At What Age Can They Burp on Their Own?

Updated on November 15, 2010
L.A. asks from Kew Gardens, NY
13 answers

First time momma here to a beautiful 1 month old boy, who happens to be gassy. At what age, I wonder, can infants burp on their own? Also, can anyone recommend a good site for developmental milestones?

Thanks,

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H.F.

answers from New York on

A great book (I think they also have a website) is called Secrets of the baby Whisperer by Tracy Hoag. I give it as a gift to all my friends who have newborns!

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D.P.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Lori,
Congrats on your new little O.! He will need burped for quite some time, but as a fellow "boy mom" I can assure you that once he STARTS burping on his own, he will not stop! LOL

Check out www.aap.org.

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J.B.

answers from Houston on

Mine is nine months and can burp on his own but if I hear juices jiggling in his little tummy I still help him out, I would say they can start around 6-7 months or so. One of my favorite sites is babycenter.com, lots of great info!! Congrats on your new little one"D

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J.C.

answers from Anchorage on

I seem to remember it being about the time they started moving/crawling more.

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A.D.

answers from New York on

Dear Lori, Congratulations Mommy! It seems to me that babies burp on their own when they are sitting up in a high chair and eating by themselves. If your baby is gassy and you are nursing, watch what you eat. If not, when you bottle feed make sure the formula covers the nipple area. If not the air gets in as baby is sucking and this causes excess gas. Grandma Mary

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D.G.

answers from Houston on

Depends on the kiddo. My son could burp himself, my daughter needed to be burped until she was almost 6 months.

The aap is a good website, and I also like http://www.askdrsears.com/

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R.J.

answers from Seattle on

I seem to recall it was about the same time he started crawling. So between 6-9mo.

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C.O.

answers from New York on

My sons stopped needing to be burped when they could hold themselves upright, around 4-5 months. But sometimes they still needed help. By the time they could it up on their own 5-6 months I had stopped altogether.

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E.C.

answers from New York on

They can always burp on their own, but you still 'burp' them after every nursing or when they seem full when they haven't had much to drink.

Get the book "What to Expect the First Year" for milestones.

M.M.

answers from Chicago on

Both of my kids were able to burp on their own around 8 weeks. I have a 13 week old daughter right now that I no longer burp.

For milestones, my pediatrician's office posts checkup sheets online that do detail this information.
www.townandcountrypeds.com
Go to the section that says Parent Guide to Growth and Development.

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S.C.

answers from Fort Wayne on

Not until he can move on his own. I think around 6 or 7 months maybe...
I dealt with bad gas with both my girls. A few tricks I learned: Burp them more often, make sure they're not gulping too much air as they're nursing or taking a bottle, if you're using a bottle, make sure the flow isn't too fast. There's an exercise (I guess that's the right word) you can do that helps too. Lay your son on his back and sort of push his knees into his tummy. That maneuver always helped my girls if they had gas. Keep some Mylicon on hand. The stuff is a lifesaver!

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L.D.

answers from Las Vegas on

I would highly recommend purchasing the book What to Expect the First Year. It is such a great resource of information on developmental milestones and really useful tips.

As for burping, I believe that my children were able to burp themselves after they started sitting up on their own and holding their own bottles, around 6-months. If you son is particularly gassy and you are breastfeeding, you may want to take a look at the foods that you are eating to see if there is anything there that may be causing his gassiness. I know that broccoli is a big culprit but can't remember what else. Also, gently rubbing his tummy in a clockwise motion can help relieve a gassy stomach -- but you still want to burp him after feeding him.

Hope this helps. Congratulations on your new son.

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M.T.

answers from New York on

Usually you burp them til they can sit themselves up after eating.

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