Baby with Gas

L. -

My son had the same problem and we were put on Enfamil Gentlease. It worked to reduce his gas somewhat - - he is just a gassy kid even at 1 1/2 yrs.

I also would pump his legs (like riding a bicycle) for a few minutes to help him release his gas. As he got older it got better, but like I said my boy is a gas-bag - - just like his old man :) The gentlease also helped with his bowel movements.

Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful

Hello L., I know how it is to see your little ones in pain and feel like you can't do anything about it. When my kids were babies and were constipated I used to put a bit of "Karo Syrup" in their milk. I truly don't recall how young they were when I started doing this but it was a miracle worker. Don't put too much, maybe a 1/2 tsp. for starters. They always started pooping when I did this. Their little bodies work so hard to go potty and when they're constipated it's just no fun. Ask your doctor if you can add a little Karo syrup to your son's formula.

L.

I switched to the Enfamil Lipil Gentleease and it made a huge difference!!! My brothers ped told hime to do the prune juice with the formula and it also worked! Good luck!

It's most likely an issue with the Dairy-based formula. I breast-fed for 9 months, but when I did switch to formula, we had a hard time finding one that our son could tolerate. I think we ended up having great luck with the Similac Advantage. Try that one.
There are also Soy-based and other dairy-alternative options out there, but I wouldn't give up on the dairy-based until you've tried a few. I know they all SEEM the same, but we tried several that wouldn't work for our son at all. He had issues even while I was nursing.... I had to stop eating/drinking any dairy the entire time I was nursing.
We had a wonderful lactation consultant at our practice who kind of clued me in to all of this. Otherwise I wouldn't have tried to figure out what was CAUSING the gas... my advise is to try to get to the root of the problem... most likely the dairy.
Also, be prepared for later.... you'll probably continue with issues when you switch to whole milk at age 1. Our son has been fine with Organic Milk (expensive but still much cheaper than formula)...

Hi L.,

My little guy had the same problem for the first 6 weeks and we would cycle his legs every morning and every evening and it seemed to work. Just lie him on his back and squeeze his knees towards his chest and the wind will come or sit him up as much as possible. I also put my son in a 45 degree agle in his stroller when we walked to get his wind up. Good luck.

Both of my kids had trouble with gas in early infancy. I know it is terrible to watch. Both ended up on Lactose Free formula and they did much better. Also, my doctor let me give them a little bit of chamonile tea throughout the day. Probably three or four ounces total. It seemed to really settle their stomachs.

I have seen so many babies feel better after they have chiropractic. There is usually some fun "noises" and sometimes some good "smells" during the adjustment. It is very gentle. Both my daughter and son were adjusted when they were 1 day old. Check out www.icpa4kids.org or www.mercola.com

Our newborn was very unhappy due to gas early on. We switched her to Enfamil Soy formula and within a day or two she was so much happier. Good luck!

Have you tried infant gas drops? You can get them in the baby section or by the pharmacy. I had to use them on both of my kids and they really work. They don't hurt them, so they can take them as needed with every feeding. It is the only thing that worked for them. If you give him prune jouice, put 1/2 to 1 oz in 3 or 4 ounces of water to dillute it. If you give it to him full strength, it could be too much. I only gave it to my daughter dilluted and it worked great. Hope that helps.

L. I had the same problem with my baby I switched her formula to Enfamil Gentlease (for fussiness and gas)and I saw a change right away. If you call Enfamil they will send you a sample so you can test it out also, join enfamil online club because they will send you checks for milk that will range from $11.00 - $1 off towards milk.

I had similar problems with my baby. He's 9 months old now, but at a couple of months he was very gassy as well. We breast fed mostly for the first month and a half and then started him on Enfamil Lipil. We were using the Avent bottles. We trialed the Dr. Brown bottles and that was a huge huge help. He has been a happy...less gassy eater ever since. That was our problem. Hope that helps a little in your search to find the culprit.

Congrats on your baby!!! My two neices had trouble with formula and both went to the Nestle I think good start. All of us use the Dr. Browns bottles and they are incredible at reducing air in your baby. Getting a burp out is the easiest thing after they use the Dr. Browns bottles. I nurse and pump so my daughter uses the Dr. Browns bottles also and she does really wel with them. good luck!!

We had a similar experience and switched to Enfamil Gentlease. Our daughter was a preemie, so maybe this next part would not apply to your son, but my ped said he didn't want her to drink water because she needed the nutrition and water would be taking the place of her drinking formula.

We switched to Avent bottles and used Mylicon with every bottle for a while.

Best Wishes - I remember your pain!

Is your pediatrician reluctant to switch formulas. Enfamil makes Enfamil Gentlease Lipil. I got this information from the Enfamil.com website:

It is a milk-based infant formula with partially broken down proteins. When your baby is fussy or gassy, you need more than just suggestions. That's why it's comforting to know that Enfamil Gentlease LIPIL is a formula with a unique design for babies with fussiness or gas.

Enfamil Gentlease LIPIL is the first and only formula that combines all the following:

A special blend of easy-to-digest milk proteins, patterned after the blend of proteins found in breast milk, that have already been partially broken down.

A balance of carbohydrates with reduced lactose, designed for babies with fussiness or gas.

LIPIL, our blend of DHA and ARA, nutrients found in breast milk that promote brain and eye development.

So while your baby may have a sensitive tummy, you can be sure our formula, designed for babies with fussiness or gas, gives him the nutrition he needs for proper development.

It doesn't hurt to ask your pediatrician if you can try it and see if it helps.

Try Dr. Brown's bottles and Enfamil Gentlease. Also, it is common for really young babies to have gas.

L.,

Have been there and done that what I did for all 4 of my kids which helped soooo much. Ask doctor first just to make sure put a few drops of Mylicon(Not sure of spelling) in his bottle let is sit a minute and then give him the bottle. The medicine cuts the gas that is in the bottle.

Good luck!!

Mylicon gas drops or get generic infant gas drops. They work great. We had issues with gas from my breastfeeding and that worked great. I don't know anything for the pooping for a formula fed baby. I hope all goes well.

H.

My youngest two sons were very gassy. THe doctor recommended they use Simethicone(brand name is Mylicon for kids) The dosing for young ones is done by the doctor but I would talk to them about it. I can also recommend the Carnation Good Start formulas. They were a huge help and there was very little spitting up since it was so gentle on their tummies. Good luck!

If you've ruled out that it's the formula causing the gas, I would definitely start using Gripe Water. It's amazing. My youngest would cry for hours in pain and this is the only thing that would help him. It used to be you could only get this at a pharmacy, etc, but I believe you can now get it at Target, Babies R Us, etc.

Good luck. I know how awful it is.

S.

I totally understand how you feel. I went through the same problem with my daughter. She'd be soo much pain and cry so much that she would throw up. I started giving her gripe water and using the Dr. Brown bottles and it made such a difference.
Good Luck!!

Dr. Brown's Bottles and Gas Drops.

Hi L., my daughter had the same problem with gas. Her belly always hard. Apple juice really helped to induce bowel movement. Consult your pediatrician about how much and when to start a few fl oz. Also we tried several bottles and the Vent brand made a big difference. Hang in there as soon as his digestive track grows a little bit more the problem will take care of itself!

good luck