Medical Health Encyclopedia

Spitting up

To reduce spitting up, burp your baby several times during and after feeding. Sit the baby upright, with your hand supporting the head. Let the baby lean over slightly, bending at the waist. The upright posture moves air to the top of the stomach, and the forward lean puts a little pressure on the stomach to eject the air, helping the baby to burp. Avoid pressure on the abdomen, which occurs when holding your baby over your shoulder -- this just causes more expulsion of stomach contents.

Here are other ways to reduce spitting up:

• For breastfed babies, try limiting nursing to just one breast per feeding.
• For bottle-fed babies, avoid feeding large amounts. Instead, feed smaller amounts more frequently. Be sure the nipple doesn't have too large a hole.
• Try holding the baby upright for 15 - 30 minutes after feedings.
• Avoid excessive movement and jiggling during and immediately after feeding.
• When it's time to lay your baby down, try keeping the head of his bed slightly elevated.
• Sometimes, switching formulas or removing a food from the mother's diet (usually cow's milk) will help.

If "projectile" spit-up shoots across the room, it's important to consider a condition called pyloric stenosis. Here, the too-tight valve at the bottom of the stomach needs to be treated.

Text Continues Below

---

References:

Nelson SP, Chen EH, Syniar GM, Christoffel KK. One-Year Follow-up of Symptoms of Gastroesophageal Reflux During Infancy. Pediatrics. 1998; 102(6): e67.

Hassall E. Decisions in diagnosing and managing chronic gastroesophageal reflux disease in children. J Pediatr. 2005; 146(3 Suppl): S3-12.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org). The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. Copyright 2004 A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.