Spit Up - Homewood,IL

My Pediatrician told us that all babies have a small amout of acid reflux which can cause excessive spitting up. He said they don't consider it a problem unless:
baby spits up an amout about the size of a large dinner plate AND
is not gaining weight (which you said yours is) OR
baby is acting like it hurts when he/she spits up. (ie: crying and arching back, etc)

I agree with the other posts - my pediatrician said my little boy was a happy spitter as well. As long as your daughter gains weight and isn't uncomfortable spitting up, you're fine. And I don't think it has anything to do w/ the formula she's on because my son was exclusively breastfed and every time he spit up, I was like, NOOOOOO my liquid gold! I switched my diet around but nothing worked. The doctor just said that some kids have less developed diaphragms than others (my daughter NEVER spit up so this was a change!). She also said that it always looks like more than it actually is :) Good luck!

My daughter was the same way. She gained weight, pooped, peed, everything was normal. I asked the doctor and was told some babies spit up more then others. We were not concerned it was a health issue since everything was going as it should. It eventually stopped, but I think the first year of her life we never took a bib off her. Kind of turned into a funny thing - we had color coordinated bibs for her outfits and funny ones that said things like, "single". If your baby is like mine, there is nothing to be concerned about. Just mention it to your doc next time you have an appointment.

if every thing else is fine, no, you shouldn't be concerned. my first spit up constantly (not even formula, only nursed) just about every time he ate. I thought this was what all babies did until my second - who spit up maybe three times total. don't worry unless there are other problems.

let me preface by saying that i haven't read any of the advice you've already gotten, so if i end up sounding like a broken record, i apologize!

sadly for you (and your washing machine), it's totally normal for some babies. so long as she's happy, comfy, and doing all the stuff she's meant to do, it's a phase (albeit and icky one) that you'll have to deal with. my older child wore a bib till she was (and i'm not kidding) 10 months old. she spit up all the time. at her peak she was going through about 12 bibs a day and several outfits. it was gross and it kept me on my toes (and near my washing machine!), but as she was happy and gaining weight there wasn't much to do but wait it out.

good luck!!

My son spit up a lot after feedings and I nursed him. You can try cutting down the amount that she eats at a sitting. I found that the less I gave him that helped with his spitting up. Also my doc told us that as long as they are gaining weight there is not much to worry about. You can try starting cereal, that is what my doc had us do and that helped some also since it was not all liquid.

Really not much to worry about. Good luck

My first child never spit up a drop. But my little boy, not 8 months old, was like Old Faithful! He spit up constantly, but with a smile on his face always! We tried 3 different formulas and nothing worked! Dr. said he was just a "happy spitter" and not to be concerned. We have more bibs and Dreft stain remover spray in our house than Target. Good news is that the spitting up has stopped:) It stopped at about 7 months...just in time for the drooling to begin. I don't think we have a single photo of our little guy without a bib! Good luck!

Hi K.,

I had the same issue with my 4 month old son. He was on Good Start until two weeks ago when I switched him to the Target Up & Up formula with added rice starch. If you don't like generic, Enfamil A.R. is the same thing. The formula is designed for babies who spit up frequently. It is thicker so it stays down. This has drastically improved his spitting up. He still spits up sometimes, but it's usually just a little bit. This has also helped his b.m.'s. He used to go once a day and it was always a huge blow-out, now he goes a couple times a day and it's of the consistency that it should be at this age. Good luck!

My son had the same issue, after a year of him contantly "spitting up", he was diagnosed with Acid reflux. Once we put him on chewable (crunched up and added to his food/drink)Previcid - prescribed version, he finally stopped. You can also lean your son to his right slighty if you want to expell the burp faster without causing much food to come up. You can also try burping him more often.

But, overall, the Prvicid worked for us.

My 3 month old spits up a lot after eating also and we burb her and sit her upright. My sister in law said that some babies are just like that. She is gaining weight and peeing and pooping also. I use enfamil and she doesn't fuss or uncomfortable.

I had this problem with my son. have u tried a soy base formula? if still same problem they also have pre digested formula. I dont know if it made a difference but i also switched to liquid formula instead of powered. I was so desperate i tried everything.he was also put on ranitidine for acid reflux.

Hi K. She could be too full. I have a almost 2 month old grandson and he loves to eat and sometimes he spits it all up because he's eaten to much. But call your daughters peditrican and see what he/she says about this.

I had the same thing...it does get better. My doctor explained it as an imature...flap from the stomach and the esophagus. My son was much better by 4-1/2 months. Also it help if you give them less at a feeding but feed them more often. So that the tummy isn't too full!

You can go to WebMD or google 'happy spitter' and read up on this. Our son was a happy spitter for about 9 months; just like your child, nothing was wrong, he gained weight just fine, diapers were fine, the spitting up never caused him any agony. If you're really worried, save the spit up and measure it. At times it might seem like everything is coming back up but really it is only a fraction.

After we exhausted our supply of stored breastmilk, we put our son (on the advice of our pediatrician) on Enfamil AR and it seemed to help somewhat but he still spit up. Talk to your baby's pediatrician at 4 months just to rule out any more serious causes, but it really sounds like you have a happy spitter. You may wish to keep receiving blankets handy and always keep a bib on your kid to try and cut down on the laundry and stains.

Good luck to you; I know how frustrating this can be.

Babies at this age are still developing their digestive enzyemes, as you are experiencing all formulas are not created equal. Have you discussed with your doctor about adding probioitics to your infants diet to help boost the good bacteria in her digestive track and ease digestion? Here is a little blurb on probiotics for infants: http://www.examiner.com/x-7158-Chicago-Family-Health-Exam...

Babies born via csection tend to not get the good bacteria as they would through the birth canal. There is a reason for and it is not normal.

You can try an organic formula or an easier to digest such as Nutragimen (which is what I supplemented while I nursed). I also added probiotics to the formula, many companies are doing this now because they are finding probiotics in breastmilk and formula companies try very hard to mimick and create what is in breastmilk.

If you decide to add probioitcs, FloraBaby is a wonderful brand just for babies/toddlers under 4yrs old.

Hope the info helps.
Happy Holidays!

J. W. MPH
Maternal and Child Health Educator

I K., I had the same problem with my 3 mo. old son {a month ago), not only was he spitting up, what seemed to be all of his intake, but he had also developed a a terrible rash all over his beautiful little back. He also drank Good Start; his pediatrician suggested we switch formulas before doing any allergy testing. He also suggested not switching to soy based formulas, he said that these formulas were not the best solution. And of course nursing is always the best option, but at any rate we researched formulas (again) and decided on Earth's Best Organic Infant Formula w/Iron. He's doing great! No more excessive spitting up and rash all gone =). I hope this helps.

Hi K.-
My son excessively spit up for the first year of his life. Like your daughter, he was gaining weight and a happy baby. From what I've read, it's more a laundry issue than a health issue :) We did end up putting him on Prevacid for acid reflux which helped. He came off that at about a year when his digestive system could handle it. We also added cereal to his diet early (4 mo)to help combat it. Good Luck! I'm pregnant with our second and am praying this one isn't a spitter-upper, but there are worse things that could happen :)

Hi. Congrats on the new baby! My little guy spit up a lot as well. We used the Enfamil A.R. and that seemed to help. He grew out of it by the time he was one, and I bet your little one will outgrow it too. You might want to mention it to your MD if you are still concerned, though. Enjoy your little ones!

My son had this same issue and the doctors kept saying he was fine as long as he was gaining weight. They were right. I tried all of the formulas, different bottles, mylacon, and even a specialist. It wasn't acid reflux and he wasn't in pain. Once he started to eat solids, he grew out of it. It's messy and it caused me anxiety but the doctors are were right, my baby boy was fine. As long as he's gaining weight, it actually looks like he's spitting up more than he actually is.

Make sure you are burping her after eating and you are not over feeding her and lastly make sure that you are not putting her diaper too tight. Good luck.

Has your doctor mentioned anything about maybe acid reflux? Sometimes, that can kick things back out. My son has had it since he was 2 months old.

I noticed my 3 month old daughter spits up frequently after eating a large meal. I think she eats too much and is spitting up the extra that doesn't fit in her tummy. Maybe your daughter is doing the same thing. Try feeding her a little less at each feeding. Good luck!

My youngest, spit up alot. We used Emfamil Gentlease, which helped but my dr put her on zantac not right away cuz my dr feels some babies juist spit up. Buat at 3 or so and it was still going on she did recommend it....i was nervous at 1st, cuz its medicine..... but i only had to have her on it not even 2 months, Once your baby starts sitting up on their own , it usually subsides. I have noticed EnfAmil has a few other choices, one i noticed for babies who spit up.....