Tips to help calm a crying baby with Trapped Wind

Stomach pangs and trapped wind baby problems can often be problematic. Typically, they go away when the baby is burping. But sometimes, it’s also challenging to help the baby burp.

You can try techniques like trapped wind baby massage, try to sit them upright, or change the way you feed the baby. But some of the wind-trapped baby problems need medical care.

Yes, burping your baby helps. But it takes getting used to a few techniques to pass the wind trapped inside. Also, not all techniques work on all babies. This article discusses why wind gets trapped inside a baby and ways to help them burp it out.

What is Trapped Wind in Babies?

Trapped wind happens to your baby when they are crying or yawning. It is common among babies when they are about 3 months old, and their digestive system matures.

Trapped wind can cause discomfort in babies. This condition is also known as colic. It’s a condition common among healthy babies; it may occur when they swallow air when crying, feeding, and yawning. Signs like squirming and arched back give you the visual signs of the baby having wind trapped inside.

Babies have unique ways of expressing these discomforts. The same goes for what they feel comfortable about.

However, sometimes, air can build up inside your baby’s stomach. And the most common reasons include them feeling unsettled while feeding.

The problem of trapped wind in babies is predominant when they are 2 to 4 weeks, old lasting for 6 weeks. 

Signs and Symptoms of Trapped Wind

Trapped wind in babies or a baby getting gas can happen for multiple reasons. It happens when air gets inside their digestive tract. You’ll see a baby having this discomfort when they have the following problems —

• swallowing air
• Have acidity
• Minor digestive problems
• Immature digestive tracts
• Gestational virus, etc.

Let’s dive into more details about what causes the wind to trap inside a baby —

Swallowing Air

When the baby doesn’t latch on to the breast correctly, they have a high chance of swallowing lots of air. This is a common reason for wind getting trapped inside them. When they nurse or drink from a bottle lying down, they start to swallow air by babbling too much.

Excessive Crying

Babies start to swallow air while crying. If this causes trapped wind in babies, then there’s hardly any reason to worry. They’ll pass the air on their own after crying.

However, remember that it’s not always easy to tell why the baby is crying and if the gas is trapped inside because of crying. So, right after you see them crying, it’s best to try to soothe them so that the wind doesn’t stay trapped inside.

Minor Digestive Issues

When the baby is constipated, it may cause trapped wind baby’s problems. This typically happens because of acid reflux. If you see that the baby is constantly getting acidity and gas, it’s best to consult your pediatrician.

Immature digestive tract

Babies aged a month or two are still developing their digestive tracts. So, it’s quite common for them to have acidity than adults. This acidity can form gas, causing the wind to stay trapped inside.

Trapped wind baby problems also occur when the baby is vomiting, has diarrhea, or similar digestive issues.

How to Prevent Trapped Wind in Babies?

There’s no need for an explanation that prevention is better than cure. And there are some techniques to prevent trapped wind from forming in the first place.

However, remember that there’s no foolproof technique to actually stop wind from getting trapped inside your baby. But here are some things mothers keep trying generation after generation –

1. Your baby tends to swallow much air while breastfeeding or bottle feeding while lying down.  So, consider sitting them upright as you breastfeed or bottle-feed them.
2. Since bottle feeding can cause your baby to swallow up the air, you can also try to use an anti-colic bottle. These bottles are specially designed to help babies feed without swallowing air. Alongside better feeding techniques, these bottles may be of extreme help.

The hole in the teat of the feeding bottle needs to be of the right size. If it’s too big, the hole can cause your baby to swallow lots of air while they’re trying to drink too much at once.

How to Relieve Trapped Wind Baby Problems?  Home Remedies to Try

Well, if prevention doesn’t work, you’ll have to resort to care and treatment. Here are some of the best home remedies to try if your baby has trapped wind inside –

Moving their Legs

A good and most common way of relieving a baby of the trapped wind inside is through this trick. This is the moving legs technique. You have to put the baby flat on their back and hold their legs up with the knees bent. Now, they start moving their legs in a motion as if they are riding a bicycle. This is one of the easiest ways of releasing the wind trapped inside.

Hold them Upright

Not only when they are trying to sleep, but the best way to relieve your baby of that air trapped inside them is by holding them upright.  They will start to burp if the baby has gas trapped inside. Burping is a technique that works the best to pass the air. And holding them in an upright position helps make it even easier to burp. So, you get the point.

A Car Ride Sounds Nice

Well, this might seem a little unusual. But it’s a lot easier to relieve a baby of the trapped wind when they are enjoying a car ride – especially on a bumpy road. When the baby is taking a car ride on a bumpy road, the rocking can help them ease the discomfort and promote burping.

Gentle Tummy Massage

Tummy massage works amazingly to get rid of wind trapped inside a baby. There are all sorts of baby massage techniques, including the “I Love You massage,” “clockwise motion,” “hands of a clock,” “padding, fulling,” etc. Massage can help the body circulate the wind trapped inside your baby.

Feeding Tips to Prevent Trapped Wind in Babies

Following are the feeding techniques for babies that keep having wind trapped in their tummy –

Upright Sitting When Feeding: When feeding your little one, make sure that they are seated in an upright position.

Pause for Burping: Pause when feeding your little one and give them some time to burp.

Make Sure that Bottle Flow isn’t too High: Babies get wind trapped inside if the flow of feeding is too fast. So, make sure to slow down or use a feeding nipple with a lower flow.

Tilt the Bottle: when feeding, make sure that the feeding bottle is tilted. This ensures the steady and slow flow of milk in the nipple.

Don’t Overfeed: overfeeding can also cause wind to get trapped inside the baby’s tummy.

Find What Works for Your Baby: Positions for Burping

Your baby might need a different position to be able to burp. Sometimes the best tips on other babies may not work on your baby. But, with some experimentation, you can help your baby relieve that extra air trapped inside.

Now, if you are trying to burp your baby milk can come out with the air that’s trapped inside.  You can try wrapping a piece of clothing around their neck to prevent it. It would also be nice to have a bib for your baby.

However, if you are trying to burp your baby, you can try the following positions –

1. Over Your Shoulder: the best and easiest way to burp a baby is by resting it on your shoulder. While putting the baby on the back, use one of your hands to support the bottom. Use the other hand to pat the babies back gently. This will help the baby burp easily.
2. Sitting on Your Lap: sitting on the lap. Remove your baby’s face from the lap and use your palm to support their chin and face. Also, leaning them slightly forward while gently patting their back also works.
3. Face Down Across Your Lap: This is another position to help your baby burp.

When Should You Worry?

Trapped wind in babies is common. But, under several circumstances, babies may need medical help. If you are facing any of the following symptoms, contact the doctor ASAP.

When the baby cries for an extended period, it’s best to take them to the doctor. This is important when the baby starts to cry too much after the first month. Having there are more people will

Also, if trapped wind is causing feeding difficulty, it’s also a good time to take the baby to the healthcare provider. Sometimes, other problems like diarrhea, fever, and vomiting can also accompany these symptoms.

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