Dealing with Reflux in Babies and Young Children

 

In babies with acid reflux, food backs up in the baby’s stomach and causes them to spit up. Having a baby with acid reflux can feel like the most exhausting uphill battle when you’re a new parent. 

 Here is a list of 7 tips and tricks for helping babies with acid reflux (that actually work!)

 

1. Trust your instincts.

As a mom, it’s so hard to watch your baby struggle. If you sense something is wrong or if it seems like your baby is always uncomfortable, unhappy, or has trouble sleeping (more than the normal hunger cues), talk to your doctor.

2. Consider getting your baby allergy-tested.

Although not every baby with acid reflux suffers from some kind of allergy or food intolerance, often the symptoms of each can be confused. This is where going to a doctor/healthcare provider is imperative.

3. If your baby is struggling with sleep, have him or her sleep on an angle. 

Laying your baby flat on his or her back to sleep (which is the safest way for babies to sleep, in order to reduce the risk of SIDS) tends to make the symptoms of reflux and GERD even worse. Basically, the best and safest sleep position for your baby is also one of the worst positions for his or her acid reflux.

4. Try a pacifier.

Pacifiers also soothe your little ones; something that is SO needed when your baby is suffering from the pain associated with acid reflux.

5. Switch bottles.

If you use baby bottles, finding the right baby bottle for your little one is super helpful. Some nipples/bottles allow baby to suck in more air as they drink, causing gas and discomfort. 

6. Hold or sit your baby slightly upright after feedings.

Do it for about 20 to 30 minutes until the formula or breastmilk he or she just drank is digested. If you have a reflux baby and you lay him or her down flat right after feeding,  there’s a good chance that much of that meal will come right back up.

7. Switch formulas

A growing number of parents have been looking to goat’s milk formula as an alternative to cow’s milk-based formulas to help address what may be a main underlying cause of pain and distress in many children. The reason being is that goat’s milk is so much easier on the gastrointestinal and immune systems than cow’s milk.

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