The fastest ways to get gas out of a baby are burping during and after feeds, gentle belly massage, and bicycle leg movements. Gas is completely normal in newborns and young infants. Their digestive systems are brand new, having spent nine months in fluid with no experience processing air. Every time a baby cries, feeds, or gulps, they swallow air, and the bacteria in their gut produce additional gas as a byproduct of digesting milk. The good news: most of these techniques work within minutes.
Why Babies Get So Gassy
Babies swallow air constantly. Crying from hunger is one of the biggest culprits. A frantically hungry baby will gulp quickly at the breast or bottle, taking in more air than usual. That swallowed air eventually needs to come back up as a burp, or it travels through the intestines and comes out as a fart.
Gas from the lower end has a different origin. As milk moves through your baby’s intestines, some of it goes undigested. Normal gut bacteria feed on that leftover milk and produce gas as a byproduct. In the first few days of life, passing gas is actually a good sign that the digestive system is waking up and starting to work. But as gut bacteria colonize over the following weeks, gas production can increase before it eventually settles down.
Three Burping Positions That Work
Burping is the single most effective way to release swallowed air before it moves deeper into the digestive tract. Try burping midway through a feed and again at the end. If no burp comes after about two minutes of trying, move on. The baby probably doesn’t need to burp right then.
Over the shoulder: Hold your baby upright with their chin peeking over your shoulder. Use one arm to support their bottom and the other hand to gently pat or rub their mid-to-lower back. If your baby doesn’t have full head control yet, let their head rest turned to one side against your chest instead of over your shoulder.
Seated on your lap: Sit your baby on your lap facing to the side. Lean them forward slightly, supporting their chest with one palm while cupping your index finger and thumb around their jaw (not the throat). Pat or rub their back with your free hand.
Lying across your lap: Place your baby belly-down across your legs with their head turned to one side, cheek resting on your thigh. Raise one heel slightly so their upper body is a bit higher than their hips. Gently pat or rub their back. This position also puts light pressure on the belly, which can help move trapped gas.
The “I Love U” Belly Massage
This massage technique follows the path of the large intestine, gently pushing gas toward the exit. Lay your baby on their back on a firm, comfortable surface. Use gentle but steady pressure with your fingertips, and make sure your hands are warm.
Start with the “I” stroke: place your hand just under your baby’s left rib cage and slide straight down toward their left hip. Repeat 10 times. Next, the “L” stroke: start below the right rib cage, move across the upper belly to the left rib cage, then down to the left hip. Repeat 10 times. Finally, the “U” stroke: start at the right hip, move up to the right rib cage, across to the left rib cage, and down to the left hip. Repeat 10 times.
Finish by making small clockwise circles around the belly button, keeping your fingers about two to three inches out from center, for one to two minutes. The clockwise direction matters because it follows the natural direction of digestion.
Bicycle Legs and Tummy Time
Lay your baby on their back and gently move their legs in a cycling motion, alternating knees toward the belly. This compresses the abdomen rhythmically and helps trapped gas shift through the intestines. You can also try holding both knees gently against the belly for a few seconds, releasing, and repeating.
Supervised tummy time serves double duty. The pressure of lying on their stomach can help push gas out, and it builds the neck and core strength your baby needs for development. Even a few minutes at a time can produce results.
Prevent Gas Before It Starts
Much of infant gas comes from swallowed air during feeding, so small adjustments to how you feed can make a real difference.
If you’re bottle feeding, check the nipple flow rate. Most newborns do best with a slow-flow or level-1 nipple. Signs that the flow is too fast include gulping, choking, coughing, hard swallowing, and milk drooling from the corners of the mouth. A nipple that’s too fast forces your baby to gulp air between frantic swallows. Babies who switch between breast and bottle often do better with a slower nipple to match the pace of breastfeeding.
On the other hand, a nipple that’s too slow can also cause problems. If your baby is sucking hard with very few swallows, getting fussy during feeds, or if the nipple keeps collapsing, they may be working too hard and swallowing extra air from the effort. Try the next flow rate up.
Feed your baby before they’re frantically hungry. A calm baby latches better and swallows less air. If you notice hunger cues like rooting, lip smacking, or hand-to-mouth movements, start the feed then rather than waiting for full-blown crying.
What About Gas Drops and Gripe Water?
Simethicone drops (sold as gas drops for infants) are widely available and considered safe, but the evidence for their effectiveness is thin. A multicenter trial of 83 infants found that simethicone performed no better than a placebo. About 54% of treatment periods showed improvement, but the improvement rate was identical whether the baby received the actual drops or a dummy liquid. In other words, babies often get better on their own regardless of treatment.
Gripe water is another popular option. Modern formulations typically contain fennel, ginger, baking soda, and flavorings. Older versions from the 1800s contained sugar and alcohol. Gripe water is not regulated or approved by the FDA, and there’s limited clinical evidence supporting its use. It’s unlikely to cause harm in most cases, but it’s also unlikely to outperform the physical techniques described above.
Does a Breastfeeding Parent’s Diet Matter?
The belief that broccoli, beans, garlic, or spicy foods in a breastfeeding parent’s diet cause infant gas is widespread but not well supported by science. Mothers commonly eliminate caffeine, cruciferous vegetables, onions, and beans, but research has found little evidence that any of these dietary changes reduce gas or colic symptoms.
The one exception is cow’s milk protein. When an infant has a true cow’s milk protein allergy, removing dairy from the breastfeeding parent’s diet can reduce symptoms. But this is a specific medical condition, not a general recommendation. If you suspect a milk protein issue, signs typically include not just gas but also mucus or blood in the stool, significant vomiting, or skin reactions.
Normal Gas vs. Something More Serious
Some fussiness and gas is part of being an infant. But certain signs suggest something beyond ordinary gas is going on. Watch for poor feeding or refusing the bottle, vomiting or diarrhea, a cry that sounds unusual or different from their normal fussing, increased irritability when held or touched, changes in breathing, or unusual sleepiness. Any of these alongside excessive crying warrants a call to your pediatrician.
Most infant gas improves steadily as the digestive system matures over the first few months. The gut bacteria stabilize, babies get better at latching and feeding without gulping air, and the whole system becomes more efficient at processing milk. In the meantime, a combination of good burping habits, belly massage, and proper bottle technique will get you through the worst of it.