What to Know About Baby Gas and How to Treat It

But when gas doesn't pass easily, it collects in the digestive tract and causes bloating and discomfort. Babies are especially prone to this. "Newborn digestive systems are immature, so they produce a lot of gas, and this is normal. Infants also take in a lot of air while feeding and crying, which produces more gas," says Samira Armin, M.D., a pediatrician at Texas Children's Pediatrics in Houston. Bottle-fed babies tend to have it the worst, but breastfeeding doesn't make a baby immune. Ultimately, it is common to have a gassy newborn.

The frequency of gas is generally not cause for concern, and a fussy baby might be perfectly normal. Unlike adults, babies pass gas with a little less decorum or restraint. "They may seem uncomfortable or just downright fussy when they've got gas that needs to come out," says Ari Brown, M.D., an Austin-based pediatrician and the author of Baby 411. "But it's rare that a baby will actually have discomfort due to gas."

In other words, the work of expelling gas may look more uncomfortable than it really is for your baby. However, if your baby seems to be in pain, particularly if it doesn't end after the gas is released, it's time to consult their pediatrician.

Signs of a Gassy Baby

If you suspect that your fussy baby is genuinely uncomfortable, and they keep squirming and pulling up their legs, they might have some gas that refuses to pass. The best way to confirm your suspicions is to try some gas-relieving techniques such as burping them and/or moving their body into different positions.

"If your baby seems much better after passing gas, then that's a telltale sign that the problem was gas," says Jennifer Shu, M.D., an Atlanta-based pediatrician and co-author of Food Fights: Winning The Nutritional Challenges of Parenthood Armed with Insight, Humor, and A Bottle of Ketchup. This applies to gassy breastfed babies and gassy bottle-fed babies.