Question
Why does my baby always seem to struggle with spit-up when sleeping, and it looks quite exhausting for them each time?
Answer
Spit-up refers to the small amount of milk that comes out of the corners of the mouth after feeding, which is a common occurrence, often happening when infants change positions. Spit-up typically does not affect the growth and development of infants and usually decreases over time as they grow older, naturally disappearing around 6 months after birth. If your baby frequently experiences spit-up, consider the following points:
- Feeding too frequently or with too large a quantity each time.
- The teat hole on the bottle is too large, causing milk to flow too quickly.
- When using a bottle for feeding, the teat is not fully filled with milk, leading to the baby inhaling air while feeding.
- Changing the baby’s position too frequently after feeding. To effectively prevent spit-up, you can take the following measures:
- Reduce the frequency and quantity of feedings.
- Ensure that the teat hole on the bottle is appropriately sized to avoid milk flowing too quickly.
- When using a bottle for feeding, make sure the teat is fully filled with milk and prevent the baby from inhaling air while feeding.
- After feeding, hold the baby upright and gently pat their back to burp them, then place the baby on their side.