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How to Burp a Newborn that won’t Burp Easily

How to Burp a Newborn that won’t Burp Easily

Burping is an important bodily function in newborns. Signs baby needs to burp are very important. Newborns have two modes of feeding usually.

  • Breast feeding
  • Bottle feeding

Mostly, it is said that bottle-fed babies need burping. However, breastfed babies also need burping. If you are looking for how to burp a newborn that won’t burp, have a look below:

How to Burp a Newborn that won’t Burp!

For burping a newborn, gentle pats on the bay’s back always work. However, there are three major positions that can help a lot in the burping process.

  • Over the shoulder
  • Sitting on lap
  • Laying in lap on his/her belly

Over the shoulder

This is the most common positioning for burping a newborn baby. Hold the baby against you in one of your hands. Put the baby’s chin over your shoulder. Gently pat the back of the baby. You can do so both while sitting or standing.

Burping a newborn
Keeping a baby upright is good for burping!

Just make sure that you are supporting the baby comfortably. You can hold the baby under his bottom to ensure proper support.

Sitting on lap

Make your baby sit in your lap. Keep him facing away from you. Use the palm of your hand to hold the chin of the baby. Heel of the same hand should be resting on the chest of the baby. In this way, the head and chest of the baby will be supported perfectly. However, be very careful that the chin, and not the throat of the baby, is being hold. Now use the other hand to gently pat the back of the baby. Viola! That burp has arrived!!!!!

Laying in lap on his/her belly

Lay your baby on your lap on his belly. Keep the head slightly higher than the rest of the baby’s body. Hold the chin of the baby and not his throat. Then use the other hand to gently pat the back of the baby.

How to burp a newborn
Focus on baby’s head while he is laying on his tummy!

Some Pro Tips for Burping!!!

If you have tried al the burping positions, but your baby is not burping yet; then go for our pro tips. These tips are linked with your routine actions. Many parents have tried them. They have reported positive outcomes and changes. So, if you are worried about how to burp a newborn that won’t burp, then continue reading below:

1. Look for signs of burping!

This is the most important tip! What if you are trying to burp the baby, but the baby does not need any burp at that time? So, look for signs of burping. Parents try to force a burp. They even panic that something is wrong with the baby. The baby, on the other hand, is completely fine. He does not show any signs of discomfort. This means that he does not want to have a burp at that moment. As a parent, be clear about this thing!! If the baby moves from side to side in discomfort or makes faces while looking at food, then go for burping.

2. Look where you are patting!

The most common mistake that parents make while burping the babies is the body part. Mostly parents pat at the back of the baby. However, they are patting behind the ribs. This is a flawed approach. Always make sure that you are patting behind the stomach area of the baby’s body. Try this and you’ll definitely experience that burp coming out immediately. Your baby will also be relaxed.

3. Posturing your hand correctly!

Parents usually use a flat hand for patting the back of a newborn. However, they also complain that baby won’t burp and gets hiccups or some other thing. One very important reason is that a flat hand is hard for the baby. It can hurt the baby. Therefore, always cup your hand when you pat the baby’s back. A cup shape is much more gentler than a flat hand. It can soothe the baby instead of hurting him.

4. Go for massaging!

You can find bulk of ways for massaging a baby to help him in burping. However, it depends which way will work for your baby. Most commonly bicycling the legs of the babies help a lot in burping. Similarly, pressing and massaging the abdomen of the babies in clockwise direction can also be useful.

how to burp a newborn that won't burp
Massaging baby’s legs and feet help!

Another activity is to lay the baby on the back, holding the knees, flexing the knees up to tummy will do the magic. So, if you want to know how to burp a newborn that won’t burp then go for massaging techniques.

5. Try Babywearing!

If your baby won’t burp and has gas after feeds, try babywearing. In simple words, wear your baby in the baby carrier and continue with your daily chores. Your movements will move the baby as well. When the baby will move, his organs and body parts will also move.

how to burp a newborn that won't burp
Burping positions differ according to the situation at hand!

As a result of all this, the excessive gas will be released after some time. You can move upstairs, change from the sitting position to standing or even bounce a little. All this will be helpful.

6. Go for mid-meal burps

Sometimes, parents wait till the end of the feed to burp the newborn. They may report that the baby is full within a short period. However, this is not what actually happens. Due to the accumulation of gas in the stomach, the baby feels full. In reality, he/she is still hungry. Therefore, the best approach is to try burping the baby often. We have already mentioned experts’ opinions regarding the time for burping above. Follow that course. With time, you will develop synchronicity with your baby’s burping needs. Then you’ll be able to clearly see when the baby wants to burp.

Why is Burping Needed for Newborns?

Sometimes when babies are feeding, they tend to suck in air. As a result, they feel full immediately. This happens when babies feed in a fast speed. This can happen with both bottle-fed and breastfed babies, especially when they hungry. Sometimes, diet of the breastfeeding mothers can also create gas in babies. Similarly, some babies may have intolerance towards specific formulas. Thus, they also suffer from gases. All in all, these gas bubbles create a lot of discomfort for the newborns. When baby won’t burp and has gas, he may become cranky and irritable. Spitting up (wet burps) is also common in such newborns.

As told earlier that babies feel full due to the trapped air. Burping removes that air from stomach. As a result, babies usually start feeding again afterwards. This is another benefit of burping for newborns. Now that the requirement for burping is clear, let’s move to when burping is needed!

When is Burping Needed for Newborns?

Parents usually ask questions like how to burp a baby who is hard to burp or when to stop burping a baby! There are no hard and fast rules on how to burp a newborn that won’t burp. Some babies need to burp during feeding. Some babies need it after they finish feeding. You just have to look for clues. Whenever your baby starts showing signs of discomfort, take a break. Burp the baby. Then check if the baby is still hungry by offering more milk. If your baby remains calm during feeding, then look for signs baby needs to burp after feeding.

Still, if you are a number-oriented mother, suggestions of the experts can be useful:

  • If your baby is breastfed, burping when you switch breasts is the ideal time for burping.
  • If you baby is bottle-fed, burp him after every 2 ounces.

However be careful about clues. Sometimes parents disturb feeding for unnecessary and unrequired burps. This irritates a hungry baby. Resultantly, the baby starts feeding more speedily. The end result in such cases is excessive accumulation of air in baby’s stomach.

Conclusion

Newborn babies are very fragile. They need utmost attention and care from their mothers or primary caregivers. Parents have to keep an eye on everything while caring for infants. Burping is the same.

All in all, answering how to burp a newborn that won’t burp is quite an easy task. It just needs a little bit of patience and practice from the parents. Once you grasp the essence of burping, things will start becoming very easy for you. After the first few months, the baby can even start burping on his own. No help from the parents or caregivers is needed then.

We would be very happy to hear from you on the comments sections of our Facebook page. You can also visit our Quora page. Feel free to leave your comments and queries about how to burp a newborn that won’t burp!

About The Author

Affaf Amjad

Having an MPhil in Applied psychology and being a mother of three kids, I have always tried to try and test different psychological interventions and approaches in the day-to-day routine of my kids. Sharing my results and effective strategies with parents around the globe is the my main aim as a writer.

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