Need Advice on Baby with Lots of Gas

My daughter had the same problem and we went through several different formulas. We finally ended up with one that was sucrose free and added rice cereal to it. We also started her on foods early and she did much better after that. Good luck and I hope she feels better soon!

Hi M.
Although luckily neither of my daughters suffered that much with gas I do have an option for you. You can either give her some warm chamomile tea (manzanilla) or you can make tea with star anise (anise estrella) about two or three stars per 4 to 5 cups of boiling water, let cool. Although it does not taste that great it works wonders.
My daughters had a colic stage like most babies do but giving them these teas really help.
Hope this helps

Have you tried Gripe Water and infant probiotics? My son had terrible gas and those two things really helped.

Dear M.,

You may think I'm crazy but I thought my Grandmother was nuts to. My first daughter had the same problem. My Grandmother told me to give her fennel seed water. I didn't even know what it was. McCormicks makes it. I boiled 1 tsp. of fennel
seed in 8 oz. of water. Strain it, let it cool & add a little
bit of sugar. It smells like licorice to me. Well much to my
surprise it worked. My next door neighbor who was a nurse called me at 3:00 in the morning & had me make some for her litle boy & it worked for her too. I guess grandmothers & nature sometimes beat out all the modern wonders. Hope it works for you too! Take care.

C.

Hi! Our 2 1/2 month old has alot of the same issues with reflux and gas. We are using the Mylecon drops too. OUr doc told us to use Reuteri powder-it goes in the milk and is a probiotic. I'd be interested in any other advise you get b/c we have the same problem!!

My son did that and it turned out that he is allergic to milk. Have you tried a non milk formula? Something like soy or similac alamentum. His gas cleared up with the change of forumula. Our doctor also gave him liquid Zantac which very good for his reflux. Hope this helps!

My little girl was Lactose Intolerant and after a string of trial and errors with different formulas, Similac Advanced Soy Formula was the only one that worked and still the one she's on today. Other than that, that's all the advice I can give. But if you do try her on it, make sure to do the change over a 3 week period...75% of old, 25% of new etc...
Good Luck!

I have been there and found that Dr. Brown bottles really work well. They are a pain to clean, but really cut down on the gas. They even have glass and safe plastic bottles now! Also, talk to your doctor and see if you may need to switch to soy. I also found that Similac was more gentle on my daughters stomach than Enfamil. It seems to blend easier.

Good luck!
T.

My daughter also has reflux. After we brought her home from the hospital, her specialist took her off of one of her prescriptions and put her on Mylanta. She's taken Mylanta Supreme Cherry (adult) since she was an infant. We started with 1/4 tsp between meals and before bedtime. It worked wonders. The dosage increased after she got older of course.

This may sound weird but my grandmother who is a nurse told me to do this with my son who is now 14 was having these same issues. She had me boil a bay leaf in water and added a little karo syrup maybe 1 tsp to sweeten. This worked really well and when he got older like 2-3yrs we continued to do the same thing accepted used a peppermint candy instead also works if you do not have any karo syrup on hand in a pinch when they are babies. Hope this helps

Obiviously I'm not a doctor, however I am mother of one, and my mother is a mother of 6 and what i am going to tell you has no medical basis and it something my grand mother and my mother told me to do.and as weird as it sounds it actully worked for my daughter and my friend. when my dauther was an infant right around 3 or 4 month old she started suffering from gas. What her doctor recommended was to switch to a soy based formula and it helped a little. However what I truly belive helped my daughter was me warming up some regular 2% milk(about 2oz in cup) to where its luke warm and rub her belly and back with it in a circular motion. It cuased her to burp and toot,in a non-painful way to the point she would fall asleep when i was rubbing her belly. It would soothe her and of course pass the gas. I did that about a 3 maybe 4 weeks. The combination of the soy milk and me rubbing her belly made her gas disconfort disappear. I know its sound strange but it helped out quite a bit. Also Have you and her doctor considered that maybe your baby needs a loctose free formula? If it is of any help great and if anything I hope your baby gets better soon and just for the record it gets better.

My son had really bad gas when he was an infant. One thing I'd do to help him was to get an old-fashioned hot water bottle (heating pad works too), put a towel between it and the baby, then lay the water bottle on your belly and baby facing you on top. He'd pass enormous amounts of gas and fall happily back to sleep. Also, "bicycling" their legs helps, putting them tummy down on your knees and gently bouncing, and lastly, holding them in your arm, facing out so their tummy is against your arm. Both my kids would let off so much gas I was expecting them to deflate!:)
Good luck, hon. Their little bodies will adjust soon.

With the combination of reflux and gas, I'd guess she has some type of food sensitivity. The most common causes are cow's milk, soy, and wheat. Eliminating the problem foods from her diet should help her feel better - and sleep better, too! Since she's on formula, you may need to put her on an allergy-free formula like Alimentum. It's quite likely the Enfamil itself is causing the the trouble, being cow's milk-based.

Soy formula is not an option I'd recommend as many babies sensitive to dairy are also sensitive to soy. Also, processed soy can wreak havoc on a little one's endocrine (hormone) system.

This is a very old fashion remedy but it works wonders. I was sceptical at first but after everything else that I tried and didn't work I was desparate. When my niece was born I ended up raising her for the first year and she had terrible gas and nothing seemed to work. My great grandmother told me to make her some Onion Tea! What you do is take a small onion and cut it into chunks and boil them in a small pot about 2 quarts filled half way for about 10 min. Take the onions out and the water that is left is what you use. let it cool and put it in a bottle. I can almost say with certainty that she wont like the taste at first but stay with it and get as much down her as possible. You will be shocked at how soon she will start passing the gas that is trapped on her stomach and she will sleep sooo good. Her breath will smell like onions but thats a small price to pay when you realize that she is comfortable and gas free. My theory is when modern medicine isn't working I always go back to what my grandparents did before they had all of this over the counter solutions! Im telling you its a natural remedy that actually works!
~~GOOD LUCK!~~

Acidophilus is good for healthy digestion. At healthfood stores they sell it in a powder that you can add to formulas. I started to use it for my son at two months old because he was always constipated. It was quick to relieve and gentle on his stomach.
Hope that was helpful.

My one daughter responded well to mylecon, my other one needed "little tummies brand." Also if you don't have one, get a vibrating bouncer, I put my daughter in that and it helped the toots work their way out. Try to bounce her before bed. Good luck.

My son is currently 2 1/2, but when he was an infant he had the same problem. The doctor suggested to make some camameal tea, so we tried that and at first it didn't drink it because the tea itself is a little bitter, so we added just a small amount of kyro syrup and he drank it like a champ and the gas went away. If you add the kyro do not add too much then that will lead to diherra. Something else that we tried to worked was to rup olive oil on the tummy. Don't ask how or why it works but it does. I hope this helps you but both of these worked for us.

This truely does work. My babysitter told me about this one. What you do is boil a cup of rice with about three cups of water. Boil it just enough to get a broth. Then use the liquid of the rice and put it in a bottle. Add a pinch of sugar. That will ease the achy tummy.

My daughter went through the same thing. My doctor also put her on med for AR; I thought that was crazy! Anyway I tried Gripe Water by Wellements and it was wonderful....expensive, but wonderful! Go to babycenterstore.com to find it...hope this helps!

My daughter had the same problem very early. I took her off of powder and went to concentrate lactos free formula and it stopped. You may want to ask your doctor, but going to lactos free was the answer for us.

I didn't read all the responses so this might be a repeat of what someone else said. Both my kids (now 3 and 1) had acid reflux, and were on Prevacid to help it. But it would get bad, especially around teething, and our pediatrician recommended Mylanta or Maalox (instead of Mylicon). I can't remember the dose for your baby's age, but basically, ask your doctor and give her the dose of Mylanta just before she eats (before every feeding) and also before she goes to bed. We had nights where that was the only thing that helped my kids to sleep. Also, for acid reflux, sometimes it helps to soothe her by walking around the room (holding her upright on your shoulder). With my daughter, that was one of the few things that would calm her down. I must have worn a groove in the floor some nights. If you have other questions feel free to send me a message! Good luck and I hope this helps!!

My son had the worst colack (gas at night) and my grandmother was the only one that gave me the cure and it is all natural and worked the very first time I used it! Buy some fennel seeds in the spice isle (safe and natural) take a tsp. of seeds and boil them in about a bottles worth of water (the small bottle is enough) for about 3-5 min. Strain the seeds, cool the water, and a pinch or two of sugar so the baby will drink it up, and give it before bed. Voila! no gas! You will be amazed and you will tell all of your friends. I did this for a couple of months until I was pretty sure that we were past that stage, and then quit giving it to him. It makes a tea that tastes like licorice and soothes the tummy. Please try it, what have you got to lose?

When I had my daughter, everyone told me about Humphrey's. It is in the baby section and they are little pellets that dissolve in water or they can chew them when they get older. We lived by those, they help gas, teething, ect.. If you haven't tried them, I would suggest it. They are not expensive either. Hope this helps!!

C.
www.corissabell.myarbonne.com

Two words: Infant massage!!

This is my favorite and a good one to get things "going". http://www.babycenter.com/0_a-guide-to-infant-massage_383... If you want more techniques just Google Infant Massage and you'll get a ton.

Best wishes!

Try Gripe Water it may work for her. Worked for my gassy little one that was on Enfamil AR. You can buy it at any grocery store.

Give her water. The reason a person has gas has to do with a mix between dehydration and trying to push stool. The body doesn't want to release the stool because it's trying to retain moisture if the body is dehydrated. Give her water.

We had the same issue with our daughter only she was a bit younger. At first we used the little gel 'hot' packs that you activate and then wrap in a burp cloth or something similar and place around her middle. This was more comforting to her than anything. Then we were told about laying her on her back on our laps with legs up. Take a foot in each hand and slowly 'bicycle' her legs. This helps move the gas along and...out! This worked the best for us. You can also move both legs from side to side in a twisting motion. That worked too! We also gave a steady stream of semethecone (sp?) You mentioned formula. You might want to see if that is the culprit and think about trying something else if possible. Changing formula can cause gas too though! If you are breast feeding any at all, be careful what YOU eat as it will really affect her. I couldn't eat onions for 8 months!! Hope this helps! Just remember that she WILL grow out of this eventually.
J.
3 1/2 yr old daughter and one on the way!!!

Colic tabs are the best. they are homeopatic and you can find them at HEB Krogers and health food store.

When my children were irritable with gas symptoms I would give them Mylecon and work their legs by holding their ankles and then bending their legs. Hopefully this helps.

Change her formula. Not necessarily to another non-milk type, just another one. We were on Similac and it caused horrible gas and would keep my little one up. We just switched to Nestle Good Start with Natural Cultures. It was what my doc recommended. It has the "comfort protiens" and also natural probiotics (good bacteria that babies usually get from breast milk).

It has been the charm. We still have gas, but it is MINOR compared to before. Now he just passes it easily with a burb or toot! Of course, that makes him smile!

It took about a 4 days to notice a difference. My family thought he was having refulx, but it was just the formula!

My daughter had really bad gas as a baby as well. Our pediatrician suggestion putting the gas drops in the formula and before shaking it up. You can really see it working, especially with powder formula. In addition to that my brother in law (who has 6 kids of his own) said he always used the "airplane" method for gas and general soothing purposes. It worked wonders and we have passed it on to other parents. It's easier for dad's who are a little stronger. After a bottle, hold your baby face down along your arm with her head near your elbow and her legs towards your hand. You can rock her back and forth while patting her on the back. You can get a really good burp out of her this way while supporting her tummy. They also seem to enjoy their arms and legs hanging down. I recently told a co-worker whose son was experiening really bad gas both these tips and they were amazed how well they worked for them. The airplane is also great for rocking kids to sleep. Good luck.

I have 2 words for you- GRIPE WATER. They sell it at Kroger and it is all natural and organic and it works wonders.

To treat acid reflux and gas pain the better option is some herbal tea blend. I would suggest baby magic tea. I have done the experiment with great success.

When I switched my son's formula to Good Start, he had a lot less gas and gas pains. You may want to check formula websites to see what they say.

Hi M.,
I don't know how open you are to changing your daughter's milk, but our son is 2 years and 4 months now. He was fed Enfamil Lactose Free with Lipil during his infancy and that was a tremendous help. Of course, what you may want to do is buy a small container and try it out. Our son had serious gas issues as well when he was a baby and this milk seemed to eliminate it. This is a tough moment in time for you, but she and you will get better.

M.

Hi M.,

My grandmother passed down a home remedy for colic and gas pains. This what you do: Buy some LARD, just grab like a quarter size and mix w/some arm and hammer to make a paste and rub it on your babies back, on her feet and on her tummy. Grab some paper towels and put it on her back and put one on her tummy and her feet (this is just so she won't get her clothes dirty) It is a little messy but I tell she will start popping like fireworks on 4th of July. You mike also consider changing her bottles. The ones that worked wonders for me was the playtex w/drop in liners. Because you are able to take out all the air that gets trapped inside the bottle and feed her with her head elevated. And you can make her some Chamomile tea (no sugar) let it warm down and give her like 2 oz whenever she's cranky this will help her tummy. You may want to give it to her right before she goes to bed that way she can get a good nights rest.
I used these remedies all the time w/my kids and they were happy campers. Hope these tips help your baby like they helped mine.

P.S. NEVER give a baby HONEY it can be fatal!! If you want to sweeten something for her add a couple of drops of white Karo syrup. If mixed in with her formula it will help her go potty if she's constipated. This is another home remedy for constipation.

Hi.there M. what i do with my 2yearold is coolwater and a about two tablespoons of syrup mix it together it works great on her and trust me every thing gives her gas really bad to wear she cant move so i would give that a try it works great on my baby girl good luck.

Here's a great website with good information. I rely on acidophilus whenever me or my family start having gas pains or stomach discomfort. The herbs work too. Good luck!
http://familyfun.go.com/parenting/baby/health/feature/don...

My daughter had the same proplem but she wasn't expelling it. My daughter is half El Salvadorian and her grandmother would make camamille tea from scratch and it did wonders. You can buy the Camamille bunches from Fiesta in the produce section. You break off half of the bunch run it underwater to get off any extras besides the actual sticks, and boil it with bottled water on the stove until you get a light brown color. Then you drain it in to a big bowl or mug with a screen drainer from the dollar store. Put a little honey in it for taste and you give her 2oz at a time. I usually alternated when I did it I would feed formula and then 2 hours later tea, then formula. My dauhgter was diagnosed with acid reflux as well and was on medication and the tea was not harmful to her at all. Now WIC and doctors tell you not to use home remedies but they work and what they dont know wont hurt. Good Luck I feel for you.

With my second one she had gas problems, allergies (lots of them), asthma ...you name it. I breast fed her for awhile but she had so many stomach issues, gas, bloating,constipation, rashes, ect. I could not keep up with the strict diet that she had to be on myself so I tried formula. We went through about all of them and none seemed to work except one. It was the most costly of the bunch but I had a happy baby who felt so much better. It was called Nutramigen ( not sure the spelling). Once she was on that for awhile the gas issues went away and so did some of the other problems. Alot of those allergies they get to food ( hopefully) they will grow out of. After years of not being able to be around animals & severe constipation ( from all the food allergies) with her she eventually grew out of most of them.

My first child had severe reflux.....I can relate there too...it get's easier :)

You can also try Dr. Browns bottles. My sister in law and my sister both had babies that were crying out with gas pain and these bottles did the trick.

Have you tried simulac?

You did not note if your daughter is breast fed or formula. I would suggest if breast fed, that you not eat anything that would normally cause gas in an adult. Also, it could be that she is allergic to milk and/or egg products and if you are nursing and eating eggs and/or milk products, that could be causing the acid reflux. My grandson had this problem very badly, and finally was diagnosed with milk and egg allergies.

If she is on formula, maybe the formula needs to be changed.

My son suffered from gas when he was a baby. We used Mylicon and it helped, but something else that helped was moving his legs like he was riding a bicycle. It sounds weird, but it worked for him. He would toot a lot while doing this "exercise," but it seemed to make him feel better. Good luck! It's a very trying time.

my daughter had the same issues. they got better around 6 months old. we noticed that goodstart formula and dr. browns bottles seemed to make a difference. good luck!

I had the same experience with my 1st daughter. I was told by my ped. doctor that Enfamil AR was not good for new babies because it was to harsh for their system and made their out put to hard (hard poo poo- ouch). The doctor recomended Enfamil Gentlease ($ Target also has a generic $). It is for babies with fussiness or gas. I also recomend the Dr. Brown bottles. I currently have a four month old daughter who has been using the Dr. Brown bottles and she hardly has any gas now. I found that between the Gentlease, Dr. Brown's, and an occasional dose of gas drops, baby Mia is happy and sleeps through the night.
I hope this helps you and your baby.
P.S. Try a wedge pillow, (target, Babies R Us) for help with the acid reflux or put her in a boppy or up right swing after a meal, it seemed to help keep the formula down in my kids. I know you have your hands full, mine are 2 years apart too. Good luck.

There are baby formulas out there for fussy, gassy babies. I used Simulac and the generic brand of Wal-Mart/Sam's Club. The gas pains went away with both of my infants (now 18 months and 4 months). My 4-month old son needs Gripe Water as well.

When my son was 3 months we changed his formula to the Enfamil Gentlease and it has worked for us ever since, he is now going on 10 months.

If Mylecon doesn't work it's time for a Doctor's visit!

My little guy had AR and Mylecon never worked. We switched to Nestle's Good Start Formula which one of the NICU nurses recommended (he was a preemie) and then we started the Baby Bliss Gripe Water and it cleared everything up. He no longer had to take medicine for the AR and was not gassy at all. I swear by the Gripe Water and tell everyone about it, and every mom I have recommended it to has become a fan also. Good luck.

My daughter had the same problem and we finally switched her to Enfamil Soy formula. It's been 8+ years so I'm not sure what they call it now, but the soy formula really worked for her! Until then, the doc. thought she had colic....

She's still Lactose intolerant now, but we get by with chewable Lactaid tablets and lactose free milk and cheese.

Hope this helps!!

Good thing is she is getting very close to her digestive system maturing a bit more. We found that our sons gas problems drastically decreased in that 4th month of life. He is 5 1/2 months now and hardly has any problems at all. But boy do I remember what you are talking about!

We used gripe water - you have to keep it refrigerated but it helped. Also, for immediate effect pump her legs. Lay her on her back and push her feet (with knees bent) towards her chest, continue doing this like a bicycle until you hear her relieve some gas.

Lastly, a warm compress laid over her tummy could help. We used one of those rice pouches adults put on their backs, just warm it slightly and place it on her tummy. These are old school remedies but they help.

Ok I lied, one more give her the mylicon preemtively. For instance, right before you feed her give her some mylicon, that way her tummy does not ever get to the point of being upset. good luck! Keep us updated if any of these things helped.

My daughter and son went through that. They eventually outgrew it around 6 months or so and we finally got more sleep. In the meantime, Gripe Water was really helpful. The BabyBliss brand is what we used - be sure to read the instructions because it does expire and needs to be refrigerate, I believe.
Best wishes for a better nights sleep.

I burp my baby at regular intervals--sometimes a whole hour after a feed, every time I pick him up, I burp him and he surprises me and lets out big ones even if he hasn't eaten in a long time. About an hour after he eats, I massage his belly, and that seems to help too, or work his legs up and down before I put him down for the night.

My DD had very bad gas too. I was nursing so switching formula's wasn't really an option. THE ANSWER: BABY'S BLISS GRIPE WATER. You can purchase it at Walgreens. We tried mylecon and that didn't work. Pediatrician recommended gripe water. Also, advice from lactation consultant said this gripe water was the best. Worked almost immediately with our little one after giving her a dose. I give it as a baby gift to every new parent I know. Co-worker with a new baby got the same results as me here recently .... baby's bliss gripe water worked so much better than mylecon. Good luck!!

Try to massage her tummy .