The fastest ways to help a gassy baby are gentle leg movements, tummy massage, and proper burping. Most infant gas is caused by swallowed air during feeding or an immature digestive system that’s still learning to process milk, not by anything wrong with your baby. The good news: you can relieve most gas at home with simple physical techniques, and babies naturally outgrow the worst of it as their digestive tract matures.
Leg Movements and Tummy Time
Bicycle legs are one of the simplest and most effective gas-relief moves. Lay your baby on their back and gently push one knee toward their belly, then the other, in a slow pedaling motion. This compresses the abdomen in a rhythmic way that helps trapped gas bubbles move through the intestines. You can do this for a minute or two at a time, several times a day.
Tummy time also helps. When your baby lies face down on a firm surface (while awake and supervised), the gentle pressure on their belly can push gas along. Even a few minutes of tummy time after a feeding, once your baby has had a chance to digest for 20 to 30 minutes, can make a difference. You’ll often hear the results.
Abdominal Massage Techniques
Baby tummy massage follows one key principle: move in a clockwise direction, which mirrors the natural path of the large intestine. You’re essentially guiding gas and stool in the direction the body already wants to move them. Use a small amount of baby-safe oil or lotion to reduce friction, and keep your pressure gentle but firm enough that the skin moves with your fingers rather than your fingers sliding over the skin.
The I Love You Massage
This technique, used at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital for digestive relief, traces three letter shapes on your baby’s belly. Each stroke builds on the last, progressively clearing more of the intestinal path.
- “I” stroke: Starting just under your baby’s left rib cage, slide your hand straight down toward the left hip. Repeat 10 times. This clears the descending part of the colon first, making room for what comes next.
- “L” stroke: Start below the right rib cage, slide across the upper belly to the left rib cage, then down to the left hip. Repeat 10 times. Now you’re moving gas across and down.
- “U” stroke: Start at the right hip, slide up to the right rib cage, across to the left rib cage, then down to the left hip. Repeat 10 times. This traces the full path of the large intestine.
Finish with small clockwise circles around the belly button, keeping your fingers about two to three inches out from it, for one to two minutes. This helps stimulate the small intestine and relax the stomach.
Other Massage Moves
If your baby is squirmy or you want a quicker option, try paddling: using the broad, pinky side of your hand horizontally across the belly, gently press near the rib cage and slide down the length of the tummy, alternating hands. Another option is fulling, where you lay both thumbs flat above the belly button and gently press while sliding them away from each other. There’s also a pressure point on the sole of your baby’s foot, in the upper middle area just below the fleshy pad, that corresponds to the stomach and intestines. Gentle stroking here can sometimes bring relief.
Burping During and After Feeds
There’s no strict rule about when to burp. Some babies need a mid-feed burp, others do fine waiting until the end. Watch your baby: if they pull off the breast or bottle, squirm, or seem uncomfortable during a feeding, that’s a good time to pause and try.
Three positions work well. The classic is over your shoulder, with your baby’s tummy and back kept straight (not curled) while you rub or pat their back. The second is sitting upright on your lap, facing away from you, with the palm of your hand flat against their chest supporting their chin and jaw while you pat with your free hand. The third is lying your baby face down across your lap. Some babies burp easily in one position and not the others, so experiment. If nothing comes up after a couple of minutes, it’s fine to move on.
Feeding Adjustments That Reduce Swallowed Air
Much of infant gas comes from air swallowed during feeds, so how you feed matters as much as what happens afterward.
For bottle-fed babies, paced feeding makes a significant difference. Hold your baby in an almost upright position rather than reclined. Keep the bottle sideways and level so the nipple is only about half full of milk. Don’t tilt the bottle up or lean the baby back. When your baby pauses between sucks, lower the bottle so the nipple empties but stays in their mouth, then bring it back to a flat position when they start sucking again. This prevents milk from flowing too fast, which causes babies to gulp and swallow air. A slow-flow nipple that matches your baby’s age is also important.
For breastfed babies, a deep latch is the biggest factor. If you hear clicking sounds or see milk leaking from the corners of your baby’s mouth, the seal may not be tight enough, letting air in with each swallow. A lactation consultant can help if you suspect latch issues.
What About Gas Drops and Probiotics?
Simethicone gas drops are widely marketed for infant gas, but the evidence behind them is thin. The American Academy of Pediatrics notes there’s no definitive evidence that infant gas drops work, and studies on their use for colic suggest they perform no better than a placebo. Pediatricians are increasingly recommending parents skip them.
Probiotics have gotten attention too, particularly one strain called Lactobacillus reuteri. While a few small, early studies looked promising, a large randomized trial published in The BMJ found that this probiotic did not reduce crying or fussing in a broad community of infants with colic. It also showed no improvement in infant sleep, family functioning, or maternal mental health. The current evidence doesn’t support a general recommendation for probiotics to treat infant gas or colic.
Gripe water is another popular option, but its ingredients vary widely between brands and it lacks consistent clinical evidence. If you do try any over-the-counter product, check the ingredient list for alcohol and artificial sweeteners, which have no place in an infant’s system.
Does a Breastfeeding Mother’s Diet Matter?
The idea that broccoli, beans, or spicy food in a mother’s diet causes gas in her baby is one of the most persistent pieces of parenting advice, but it isn’t supported by research. Infant gassiness is primarily caused by the baby’s immature digestive system, not by what mom eats. Gas-producing foods create gas through fiber fermentation in the mother’s own gut. That gas doesn’t transfer into breast milk.
That said, certain food proteins, particularly cow’s milk protein, do pass into breast milk, and individual babies can be sensitive to them. If you notice a consistent pattern where your baby seems more uncomfortable after you eat a specific food, try eliminating it for two to three weeks and see if symptoms improve. But there’s no reason to preemptively cut out entire food groups.
When Gas Might Signal Something Else
Normal infant gas, even when it causes fussiness and crying, is temporary and doesn’t come with other worrying symptoms. Cow’s milk protein allergy, which affects a small percentage of infants, looks different. Immediate signs include hives, wheezing, vomiting, or swelling around the lips and mouth. Delayed reactions, which can show up hours later, include diarrhea (sometimes with blood), persistent colic, a runny nose, and watery eyes.
If your baby’s gas is accompanied by bloody or mucousy stools, frequent vomiting, poor weight gain, a distended belly that feels hard, or a rash, those symptoms point beyond normal gas. A family history of food allergies also raises the chance your baby may be reacting to a protein in breast milk or formula rather than simply dealing with routine digestive immaturity.