Baby falls asleep while feeding on the bottle

How to Burp a Sleeping Baby: Step-by-Step Guide

Some babies are gassier than others, but most babies will need to be burped at some point. Babies need to burp a lot more often than older kids and adults. They drink all of their calories, which means they can gulp a lot of air.

Burping a baby can be important day and night. Sometimes babies fall asleep while eating and you may need to find a way to burp them while they’re still asleep. It’s remarkable how much a newborn can sleep through.

Even if your baby falls asleep, try burping them for a few minutes before placing them back down to sleep. Otherwise, they make wake up in pain with trapped gas.

Not all babies burp, though, no matter if it’s on their own or with your help. If your baby is one that needs to be burped, read on for ways to do so even when they’re asleep.

It’s common for babies to fall asleep while eating, whether nursing or bottle-feeding. As their tummy fills and they start soothing sucking motions, they often become happy and relaxed and tend to drift off.

This is especially likely to happen at night when their sleep drive is strong. But even if your little one looks content and totally asleep, for some babies it’s important you try to get a burp out of them before lying them back down.

Burping a sleeping baby is basically the same as burping a baby who’s awake. You might move slower to help them stay asleep. Some burping positions are a bit easier to maneuver with a sleeping baby.

For example, many people sit a baby upright on their knee while supporting the baby’s head by cradling their chin. This position uses gravity and the baby’s own weight to get air up and out. However, this position is more likely to wake a baby, so you might not want to try it if your aim is to keep the baby asleep.

To burp a baby, they should be in a slightly upright position so you can put pressure on their tummy. If your baby doesn’t poop right after eating, you may want to change their diaper before feeding them at night so you don’t have to wake them up if they fall back to sleep while eating.

Here are some positions for burping a sleeping baby:

Burp between changing sides, or mid-bottle

A sleepy baby may enjoy their feeding so much that they overeat and don’t realize they need a pause to burp. Help your baby have a gentler burp and avoid any major gas pain by slowing down the feed.

Burp your baby between switching sides at the breast or before they finish their bottle. This will also help your baby make room for more milk instead of burping and spitting up any of their food.

Hold on your shoulder

If you feed your baby in a semi-upright position, you can gently move them all the way upright and onto your shoulder. Babies can keep sleeping in this cozy position while the pressure from your shoulder pushes on their tummy to release gas. Keep a burp rag over your shoulder if your baby tends to spit up.

Hold lower on your chest

Similar to the previous position, you can lift your baby from semi-upright to fully upright and keep them on your chest or sternum area. This may be most comfortable if you’re on a couch. Babies like to curl up with their legs in a frog position (a bonus move to release more gas from their bottoms) and you can support their head and wait for the burp to come.

Rock on your arm (“sloth hold”)

After feeding, you can slowly turn them away from you at 45 degrees so their tummy rests on your forearm. Support their head in the crook of your elbow. Their legs may dangle on either side of your arm. This position puts pressure on their belly and you can gently pat their back until they burp. You can do this position while sitting or standing.

Lay on your knees

If you’re sitting in a chair, simply move your baby to a laying position on their tummy on your knees. You can move your legs side to side to rock them and gently pat or rub their back until a burp comes. A baby can remain asleep here as long as you want to stay sitting.

Burping is one of the many tasks parents have until their child grows into being more self-sufficient. Kids and adults can easily release their own gas, but many babies need help because they have so little control over how their bodies are positioned.

You’ll figure out pretty quickly if your baby is the type who can eat without burping or if they need to be burped every time. If your baby has a lot of gas or spit-up, you should talk to your doctor about reflux.

If you do have a colicky baby but you can’t seem to get them to burp, focus on any comfort measures that work and don’t worry too much about getting burps out. One study suggests that burping won’t help decrease colic.

Whether your baby burps a lot during the day, it may be worth it to burp them after every nighttime feeding. Since you’re already up feeding the baby, make the most of your time by giving a solid attempt at burping. This may get everyone a long stretch of sleep after the feeding.

Gas drops and gripe water are readily available at pharmacies but ask your doctor first before using any of them. These supplements aren’t regulated for safety and may contain dangerous ingredients. If you have a very fussy and gassy baby — whether or not they spit up often — ask a doctor for coping skills. Most babies grow out of this after a few months.

Risk of choking on spit-up is very rare. It’s still important not to overfeed your baby and to try to burp them after every feeding if they seem to benefit from it.

Burping usually only takes a minute or two. Sometimes a burp will come up as soon as you move your baby upright, and sometimes you have to wait a little while and help things with a gentle pat or tummy pressure.

Another helpful strategy is to get your baby in the habit of falling asleep in their crib rather than while feeding. When you notice them getting sleepy at the breast or bottle, stop the feeding, burp them for a minute or so, and then put them down to sleep. The younger you start this, the easier it is to do.

If your baby is often stiff and uncomfortable, talk with their doctor about more help for relieving gas. Some babies with bad reflux may need to stay upright for 30 minutes after eating, day or night.

If your baby is asleep, try burping them for a minute before you lay them back down. Sometimes babies don’t need to burp as much at nighttime because they eat slower and don’t get as much air while feeding.

If they wake up crying, soothe them, check to see if they need a clean diaper, feed them again if it’s time, and try to burp them after that feeding.

Some people believe that bottle-fed babies are more likely to get gassy, but evidence of this is only anecdotal. Bottles may expose babies to more air as they gulp and may make it easier to overfeed your baby. But every baby is different and even breastfed babies can be very gassy — sometimes because they’re sensitive to food in their mother’s diet.

Though uncommon, a breastfeeding mother may have to experiment a lot before figuring out exactly what they ate to cause their baby’s upset stomach. There’s no solid research to tell a mother what exactly causes her baby’s excess gas. Also, many babies with gas aren’t bothered by it.

Burping is a basic but important way you can take care of your baby and keep them comfortable. Even if your baby is asleep, burping may be helpful to allow them to relieve gas so they don’t get uncomfortable or wake up too soon.

Keeping Baby Awake During Feeding

Read time: 4 minutes

What to know about babies who fall asleep while feeding

Understand your baby’s sleep and eating patterns
Tips for keeping your baby awake and alert to feed
When sleeping during feeding can signal a problem

What is normal sleepiness while feeding your infant?

It’s normal and common for babies to fall asleep while feeding, especially while nursing. Breast milk (and even more so suckling at the breast) encourages the flow of “feel good” hormones like oxytocin and cholecystokinin, promoting restfulness and feelings of security and safety. ¹

Newborns have a lot of growth and development happening in those early weeks, and their bodies need a lot of sleep and nutrition to help that happen. Given that they need to eat and sleep so much, sleepiness with feeding is bound to happen.¹^,²

Is a sleepy baby ever a problem?

Despite well-meaning advice to the contrary, feeding to sleep is not a negative, nor does it create associations that will trap parents into this pattern forever. The associations between feeding (especially breastfeeding) and sleep are biologically linked and usually nothing to be concerned about.¹

A baby who is well-fed and meeting their weight and development goals will often fall asleep after a good feeding. A good feeding can be recognized as one that includes vigorous suckling and ends with a relaxed, cozy, “milk drunk” look. ⁴

While falling asleep after a feed is usually nothing to worry about, the below signs could indicate that baby is having difficulty with eating and means that you should talk with your baby’s doctor or a lactation consultant.

Signs baby baby may be having difficulty with feeding, resulting in sleepiness:

Fall asleep quickly: before going onto the breast or bottle or after just a few suck/swallows
Have irregular bursts of suckling and swallowing
Still look tense even if they do fall asleep
May have weight gain issues⁵^,⁶

Should you want to discuss your sleepy baby, our expert dietitians and breastfeeding specialists are also available to chat Mondays – Fridays 8 AM – 6 PM ET and Saturdays - Sundays 8 AM – 2 PM ET. Chat now!

What to do if your baby falls asleep while feeding

Keep baby stimulated

Try undressing baby or changing baby’s diaper. Newborns can be sleepy, so this technique works best with them, especially if they are working through some feeding issues like having just gotten a tongue tie fixed or if baby was born a little early.⁶^,⁷

Additionally, a warm baby can be a sleepy baby! Keep baby cool, rub baby’s back, or run your finger across their cheek and chin. This can be done for both bottle and breastfeeding babies.⁸

Do breast compressions if you are nursing at the breast

Compressions can be particularly effective for a sleepy baby. This action helps increase the flow of milk, which can be helpful for a baby who is having trouble sustaining a full feeding session.⁸

When you notice baby not drinking or the drinking/swallowing has slowed down, give your breast a squeeze (but not so strong that it hurts). You should see baby’s suckling start to pick up. Keep squeezing until baby slows down their suckling again.⁸ You can repeat this as often as you would like.

Do not restrict or schedule feedings

Babies are primed to eat when they need to, and restriction or a strict schedule can lead to underfeeding, which can cause even more issues with sleepiness.⁷^,¹⁰ A fed baby is a stronger and more alert baby.

Note that you may need to wake baby to feed if your newborn is eating less than 8 times per day, is having trouble gaining weight, and/or is sleeping a 4 hour or more stretch more than once per day.⁷

Read more:Breastfeeding On Demand Vs. On a Schedule

Supplement with more breastmilk or formula if needed

It’s okay to supplement if needed to help keep baby meeting their nutrition needs while feeding concerns are being investigated. Supplementation can be with expressed breast milk, donor breast milk, or formula if the first two aren’t available.

Supplementing a small amount prior to nursing at the breast will allow baby to finish at the breast and take their fill.¹¹

How Do I Supplement my Breastfed Baby with Formula?

Dealing With a Low Breastmilk Supply

If baby is bottle feeding, try a different nipple size or shape

Some babies (especially those with a tongue tie or other issue) may have trouble getting their mouth around certain nipples and this can cause feeding to be harder than it needs to be. If you change nipple sizes, be careful that the flow is not too fast for baby. You can try feeding baby upright to help them pace themselves.

What Is Paced Bottle Feeding?

Choosing the Best Bottles and Nipples for your Baby

If you are breastfeeding, try switching breasts

Similar to compressions, the faster flow of the previously unused breast may help keep baby awake. ¹²

Adjust baby’s latch

Sometimes babies are not getting enough milk, and therefore become sleepier, because they are not latching well. This is because a shallow or poor latch may prevent baby from transferring an adequate amount of milk.⁶ Sometimes simply changing breastfeeding positions can help baby latch deeper; occasionally a bit more adjustments are needed.

Contact a lactation consultant for a full assessment if you suspect baby is not latching well.

6 Breastfeeding Positions for You and Your Baby

Top Breastfeeding Latching Tips

Ask for help

If baby is having trouble staying awake even with the above techniques, feedings take an excessively long time (40 minutes or longer consistently), baby isn’t gaining weight appropriately, or is difficult to wake, call your baby’s doctor ASAP.⁷^,¹²

Let's Chat!

We know parenting often means sleepless nights, stressful days, and countless questions and confusion, and we want to support you in your feeding journey and beyond.

Our Happy Baby Experts are a team of lactation consultants and registered dietitian nutritionists certified in infant and maternal nutrition – and they’re all moms, too! They’re here to offer personalized support on our free, one-on-one, live chat platform Mon-Fri 8am-6pm (ET), and Sat-Sun 8am-2pm (ET). No appointment needed, no email or sign-up required. Chat Now!

Read more about the experts that help write our content!

For more on this topic, check out the following articles:

Breastfeeding: How to Support a Good Milk Supply

How To Deal with Nursing Strikes while Breastfeeding

Feeding Tips for Healthy Weight Gain in Babies and Toddlers

How Much Formula Does My Baby Need?

Sources

Artificial feeding of babies | Bebbo

Submitted by Ilya Danshyn on Wed, 12/08/2021 - 18:40

Sometimes the baby cannot breastfeed, so you have to express milk and bottle feed the baby. Some babies are formula fed because for some reason breastfeeding is not possible, or lactation has stopped prematurely, or you have chosen to formula feed your baby.

Make sure that the rate of milk flow from the bottle through the nipple is appropriate for the baby.
To check this, turn the filled bottle upside down.
Milk should drip quickly, not squirt. If you have to shake the bottle hard to make the milk drip, it means that the nipple is not providing the normal intensity of feeding.
The baby can fall asleep even before he has eaten everything from the bottle.
It is normal for a small amount of milk to leak from the corners of the mouth; it will stop when the child gets older.
If you can't find the perfect nipple, choose the one that produces the most milk; it's okay if you have to go through how many nipples before you find one that's right for you and your baby.

How to bottle feed your baby

Sit back and hold your baby in your arms, gently but firmly. It is better for the baby to be in a more upright position, similar to the position when breastfeeding.
Place the pacifier between the baby's lips; he will open his mouth and start sucking.
Hold the bottle at an angle so that the nipple and mouth of the bottle are constantly filled with milk; this will prevent the child from swallowing air.
When the baby stops actively sucking or has eaten half the milk from the bottle, carefully remove the bottle and check if he wants to burp; after that, you can continue feeding.
Change the position of the baby during feeding or at least at each feeding; this allows even stimulation of the baby's sensations on both sides of the body and prevents positional deformation of the head.

How much milk does a baby need?

The number of meals and the amount of milk is determined by the baby! Different babies require different amounts of breast milk or formula. Feeding time is not always evenly distributed over the time of day, sometimes children eat more during the day, followed by a long night break.
If you are formula feeding, check the chart on the box. Of course, the recommended serving size for your age will only serve as a guideline and may not necessarily be appropriate for your child.
When a baby begins to receive complementary foods, as the amount of solid food increases, the baby's need for milk decreases.
The amount of formula your baby eats will decrease when he switches from bottle to cup.
By the age of 12 months, when a baby can switch to cow's milk, he usually receives 500-600 ml of breast milk or formula per day.

Some babies never eat the recommended amount of milk for their age and height. For some, this "recommended" volume is not enough. At least six wet diapers during the day, constant but not excessive weight gain, a healthy and active child - all this indicates that everything is in order. If you are concerned that your baby is not getting enough milk or formula, contact your doctor.

Responsive feeding from the bottle in accordance with the needs of the child

Feed the baby when he shows that he is hungry and not on the schedule, follow his signals.
Do not feed the baby if he is not hungry, just because the formula is already prepared - this can lead to overfeeding the baby.
When a baby is bottle fed, there is no difference between foremilk and hindmilk that affects the feeling of fullness in a breastfed baby.
The child is often held so that the milk simply flows into the mouth rather than actively suckling; in this case, he eats too much milk too quickly.
During feeding, watch the baby for signs of satiety - he turns away from the bottle, sucks lazily - and stop feeding in time.
Hold the baby close to you during feeding, hug and talk to him; it stimulates growth and development and also strengthens the bond between you and your child.
The baby did not eat everything from the bottle and fell asleep while eating.
Don't worry if the child hasn't eaten everything; he knows how much formula or breast milk he needs.
If the child falls asleep while eating, put him on your shoulder, stroke or pat him on the back and legs; Changing diapers is also an effective way to wake up a baby.
Wait until the baby is awake before giving him any leftover milk.

Always empty the remaining milk from the bottle if more than an hour has passed!

Night feeding

Every baby is different. Some wean from night feeding at four months, and some at two years. From the 6th month of life, healthy children no longer need night feeding. Now it's just a habit that gets harder to change the older the child gets.
If a baby is bottle fed, this is the last age to stop eating at night! Do not replace milk with juices or other sweetened drinks to protect your child's teeth from cavities.
If your baby drinks 60 ml or less of milk during the night, you can simply stop feeding at night and calm the baby as you usually do, and then put him back in the crib to fall asleep on his own.
If your baby eats more than 60 ml every night, gradually reduce the amount of milk over 5-7 nights and lull the baby as you normally do.

Risks of bottle feeding in bed

If your child gets used to falling asleep with a bottle in bed, it will be more difficult for him to learn to calm down or fall asleep on his own.
If a child falls asleep with a bottle in his mouth, there is a risk of choking on milk and suffocation. Babies are not as light sleepers as older children and adults, and do not wake up if something prevents them from breathing.
A mixture left in the mouth during sleep leads to dental caries.
When a child drinks from a bottle lying down, the risk of ear inflammation increases.

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Why can my baby fall asleep while feeding?

The main reason for falling asleep on the chest is fatigue. Especially in the postpartum period. For the mother, this process was difficult, the child was also tired, he spent a lot of strength and energy at birth and is trying to recover during sleep.

In addition, suckling is not an easy process, getting milk from the mother's breasts, he has to work hard. As a result, the desire to sleep wins, and the child falls asleep without even finishing the meal to the end.

In addition to fatigue from birth and suckling, there are several more reasons:

The child is full. Most often, this reason occurs in a situation where the baby is fed on demand, and for each squeak they give a breast. The kid simply does not have time to get hungry, since the intervals between meals are short and he does not need to eat a lot and longer than usual.
Obstructed flow of milk from the breast . When a mother has good ducts, milk flows without much effort, the child does not spend much effort to get it. He eats enough and falls asleep. And in this situation, mom does not have to worry at all. But there is another side, when the ducts are clogged or the mother is very nervous, she begins to produce a stress hormone, which complicates the process of getting milk for the baby. It certainly exists, but getting it for a child turns out to be overwhelming work. As a result, the child falls asleep because he is tired.
Undeveloped sucking reflex. Most often, babies who were born prematurely face this problem. Literally after a couple of weeks of training, the situation with the facial muscles stabilizes, and the baby begins to actively suckle the breast.
The newborn does not latch onto the nipple correctly. As a result, the baby chews more on the mother's breast, in an attempt to properly grasp the nipple. Nothing works out for him, the baby gets tired and falls asleep faster to regain strength.
Physical discomfort. The child does not feel well, hence he may be inactive, and his well-being may also affect his appetite.

What can I do to keep my baby from falling asleep while feeding?

If the baby sucks for 3-5 minutes, falls asleep for a short time, wakes up and needs more supplements, the mother needs to adjust her diet and make sure that the baby does not fall asleep during feeding, but eats fully. There are several proven ways to keep your baby awake while breastfeeding:

Talk to the baby, show him a bright or loud toy, touch different parts of the body, run your hand over the heels, shake the handle, kiss the baby on different parts of the body.
As soon as the sucking intensity decreases and the baby has eaten very little, gradually remove the baby's nipple from the mouth. If he is hungry, he will start suckling again. The same must be done with the bottle, it can still be twisted.
Change position or start moving if the baby is in your arms in the cradle position. Shift the baby to the bed, offer the breast while lying down, so you will shake him a little and remove the focus from sleep.
If the room is warm, stop feeding and undress the baby. This will take his attention away from sleep.
Feed your newborn on time. Infants aged 0-6 months can withstand a feeding interval of 1.5-2 hours. Make sure that the child literally “works up” an appetite.
Focus on sucking intensity and time. If the baby was born prematurely, he can eat longer, as he has little strength and weak sucking muscles. The duration of feeding in such children can vary within 15-20 minutes. If the baby is born on time, then feeding takes 7-10 minutes.
Try to alternate ways of bedtime and do not teach your child to eat before bed. Offer to lay your chest in one position, fall asleep in your arms in the other, fall asleep to a lullaby and light swaying in the next. Introduce air sleep in a stroller.

To wake up or not to wake up?

It is worth waking up the baby for feeding when he refuses to eat with his eyes closed. That is, the mother offers the child sleepy feeding, in which he does not eat. In this case, it is worth creating conditions for a soft awakening and offering breasts.

It is also necessary to wake up for feeding when the child is not gaining weight well or after 2-3 sucking movements immediately falls asleep.

It is not necessary to wake up the baby if he actively suckles his mother's breast for at least 7 minutes, the baby ate the day before before bedtime, he has no problems with weight gain. In addition, if a child is sick, he should not be woken up for feeding, since sleep during illness is needed more than food. Since the child is fully restored when he sleeps.

Is it necessary to hold a sleeping baby in a column

Spitting up is a fairly common situation that occurs with babies. For babies who are in a horizontal position, this can be dangerous. He may choke and die. The baby burps for several reasons: