Reflux - Austin,TX

I think it's fine to let him sleep in the carseat/bouncy...in fact, my pedi recommended it for my son (sleeping on an incline, although I just raised the mattress at one end of the crib by putting some rolled up towels under it). I would, however, caution you to reconsider not medicating your son. Reflux can cause long-term damage to the esophagus if it isn't treated, so it might be a good idea to get him the medication. If you've done your research and feel otherwise, then that's fine, but I know that the only thing that worked for my son was the meds. He would scream and cry and arch his back for 30 minutes every time I fed him and once he was on the medication, he was fine. He still spits up, but the pain is gone and that was really important to me. He's 6 months now and sitting up on his own, so we're looking into taking him off the meds. It doesn't last forever, but do what you can to make your little guy comfy. The bouncy or carseat is fine (just make sure he is strapped in if he's in the carseat so that he doesn't get strangled by the straps if he happens to move around while he's sleeping) if you want to go that route or you could try propping up the end of the crib like I did. Good luck and I hope your son feels better soon!

1 mom found this helpful

The medications are VITAL--they prevent damage to his esophagus and failure to thrive (low weight). My grandson had the same trouble, and even today (he's five years old) he is much smaller than all of his classmates. (By the way, his reflux lasted about 7 or 8 months!)

Try raising the head of his bed so that he sleeps at an angle. This helps somewhat. (Put bricks under the legs on the bed or under the mattress.)

Unfortunately, holding him upright is the only way to prevent the milk from coming right back up. When his little body matures, this problem will go away, but until then, you need to help him all you can. Many babies actually stop breathing when they are in so much pain. I personally witnessed this with my grandson when I kept him overnight at about 3 months of age. He turned beet red and didn't take a breath until I blew in his face. Scarey!!!

You had a ton of responses and I read through a bunch but not all so if this is a repeat sorry. And this really isnt the answer to what you asked but it will help and it is not medicine.

BabyBliss Gripe Water

Both of my children had reflux as babies and medicine did not help. Then I found the Gripe Water (it is all natural also) I put it in one bottle a day and it was like magic for my little ones. Of course they spit up sometimes, but it was not reflux. A nurse recommended it to me and I tell everyone about it and everyone I tell has had the same reaction I did - it is wonderful.

Hi L.,

I had the same problem with my now 5 month old. The good news is that it went away when she began to roll over (at 14 weeks). I tried the car seat a few times until I read that it was a bad idea because of the soft sides (for suffocation). We let her sleep in a swing sometimes, but then we had to sleep with one eye open. Another idea is to elevate his bassinet with something under the feet of it. That way his head will be a little bit elevated. They also sell a crib wedge at baby stores, I found one at special additions on Lamar. It is a good idea if you swaddle your baby. Otherwise, I have found that the baby will just wiggle around and roll off of the wedge. Good luck. I hope you get to sleep soon!

Sleepoing in his carseat or swing are good iedas. That is what we did with our son in those early months when he had reflux too. I put his carseat in his crib and put him in his carseat to halp for when he got older...I didn't want him to no be used to sleeping in his own room. Hope that helps.

My daughter was diagnosed with reflux when she was only a month old. I didn't want to put her on meds either...but I figured that the meds were better than the damage being done to her little body. She ended up being on the meds the first year of her life. At 12 months we took her off...but about a month later she started having issues again. She wasn't spitting up anymore...but I could hear it coming up and down in her throat...and she was waking at night a lot. I put her back on the meds...and by 18 months she had outgrown it...and is med free.

We never put her to sleep in the carseat or bouncer...but we did elevate her head by elevating one side of the matress. I don't know if it was that...or the meds...but everyone slept better! :)

Just know that the meds do NOT stop the spitting up...they only neutralize the acid so that it doesn't cause any damage or pain. That was something that was really hard for my mom to understand at first. She couldn't understand why my daughter was still spitting up all the time when she was on meds to help it.

Best of luck with whatever decision you make.

My daughter had horrible reflux. I tried breastfeeding and that only seemed to aggrivate it. I switched her to Soy formula and she did better. But she cried all the time because she was in so much pain and sleeping her in the car seat actually made it worse because she lacked the muscles to keep her body up straight and being slouched only made the acid come out more. I slept many nights with her asleep on my chest while I reclined in a chair. If your child isn't bothered by the carseat then do it. I know the decision not to get medicine is personal but if your child is crying a lot and arching his back then he is in pain and you should do all you can to relieve it. If you want something more natural then try Kid E col drops. I believe Dr. Christopher is the brand and you can find it at a nutrition store/vitamin store. I noticed a difference within 2 days when I used it with 2 of my children. I used prevacid as well with my youngest because she wasn't gaining weight she was spitting up so much. Best of luck. By about 4 months my daughter completely outgrew it all. she is almost 9 months old now and doesn't use either medicine now.

We never had reflux, so I can't give you advice on that, but I think having your baby sleep in a car seat is fantasic! My first child was a terrible sleeper, so when I had my second child, I tried something new...I swaddled her and put her to sleep in her car seat. She slept wo well it was almost scarey. I actually had to wake her for her feedings...unlike my first one who ate every two hours all night long. There is nothing wrong with using a car seat. Babies are used to being in a confined space and they feel comforted by it. Just make sure your son isn't sitting in a drafty area if you keep the car seat on the floor. And if you keep it up on a surface, be extra careful that he doesn't fall. We sometimes put the car seat in the crib and sometimes even put it in the middle of our king sized bed with pillows around it for stability. By the way, she slept in the car seat until she was six and a half months old. Good luck.

Hi L.,
I think sitting DS in either would be great to help with the reflux. I wouldn't, however, put him in something like a swing that wouldn't support his legs. If the legs hang down as in a swing or stroller, it could cut off the circulation. I realize he is still tiny, but as he grows you would be aware of the possibility. When my DD was little, she had a bad cold and couldn't breathe unless she was upright. I placed her in her carseat inside the crib so that she would still associate the crib with sleeping once she was able to lie flat again. HTH C.

My daughter had really bad reflux the first year of her life. She slept and was upright for about the first 7 months of her life. It hurt her to be flat any time. She slept in the bouncy seat, carseat and a in her crib a really large wedge that she was strapped into. Also, she spent time in the bumbo seat during the day. We soon found out that she did not like us to hold her for feedings. We either did them in the bouncy seat or high chair reclined a little. We also did use medication and added a thicking agent to her bottle. She is 3 now and perfectly normal and no reflux.
S.
www.sanangelo.jbfsale.com

First of I have to admit I did not read all the post so if this is repeat info...Sorry. My son had refulx from about 2 weeks until about 5 months (he is 6 mo. now and we have the occasional spit up). We switched his formula to Enfamil AR and had great success. We did also put him on Prevacid (sp?) which is a mild med for reflux. He out grew his dosage at about 4 1/2 months and we chose to stop the med at that point. He is still on the Enfamil AR and does great. It is something that all babies grow out of at some point. My sis-in-law has triplets and they all have it. She puts rice cereal in thier formula. My pedi said no to that, but everyone is different. Hope you find relief for you son and yourself. Another suggestion...we laid our son on his tummy on one of the infant sleep positioners. It held him in place and also kept him reclined and off his back which helped greatly when he was very young.

L.,

You have gotten a lot of great responses that cover everything that I would say, except for one small thing. Baby reflux is just like adult reflux. I never had it when I was pregnant (I only made it to 30 weeks), but my husband has it and he always taks about how much the acid coming back up burns. When our son first started showing signs of reflux we took him to his pedi and the meds made a ton of difference. I would at least suggest talking to your doc and getting the med for the acid neutralizer. My son has been on Zantac and it has made a ton of difference. Protect your little ones esophagus. I wish you the best and if you have any more questions please don't hesitate to ask.

S.

We let our baby sleep in a rocker chair just for kids. He can use it up to age three. It converts. I called the nurse at the hospital pedi ward and asked if he could sleep in his car seat she said it was best not to let him due to the fact they can tip over if not buckled. I did start to worry that his spine wouldnt develop correctly if he sleept in it too much. Not sure why just worring I suppose. My husband also let him sleep in the swing alot. I did find some where when doing research about SIDS a sling that hung from the celing that was suppose to be better for preventing SIDS. Best of luck.

L.,

There are positional ways to assist with reflux. I put my some in his swing with the seat reclined and he loved it, but I also medically treated him. You are entitled to your decision to not utilize medicine, but you should discuss your options with your pediatrician to determine how serious the reflux really is. I have to say that you should reconsider the option of medicine. The medicines available (antacids, H2 blockers and proton pump inhibitors) are pretty inocuous and have a very low side effect profile compared to the pain and sleeplessness you and your baby are getting. The other consideration regarding using no medicine is the side effects or detriments that are caused by not medically treating reflux. Most babies do outgrow this issue and do not have to be on medicine for long term, but continued reflux (stomach acid going back up into the esophagus) that goes untreated has been associated with Barrett's disease and even worse, esophogeal cancer. This is because the cells lining the esophagus are not the same as the acid-resistant cells lining the stomach, so the body naturally tries to protect itself from continued acid insult by changing the cells that line the esophagus. This modified lining is not normal and is considered, many times as high risk or pre-cancerous. Although a little GERD seems like no big deal, if long standing untreated, especially in adults, there can be some longterm consequences. It is best to discuss with your pediatrician because they see this and can give you the pros and the cons. If your pediatrician doesn't do this and seems to throw medicine at every issue, then it's time to get a new pedi that will take time to speak with you and allow a joint decision on what's best for your baby.

I can empathize with your situation. My third child had reflux so bad. She would eat and then it would look like a waterhose on full force as she vomited it all out. She did this after every meal and it was worse if relatives fed her in large amounts. They do outgrow it. I remember crying about it, thinking that something horrible was wrong and that she would starve away. My pediatrician recommended putting her on her stomach or in the infant seat. I put the infant seat by my bed because she would have reflux and startle herself awake with choking. Eventually, I put her on her tummy in the crib so that she would not choke on it. The doctors did put her on a liquid Xantac so that the acid would not hurt her throat, but I think it just takes time for them to outgrow it. Good luck and rest when baby rests.

plagiocelphaly, a flat spot or mishapen head from sleeping in the car seat.
elevate the head of the matress with a blanket from underneath.

L.,

I have 4 kids and 3 of them had reflux. With the 1st, we just put her in the bouncy seat after feedings. She slept through the night at 8 weeks so sleeping in the bouncy seat wasn't an issue. With the 2nd, they put her on medicine. With the 3rd, I had a different pediatrician with a different approach, he suggested cutting out milk from MY diet, and it made a huge difference. So, if you're breastfeeding this may help.

Good luck!

S.

Trust me when I say that I always try to find a way around giving medicine to my son if there is another way. My son did have reflux as a baby and it is very painful to spit up. THe acid can really do some damage. He was on Reglan, and Zantac and slept in an angled pack and play. A car seat will work just as well. (We angled the pack and play on boxes) We were also advised (and this helped alot) to put thickener-(not cereal)in the formula and to cut the nipples in an "X" pattern for easier feeding. This helped make the formula harder to spit up. PLease do not be afraid of giving your baby medicine. This is a time to do it because your baby is actually in pain. (Believe me when I say I fight doctors tooth and nail when they first prescribe meds with no alternatives or preventive maintanance. I hope this helps in whatever decision you make. It seems as though you are blessed with 2 wonderful children and are a great mom. Its not easy and most of the time we have to do our own research on meds and health. Good Luck!

You may want to change formula. He may have a milk intolerance. Please see his pediatrician. The doctor may have different alternatives to medicine.

L.,

My twin girls have reflux. They are now 7 months old and doing good but we did have to seek medical attention. Reflux is nothing to play around with. For adults it's like a bad case of acid indigestion but for a baby, it's much worse. The muscle in the top of their stomach is immature and allows the stomach acids to reflux back up into their esophagas and sinus cavity. My neice had this problem and has had horrible ear infections as a result and at 18 had to have tubes.

I know you'd prefer not to have your son on medication but acid reflux is nothing to play around with. It has lasting effects on us as adults. My daughters take Prevacid-a small desolveable tablet. When they started it, it was an immediate change back to happy babies. It is very safe and they can usually be weaned from it around 7 months after they have gone thru foods and adjusted well.

Anyway, that is just my opinion for whatever it may be worth to you.
A.

My daughter had this too, still does. We were told to put her in her car seat for 20-30 min after feeding without picking her up at all. Her specialist also took her off of her prescription and told me to give her Mylanta between meals. At that age, 1/4 tsp approx. We used Mylanta Supreme Cherry. We also used a sleep positioner at night leaving her on her side, as you don't want her choking on vomit if she spits up at night. We were also given a wedge from the hospital that kept her at an upright angle in her bed at night. You can also use telephone books or something under one end of the mattress to help elevate it. It should come up 4-6 inches for kids with reflux. You can buy wedges about 2 inches high. You might could double it? The one I have from the hospital is much thicker than the ones you can buy. You could let him sleep in his car seat if it fits him well. You just don't want him in a position that his head could fall down and cut off his breathing. If, he has good head control and the car seat is angled nicely, then he should be ok. But, I found the sleep positioner and wedge at night made me feel more secure. I used the car seat/swing (not moving) during the day. Let me know if you have any other questions.

My 6 week old son has silent reflux...no spit up but he gags and squirms after eating if we are not diligent about burping him. He also is a light/restless sleeper if you are not holding him. Since my husband and I both work at home and take care of him during the day, holding him all day long is not a feasible option. If we put in a flat position to sleep, he immediately wakes up and squirms. My older son also had this same issue and I remembered being miserable for the first 4 months.

This time around, I am determined to not experience the miserableness again. Two weeks ago, I researched some online articles about sleep patterns and reflux. I stumbled upon a solution: http://www.ambybaby.com. Their motion hammocks are recommended by pediatricians and are supposed to help soothe babies with reflux and colic. Also, the hammock helps restless and short nappers (my son). You can adjust the angle that the baby sleeps and gently push vertically or horizontally on the hammock to provide motion should the baby become restless while they sleep. Simply put, it combines the benefits of the car seat and the swing all in one without the fear of flat head, SIDs or the device toppling over. Babies can be in the hammock up to 25 lbs or 1 year old if you purchase the heavy duty spring.

I bought a hammock a week ago and I have seen an improvement in his nap quality and duration. He used to sleep 35 minutes a time during the day and now he is sleeping around 1.5 to 2 hours at a time. We are still learning how to use it efficiently. In my opinion, the biggest advantage to use the hammock over the other methods is that you can soothe your baby without picking him/her up continuously. Before, we would lie our son down in his crib and he would get restless/uncomfortable within 5 minutes and start crying. We would pick him up, calm him down and then place him back in the crib. We would repeat this cycle for the next hour with our son only getting about 35 minutes of unrelaxing sleep. Now, we he starts fussing or becoming restless, we gently push the hammock and goes back to sleep. He wakes up cooing and smiling now.

Good luck!

Hi L., My infant (now 14 months) was chronically sick with head colds and ear infections. She spent many nights in her car seat. Our pedi said we shouldn't use the bouncy because there isn't enough support for her and she wasn't strong enough to stay up right. When she was a little older, I would use her swing. The car seat is definitely okay to use immediately. Just make sure you buckle him in completely so you know he won't wiggle out.

We used a wedge that you buy at Bed Bath and beyond or a store like that. Look in the bedding department, it will elevate the child. I would use this when the baby is older.
For right now I would put some folder toweles under one end of the bassett mattress and that will elevate him. This is what the hospital did and it worked very good.
Good luck. They will out grown this, thank goodness.

When my son was a baby, he loved sitting in his swing. He took many naps in it and was put in it often when he woke up in the night and it wasn't time to eat.

We did not have reflux issues, but we had no problems.

Good luck,
L.

I know you mentioned that you don't want to medicate but we did with great success. He started refusing to eat because he was in so much discomfort. The medication was inexpensive and he took it without any problems. And thankfully, he was much happier. We started to wean him from the meds at 6 months. He's now 9 months and we don't have any reflux problems. Our doctor said it is common for babies to have reflux because their esophagus doesn't fully develop until around 6 months. Good luck.

Hi there! I feel for you. My little one had terrible reflux too, but it was silent (she never spit up). We eventually put her on low dosage of Prevacid until she was six months old and could sit up by herself after a feeding, but there are several other ways you can help without medicine. You can let your son sleep elevated, either in a car seat or bouncy. There is also a product we tried called the Tucker Sling. It consists of a large wedge and a sling that fits over the ledge. You buckle the baby in and it is probably more comfy to sleep in than the car seat and gives just the right elevation for reflux. It can also fit in the crib. We got it too late for my daughter to sleep in (she was about 4 months old at the tim and set in her sleeping habits), but it was great during the day after she ate. I kept it in the living room, put her in there, gave her some toys or put the playyard over it or put on a Baby Einstein video and she just hung out. The best thing about it is if you get a doctor's order, most insurance companies will cover the cost. If you are interested, I think you can Google it. Good luck and I hope your little boy sleeps better really soon!

My granddaughter had this very bad and the carseat did wonders. We were a little nervous to leave her in a bouncy in case she wiggled and it toppled over. My daughter would even put her in the carseat and then put the carseat in the crib and secure it with blankets at the bottom just to make sure it didn't move. She slept great that way and my daughter also got some sleep. If she woke up during the night, my daughter would change her, feed her and put her back in the carseat, strap her in and all went well.

My son had reflux when he was younger. He slept in his swing for a few months. It allowed him to be comfortable and get some sleep. When the reflux cleared up, he went to his crib without any problems.

You've gotten some really great responses. My 11-year old went through the same thing when she was two months old. Several things: the formula, medication, and constantly sitting them up. We used the Alimentum. I know there's more choices now but that worked really well for us. Also, reflux does cause the pain of acid coming back up in their throat. It's so hard seeing them on medicine but you don't want them hurting either. There may be some alternative you can use at a nearby health food store. If anyone tells you to use peppermint, don't. I recently learned from a pedi that peppermint actually makes reflux worse but it's fine for a simple upset stomach. Never knew that. I don't know where you live but I live in Montgomery and have a great store on 105. Anything natural that is safe for an infant is definitely worth a try. I remember those long days and nights and it does get better so hang in there.

Hi L., sorry but I didn't have time to read all of the responses but I wanted to tell you a little about our experience with reflux. My oldest son (who will be two in a matter of weeks) had terrible reflux when he was tiny. We, too, would keep him upright for at least twenty minutes after every feeding, but he also slept in an elevated sleep positioner. Around 4 months old our pedi suggested that we start adding cereal to his bottles because he wasn't gaining weight very well. He was a "happy spitter" - rarely fussed. I was breastfeeding so I had to pump and add the cereal. We tried this for a few weeks, and finally put him on Axid and he immediately stopped spitting up and began gaining weight. Around six months he begin spitting up again and we switched him over to Prevacid and he didn't have any more problems. He stopped taking the Prevacid around 9 months old. Once he got too big for the sleep positioner we put a crib wedge under his mattress to keep his head elevated. You can find them at Wal-Mart or you can just put folded towels UNDER the mattress. He slept with the crib wedge until his bed was completely lowered and we had to take it out for fear he'd start climbing out of bed.

Just FYI - We had to put him back on the Prevacid for a short time (maybe a couple of weeks) following a stomach bug. Even though he was no longer ill he would continue to vomit nearly every evening after he went to bed despite having his head elevated. Our pedi advised that some kids with a history of reflux take longer to get over such illnesses and may require their reflux meds just short term. I had never heard of this! She advised us to keep it on hand for the future.

The only places my daughter would sleep for the first 3 months was the carseat, the swing, and the boppy pillow and I finally figured out why; she too had acid reflux. She was put on Reglan and Zantac but was still having issues, so we changed her formula to the Soy of Similac. As long as she is elevated and not laying down flat, she is fine, otherwise she still throws up on occasion. So no, there is nothing wrong with just keeping her in the carseat or swing, especially if they will sleep and it will keep them from puking.
i actually dont even give her the medicine anymore. i just ensure shes elevated and keep her on the soy and she seems to be a lot happier, less fussy, and a lot less spit up and throw up.

If you and your child are getting your rest from a bouncy or carseat, DO IT!!! There is no law that says you cant do that. My daughter slept in her swing (without it swinging) for a month or so during those "trying" times. I say that if it helps...so be it. Sometime down the road he will be sleeping in his crib and it wont make a hill of beans that he slept upright for a bit. I know that if I have heartburn, the last thing I would want to do is lay down flat!!! Prop that baby up!!!! Also, dont let people worry you into thinking that it will be hard to transition out of those places. When his reflux is better, it is only natural to lay back down. My DD had no problem whatsoever. Like my Momma always says, "you'd stand on your head in the corner if you thought it would get your kiddo to sleep!!' SO TRUE!!!
Good Luck,
M. :)

L., I know I'm late in responding. My daughter had reflux and she slept in her bouncy until she was 6mo old with no problems. After that we moved her to the crib with the head elevated. Also, someone mentioned Enfamil AR and she did really well on that. Good luck and I don't know about others, but hers has passed as she got older.

Keep pattin that back while he is upright. He may have more air in there than one little burp. You may try sleeping with him in a recliner every once and awhile so both of you can get a good nights sleep. My baby had asthma and required to sleep at an incline. Many children sleep in their car seats!! :)

Hi L.,
Do you have a baby swing cause my Pedi. suggested for us to put her in her baby swing and leave her mostly if she goes back to sleep.

I am normally anti-medicine and like to treat things as naturally as possible with myself and my own children. However, I would strongly recommend you reconsider on this occasion. I can't put it any better than Denise below did and another poster as well that mention that NOT treating true reflux can cause damage, which you don't want!

I think your decision to put him in a bouncy, swing, or car seat is fine, just as long as you check on him. Wherever they sleep best.....

ask your dr. for medicine.
Both my kids had reflux and got better once they had medicine.
It will make your son feel better,too.

Hi L.,

When you say he has acid reflux and spits up, what do you mean by spits up. A little yuk from his mouth or projectile vomiting. One of my sons had projectile vomiting and after 13 formula changes an old doctor with many years experience broke a fistula in his rectum and we never had another problem.

If it is truly acid reflux, I have a sample of Xango juice that I will be happy to send you to let him try as long as he is already on fruit juice. You would give him a very small amount because he is so tiny but it should naturally stop the reflux. It has worked for thousands of people. If you want more information, send me an email to ____@____.com either of these will help you. Know it stopped my acid reflux quickly. If neither of these work, take him to the doctor because acid reflux is nothing to mess with. The esophagus is not like the stomach and the acid will damage it if it goes on too long. But try the sample of the juice first. It is natural and really does work. J.

It is really painful to have reflux and it usually does not feel better without meds. The stomach acid is hydrochloric acid and that is a painful acid to have in your esophagus. I had to give my son meds until he was 14 months old. He had Losec and Zantac (not at the same time), and later sometimes he had Gaviscon. He slept on a wedge as well. We never laid him down flat. The reflux is also blamed for ear infections too. YOu can ask about giving Gaviscon for babies too that will give releif when it is very bad. Our son arched his back seriously from the pain. He even had a seizure and aparently this can be one of the less know symptoms of reflux too.
Good luck.

Sorry I didn't read the thread, but if it hasn't been said, use a swing, he will sleep better and not get sick of his car seat which will be a curse later. Also Goggle wedge pillow, you will find a ton of options for $30 or less. Safety pin a baby blanket folded in half and stick him in it with his legs sticking out each side. He can sleep on his stomach or back on this and it will keep him proped up enough that he should do well. We did this for my son who spit up gallons everyday for months and we started getting some sleep. We also put him on meds eventually and while I hated doing it, and he still spit up, it seemed to eleviate his discomfort and he didn't cry much after that. In hindsight I wished I had know earlier how much it would help. He did still spit up a lot, but it really helped! Good luck, this too will pass.