You can give Mylicon (simethicone) drops up to 12 times per day, which works out to once at every feeding and again at bedtime. Each dose can be repeated as needed, so there’s no strict minimum time between doses as long as you stay within that 12-dose daily limit.
Dosing Schedule and Timing
The standard approach is to give a dose after meals and at bedtime. For most newborns and young infants eating every two to three hours, this means you’ll naturally fall well within the 12-dose ceiling. If your baby is going through a particularly gassy stretch, you can give a dose at every single feeding without concern about exceeding the safe range.
Mylicon can be given directly into your baby’s mouth using the dropper, or you can mix it into a bottle of formula or breast milk. The timing doesn’t need to be precise. After a feeding is the most common approach, but giving it during or just before a feeding works too. The drops take effect in the stomach and intestines, so they work best when they’re present alongside the food that’s producing gas.
Why Mylicon Has Such a Wide Safety Margin
Simethicone, the active ingredient in Mylicon, isn’t actually absorbed into your baby’s bloodstream. It stays in the digestive tract, where it works by merging small gas bubbles into larger ones that are easier for your baby to pass through burping or flatulence. Because it passes through the body without being absorbed, the risk of overdose or systemic side effects is essentially zero. This is why the dosing window is so generous compared to most medications.
Side effects are rare. The main thing to watch for is an allergic reaction to one of the inactive ingredients (flavorings, colorings, or thickeners), which would show up as a rash, swelling, or unusual fussiness shortly after a dose. If your baby takes thyroid medication, give it at least four hours apart from simethicone, since simethicone can interfere with absorption of those drugs.
One Important Caveat: It May Not Work
Despite its popularity and strong safety profile, the clinical evidence behind simethicone for infant gas and colic is surprisingly weak. A systematic review published in BMJ Open that examined multiple studies and guidelines found no benefit from simethicone for reducing crying time in colicky infants. Some reviews even noted a slight worsening of symptoms. Three out of four clinical guidelines examined in that review recommended against using simethicone for colic, favoring continued breastfeeding and physical comfort measures instead.
This doesn’t mean Mylicon won’t help your particular baby. Gas and colic have different underlying causes, and some parents do notice improvement. But if you’ve been giving it consistently without seeing a difference, the evidence suggests that stopping won’t make things worse. Many pediatricians recommend trying it for a few days and discontinuing if there’s no clear benefit.
Mylicon vs. Gripe Water
Parents often weigh Mylicon against gripe water, but the two products are quite different. Gripe water typically contains herbal ingredients like fennel, ginger, and sometimes baking soda. It has no scientific evidence supporting its safety or effectiveness in infants, and pediatricians generally don’t recommend it because the ingredients aren’t standardized or well-studied in babies.
Mylicon, by contrast, contains a single well-characterized active ingredient that has been used in infants for decades. While the evidence for its effectiveness is weak, its safety profile is well established. Cleveland Clinic lists simethicone gas drops as a “doctor and parent approved” option for gassy babies, while noting that gripe water lacks the same assurance.
Practical Tips for Gassy Babies
If you’re reaching for Mylicon multiple times a day, it’s worth layering in some non-medication strategies that often work just as well. Bicycle kicks (gently moving your baby’s legs in a pedaling motion while they lie on their back) can help move trapped gas through the intestines. Tummy time during awake periods puts gentle pressure on the belly. Burping your baby more frequently during feedings, not just at the end, reduces the amount of air that makes it into the lower digestive tract in the first place.
For bottle-fed babies, a slow-flow nipple and paced feeding (holding the bottle more horizontally so milk doesn’t rush out) can cut down on the air your baby swallows. If you’re breastfeeding and your letdown is fast, your baby may be gulping air to keep up. Feeding in a more upright position and taking breaks to burp can help.
Most infant gassiness peaks around six weeks of age and improves significantly by three to four months as the digestive system matures. If your baby’s discomfort is getting worse rather than better, or you’re seeing other symptoms like vomiting, bloody stool, or poor weight gain, those warrant a call to your pediatrician since they point to something beyond ordinary gas.