How to Burp A Baby?

Nothing about babies can be simple, can it? When most people think about burping a baby they think of the basic over the shoulder burp. But did you know that isn’t the only option? How about how often to burp a baby? How hard to burp a baby? When do babies stop needing to be burped? Let’s get into it.

Why do we have to burp babies?

Babies can’t burp themselves! When they drink they swallow air. That air gets trapped and needs to be released. If more milk piles on top then either the air will travel down and become gas and discomfort for the baby, or the air will come up and bring milk up with it- commonly known as “spitting up”.

Babies that have a poor latch on breast or bottle will need to be burped more often. Make sure that you are having your breastfeeding latch assessed, and that you are choosing the right bottle for your baby.

When to burp a baby?

There are actually two schools of thought for burping a baby.

1. Follow the baby
2. Follow the feeding

Follow the baby

When you follow the baby you are watching for signs that they have to burp. They will squirm, stop feeding, take long pauses, start making strange noises in their throat or generally start to seem uncomfortable.

Pros of following the baby

• Generally this method elicits a happier feeding with less gas overall.

Cons of following the baby

• Not all caregivers will pay attention to burping cues
• Not all babies will effectively show that they have a burp

Follow the feeding

When you follow the feeding you are watching the oz if bottle-feeding, or watching the clock if breastfeeding. For example: a caregiver may choose to burp the baby after every 2oz that they eat.

Pros of following the feeding:

• If you aren’t adept at reading baby’s cues, this method is a failsafe
• Not all babies show clear cues that they need to burp, and may continue eating even when they need a break

Cons of following the feeding:

• If a baby is sucking peacefully and you remove their milk supply, they will likely get MAD. Mad=crying=more air=more gas. This can become a vicious cycle that parents feel stuck in.

Burping Positions

Here are some of our favorite burping positions, the physical how to burp a baby!

Over the shoulder burp: 

• Standard way to burp a baby
• The pressure from your body combined with the patting helps the baby burp

Around the world burp:

• Around the world is when you sit the baby up on your leg and slowly move their torso in a circular motion
• This is often called the circle burp or the magic burp 
• The baby is engaging their ab muscles and the movement works the trapped air up and out
• You have to try this burp!
• Confused? Watch our video series for real life examples of all our recommended burping positions!

Burping Sitting up:

• Sit the baby up on your leg but without the movement
• You can use your hand to sit them up straight and sometimes the alignment helps release the burp like magic!
• Only apply gentle pressure and with little babies support the baby from both sides 
• You can backpat older babies in this position if you don’t need to support their head

Burping on/over the leg:

• This is a different position that uses pressure and patting like over the shoulder
• You can burp the baby on one of your legs, or sideways over both of your legs 
• This position is great if a caregiver’s arms are tired or if their baby is fighting the burp

How hard should I burp my baby?

Well it depends on the position. Like we went over, some positions release air without any tapping at all!

If you are using a position that requires tapping, give it some oomph. It should make a tapping noise, not a slapping noise. Never hard enough to leave red marks or upset the baby, but it should be hard enough get the job done. This is very hard to describe without experience and practice! Start soft and work your way up. Stop at whatever firmness you feel comfortable with.

When can I stop burping my baby?

Between 4 and 9 months of age.

Wow. That’s quite a range isn’t it? The real answer is that you’ll have to watch your baby. If after a feeding they are calm and settled and they don’t have tummy troubles later on, then they are ready to not be burped!