Bringing a baby to the world is always a pleasurable experience. However, babies don’t come with instructional manuals which leave you wondering about certain details about their growth and development. After a few months of caring for your baby, you may wonder, “What age do you stop burping babies?” Let’s find out in this article.
Why do you need to burp your baby?
You need to burp babies to get rid of excess gas that they ingest during either bottle-feeding or breastfeeding. Moreover, if you don’t allow your baby to burp after feeding, the air bubble in their tiny digestive systems may cause discomfort and probably further complications.
Burping your baby is important for your baby’s health. However, if you notice other complications such as acid reflux and severe colic, you may want to consult your pediatrician to identify any underlying problem in your baby’s health. Moreover, your baby might be allergic to the formula that you are feeding him or her, so you might want to consider changing to a formula that works better for your baby.
What age do you stop burping babies?
There is no exact age that you have to stop burping babies since there are many factors that may affect this development. Moreover, breast milk and formula milk may also affect when your baby is ready to burp on his or her own. Generally, when your baby is about 4-9 months old, he or she is ready to burp on his or her own.
When you stop burping your baby between 4-9 months old, you may also notice that your baby burps during some physical activity. Usually, this age range is also the time that your baby may drop to one nap and get ready to walk. Moreover, when you stop burping your baby, it means that your baby has reached a new milestone that can make any parent proud.
This age range of 4-9 months old is a big gap that may confuse first-time parents when they really need to stop burping their babies. Moreover, if you have twins or multiples, you might get overwhelmed and not know when to exactly stop burping your babies. There are some signs that you can look out for when you should stop burping your babies.
Signs that you can stop burping your baby
A newborn will have to be burped more frequently than babies that are a few months old. However, first-time parents may not immediately know when they should stop burping their baby. Here are some tell-tale signs that you can stop burping your baby:
- Your baby can burp on his or her own
- Once your baby is no longer feeling discomfort due to gas pains
- When your baby begins to be more mobile
- When your baby begins to stand and walk
- Your baby begins to eat more solid foods
- Baby’s digestive system becomes less sensitive
Do you always need to burp a baby after feeding?
You would always need to burp a baby after feeding when he or she is 3 months old and below. However, once your baby reaches the 4-month mark, depending on your baby’s diet and activity he or she may be able to burp on his or her own. On the other hand, you may need to burp your baby up to 9 months of age when you notice that he or she is still experiencing gastric discomfort after feeding or is still unable to burp on his or her own.
Burping formula-fed babies vs. breastfed babies
Formula-fed babies and breastfed babies may have certain differences when it comes to burping. Moreover, you may stop burping breastfed babies sooner than you would stop burping a formula-fed baby. Formula-fed babies may have to be burped for a longer time, depending on their feeding bottle and formula milk.
Bottle-feeding may introduce more air to the digestive tract while your baby is feeding. Moreover, if you are using a fast feeding bottle, more air may get ingested by your baby. This means that you may have to burp your baby right after bottle-feeding almost always, because it may be difficult for your baby to get rid of this excess gas in the digestive tract. The solution to this is that you may use a slow feeding bottle for your baby to prevent excess gas.
Breastfed babies usually ingest less air compared to their bottle-fed counterparts. So, you can stop burping them sooner as they may be able to get rid of ingested air easily. Moreover, if breastfed babies are only able to ingest very little air, they may be able to burp or fart on their own without assistance. However, if you notice that your breastfed baby is still gassy, you may still need to burp him or her.
What to do if your baby is still feeling gastric discomfort after burping?
If you have already burped your baby, yet you still notice that your baby is still feeling gastric discomfort, you may contact your pediatrician right away to immediately address the problem. Your baby may experience more complicated gastric problems that might not be addressed by simple burping. Furthermore, your baby might be allergic to the formula milk that you are using or is intolerant to the food that you recently introduced.
Conclusion
What age do you stop burping babies? You may stop burping babies anywhere between 4-9 months of age, depending on various factors, such as your baby’s milk and activity. Oftentimes, you may stop burping breastfed babies sooner than bottle-fed babies. The need to burp babies varies greatly depending on the amount of air that babies ingest during feeding. Furthermore, if your baby eats solid food quite well, it may also be a good time to stop burping your baby.
