladies lower rates of postpartum depression AND breastfeed longer after they use a shawl to carry babies.

It is vital that baby carriers and wraps are used safely, so please sustain to date with the latest advice how to do it.

Make sure you are up to date with the latest advice on how to use a shawl safely.
Ground photo/Shutterstock

So should I burp my baby?

The bottom line is: it’s up to you.

Burping your baby gently isn’t harmful. If you’re feeling that burping is useful to your baby, keep doing what you’re doing.

If trying to burp your baby after every feeding is stressing you or your baby, you do not have to proceed doing it.