Gassy babies are completely normal, and a few simple techniques can help move that trapped air through. Bicycle legs, tummy massage, strategic burping, and adjusted feeding positions are the most effective ways to help your baby pass gas. Most babies struggle with gas in the first few months because their digestive systems are brand new and still learning how to process air and food efficiently.
Why Babies Get So Gassy
After nine months developing in fluid, newborns have zero experience with air until their first breath. Every time they cry or feed, they swallow some of that air. Some comes back up as a burp, but the rest travels into the intestines and needs to work its way out the other end.
On top of swallowed air, normal gut bacteria break down undigested liquid in the intestines and produce gas as a byproduct. This is a healthy process, but young babies aren’t very good at pushing that gas out yet, and the unfamiliar sensation bothers them. The muscles that coordinate moving gas through the digestive tract are still immature, which is why you’ll see your baby strain, squirm, pull their legs up, and cry even though nothing is technically wrong. This typically improves around 3 to 4 months as the digestive system matures.
Bicycle Legs and Tummy Time
Laying your baby on their back and gently cycling their legs in a pedaling motion helps compress the abdomen and push trapped gas downward. Move slowly and rhythmically. You can also try gently pressing both knees toward the belly, holding for a few seconds, then releasing. Repeat several times.
Tummy time on a flat surface naturally puts gentle pressure on the abdomen and encourages gas to move. Even a few minutes after a feed (once any burping is done) can make a difference. If your baby resists tummy time on the floor, try the football hold: lay your baby facedown across your forearm with their legs straddling your elbow and the side of their face resting in your hand. The light pressure on their belly combined with the warmth of your arm often provides quick relief.
The “I Love You” Tummy Massage
A simple abdominal massage can physically guide gas through your baby’s intestines. The “I Love You” technique follows the path of the large intestine using three strokes:
- I: Using two or three fingers, stroke straight down along the left side of your baby’s belly (your right as you face them).
- Love: Draw an upside-down “L,” stroking across the upper belly from your left to right, then down the left side.
- You: Draw an upside-down “U,” starting at the lower right of the belly, going up, across the top, and down the left side.
Use gentle, firm pressure with a flat hand or fingernips. Say “I love you” as you trace each letter. Repeat the full sequence several times. This works best when your baby is calm and not immediately after a full feeding.
Burping More Often During Feeds
Most parents burp at the end of a feeding, but pausing halfway through is more effective at releasing swallowed air before it travels deeper into the digestive tract. For babies who are especially gassy, try burping after every ounce or so.
Two positions work well. The over-the-shoulder hold has your baby upright with their head just above your shoulder while you gently pat or rub their back. For the armrest position, sit your baby on your lap facing sideways, lean them forward slightly so their upper body rests on your forearm, and softly cradle their jaw in your hand (keeping your fingers away from the throat) while patting their back. If a burp doesn’t come after a minute or two, move on. Not every attempt will produce one.
Feeding Adjustments That Reduce Swallowed Air
If you’re bottle feeding, how you hold the bottle matters as much as what’s in it. Paced bottle feeding mimics the slower rhythm of breastfeeding and cuts down on the air your baby gulps. Start with a slow-flow nipple. Hold your baby in an upright or side-lying position rather than laying them flat. Before placing the nipple in their mouth, tilt the bottle downward so milk isn’t immediately flowing.
Let your baby suck on the mostly empty nipple for a few seconds first, the way they would at the breast before milk lets down. Once they’re sucking, hold the bottle so milk fills the nipple only about halfway. This prevents a fast, continuous flow that forces them to swallow air between gulps. When your baby naturally pauses, tilt the bottle down again but keep the nipple in their mouth. When they resume sucking, bring the bottle back to horizontal for a controlled flow. These small adjustments can significantly reduce the amount of air that ends up in their stomach.
For breastfeeding, make sure you have a good latch. A shallow latch creates gaps around the nipple where air sneaks in. If you hear clicking sounds while your baby feeds, they may be breaking suction repeatedly and swallowing extra air.
Does Your Diet Affect a Breastfed Baby’s Gas?
This is one of the most common concerns for breastfeeding parents, and the answer is reassuring: for the majority of babies, what you eat does not cause their gas. The idea that broccoli or beans in your dinner will make your baby gassy is largely a myth. The gas-producing compounds in those foods don’t transfer into breast milk in a meaningful way.
The exception is a genuine food allergy or sensitivity, most commonly to dairy in the parent’s diet. Only about 3% of exclusively breastfed babies have this issue. Signs go beyond normal gassiness and typically include bloody stools, persistent diarrhea, significant pain, and sometimes skin reactions. If your baby consistently seems more fussy or gassy after you eat a specific food, you can try eliminating it for a few days to see if things improve, but wholesale dietary restrictions aren’t necessary for typical gas.
Gas Drops and Probiotics
Simethicone gas drops (sold as Mylicon, Little Remedies, and store brands) are the most widely used over-the-counter option. Simethicone works by breaking large gas bubbles into smaller ones that are easier to pass. For infants under 2 years old, the standard dose is 0.3 mL, which can be given after meals and at bedtime as needed, up to 12 doses per day. Simethicone isn’t absorbed into the bloodstream, so it’s considered very safe. That said, the evidence for its effectiveness is mixed. Some parents swear by it, others notice no difference.
Probiotic drops containing Lactobacillus reuteri have gained popularity for infant gas and colic. However, a study funded by the National Institutes of Health that examined this specific strain in colicky infants found no significant difference in colic symptoms between babies who received the probiotic and those who received a placebo. Probiotics aren’t harmful, but the evidence that they reliably help with gas is weak.
When Gas Signals Something More
Normal infant gas, even when it causes crying and fussiness, resolves on its own with time and the techniques above. But certain patterns suggest something beyond typical gas. Cow’s milk protein allergy can cause persistent flatulence along with diarrhea, bloody stools, and pain. This affects a small percentage of babies and can occur in both formula-fed and breastfed infants (through dairy in the parent’s diet).
Frequent vomiting, refusing to eat, failure to gain weight, or worsening symptoms over time can point to reflux or other digestive conditions that need medical attention. If your baby’s gas comes with any of these signs, or if they seem to be in genuine distress that doesn’t improve with the usual relief methods, it’s worth having your pediatrician take a closer look.