What should I do if my baby has a lot of wind?

Posted April 18th  2024

  

There’s not much you can do to control how much air your baby is swallowing when they feed. Long hours of trying to soothe a crying baby aren’t much fun, especially when it seems that everything you have tried doesn’t make much difference. But it can help to understand the causes and what may help comfort a crying baby.  

Symptoms of trapped wind and abdominal discomfort  

Excessive and frequent crying in an otherwise healthy, well fed and thriving baby. It’s not uncommon for babies to cry for up to three hours or more each day.  

Babies can go red in the face, pull their legs up to their tummy as if they’re in pain, stiffen when they’re held and not calm, despite feeding and nursing. They can really look like they’re in distress and sound as if they are as well.  

Babies experiencing trapped wind are generally happy and content in-between their bouts of crying.  

Generally, the symptoms peak between the ages of six to eight weeks before it gradually settles by twelve weeks. Sometimes crying episodes start earlier than six weeks, including in babies that are only a couple of weeks old.  

Crying is generally worse from the late afternoon into the evening. Some parents call the time from 4pm onwards ‘the witching hour’ because that’s when crying tends to be worse.  

How can I comfort my baby with trapped wind and abdominal discomfort?  

Generally, it helps for parents to stay calm and emotionally and physically available to their baby when they are crying.  

Having a mental checklist which includes making sure your baby is well fed, has a dry nappy, is comfortably dressed and isn’t sick makes a difference.  

Giving your baby a deep, warm bath and tummy massage.  

Wrapping your baby in a light muslin wrap if they are under three months and not yet rolling.  

Sitting your baby upright while they are feeding and burping them afterwards.  

Some parents find that giving medicine to relieve tummy discomfort caused by wind helps. Speak with your healthcare professional and/or pharmacist if you are thinking about doing this.  

Infacol helps relieve infant tummy discomfort caused by trapped wind. It contains an active ingredient called Simethicone (a defoaming agent) that breaks down bubbles in the gut and creates larger ones that are easier for babies to pass.  

Suitable to use from birth, Infacol drops work locally and are not absorbed into the bloodstream, contains no sugar, alcohol or colourants.  

Always read the label and follow the directions for use. Please consult your doctor or healthcare professional if you have concerns about your baby’s general health.