6 Easy Tips to Help Your Reflux Baby

November 14, 2021

To help babies with reflux, we need to first understand what reflux is and then find comfort techniques.  Reflux is a backward flow of the contents of the stomach into the esophagus that causes heartburn. Our team of night nannies presents advice to help here, with 6 Easy Tips to Help Your Reflux Baby.

Reflux is one of the most common conditions newborns face and is often caused by the esophageal sphincter valve not being fully developed. This causes milk to come back up the esophagus through the throat and causes baby to spit up and vomit. Reflux can be upsetting, alarming, and painful to our babies! When the contents of the stomach come back up, it is usually mixed with some stomach acid, which creates a burning sensation.

Here are 6 Easy Tips to Help Your Reflux Baby:

1. Keep your baby elevated while feeding. Gravity helps hold contents in the belly, and reduces the amount of spit up. Do not place baby where he/she can easily slide down because this could put pressure on the belly and force contents back up.

2. Burp frequently during feeding.  As you might have guessed, burping helps keep air out of the belly so try to minimize those air bubbles. Air or gas can force milk back up the esophagus, causing pain and discomfort.

3. Have smaller and more frequent feedings.  When baby is too full, the full tummy can put pressure on the sphincter valve forcing baby to spit up. This can lead to pain and possibly choking, so slow, smaller feeding sessions are recommended.

4. Fill the bottle nipple with fluid.  If baby is bottle-fed, make sure the entire nipple on the bottle is filled with fluid to avoid swallowing excess air. At the same time, be sure the nipple flow isn’t too fast because overfeeding can also be uncomfortable for your infant.

5.  Try Coleif drops. Some babies have reflux not only due to immature sphincter valves, but because they have trouble digesting lactose in milk. This can lead to bloating, gas, discomfort, and a lot of crying.  Coleif is a natural lactase enzyme that helps to break down lactose in an infant’s breast milk or milk-based formula. (not sponsored, just like the product!)

6. Wear Your Baby! Carrying baby in an upright carrier helps gravity do its job by minimizing the amount of liquid flowing upwards. Less liquid = less pain.

Is there a Cure?

The only cure for reflux is time, as newborns and infant systems may need a few months to fully develop, but we hope these tips help minimize your baby’s discomfort. For more tips on keeping baby comfortable check out 10 Ways to Calm a Fussy Baby or share your own tricks with us on Instagram!

This blog is intended for educational purposes only and readers should always consult with their doctors for health questions about specific medical concern.