How to Relieve Baby Gas: Positions and Techniques That Actually Work

It's 2am. Your baby has been fed, changed, and held — and they're still pulling their knees up, arching their back, and crying. A gassy belly is one of the most common culprits in those early weeks, and it's one of the most frustrating because the fix isn't obvious. Here's what the research and pediatricians actually support.

Why Do Babies Get So Gassy?

Infant gas is primarily caused by swallowed air during feeding. Babies are still learning to coordinate sucking, swallowing, and breathing — a three-way juggle that lets air sneak into the digestive tract with nearly every feed. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, gas can also come from an immature digestive system, certain foods in a nursing parent's diet, or the way powdered formula is prepared and mixed.

The good news: most infant gas is temporary. It tends to peak in the first few weeks and gradually eases as your baby's gut matures. The goal in the meantime is to minimize how much air gets in — and to help it move through when it does.

7 Techniques to Help Relieve Baby Gas

1. Burp during feeds, not just after

Stepping up your burping efforts is one of the most effective first-line approaches. The AAP recommends burping your baby during each feeding — not just at the end. For bottle feeds, pause every 2–3 ounces. For breastfeeding, burp when switching sides. Some babies release air much more easily when burped in a seated position (supporting the chin) rather than over the shoulder — it's worth trying both. For a deeper look at positions and timing, see our guide to how to burp a baby.

2. Bicycle legs

Lay your baby flat on their back and gently move their legs in a cycling motion — alternating knees toward the belly, then extending each leg. This compresses the abdomen rhythmically and helps dislodge trapped gas. It works as a form of gentle massage for the digestive tract and is one of the techniques most consistently recommended by pediatricians.

3. Tummy time

Supervised tummy time puts gentle pressure on the abdomen, which can encourage gas to move. The AAP notes it serves double duty: building upper-body strength and head control while also helping gas that has settled in. Keep sessions short (a few minutes at a time) and stay right beside your baby.

4. Hold upright after feeds

Holding your baby upright — chest to chest against your shoulder — for 15–20 minutes after a feed lets gravity do some of the work. This is particularly useful after larger feeds when your baby seems uncomfortable right away.

5. Slow the bottle flow

If your baby is bottle-fed, the nipple's flow rate matters more than many parents realize. Research published in Advances in Neonatal Care found that faster nipple flow causes infants to swallow more frequently and at a faster rate, leaving less time to coordinate breathing between swallows — meaning more swallowed air. Trying a slower-flow nipple, or using an angled or vented bottle, can make a meaningful difference. Our guide to paced bottle feeding covers this in more detail.

6. Let powdered formula settle before serving

If you're using powdered formula, mixing and shaking introduces air bubbles into the liquid — and those bubbles go straight into your baby's stomach. The AAP recommends letting freshly mixed formula settle before feeding, or switching to concentrated or ready-to-feed formula in the early weeks if gas is a persistent issue. Talk to your pediatrician before changing formulas.

7. Gentle tummy massage

Using the pads of your fingers, massage your baby's belly in slow clockwise circles (following the direction of the digestive tract). A 2025 scoping review in Children found that abdominal massage was among the manual interventions with the strongest evidence for reducing daily crying time in infants with colic — with some trials reporting reductions of up to 6 hours of daily crying compared to usual care.

What About Gas Drops?

Anti-gas drops containing simethicone (the active ingredient in Mylicon, Little Remedies, and similar products) are widely used, but the evidence for them is thin. The American Academy of Pediatrics states there is no definitive evidence that simethicone drops pay off — and with respect to colic specifically, studies suggest they don't help. Pediatricians are increasingly recommending against routine use. If you want to try them, consult your pediatrician first rather than reaching for them as a first step.

When to Check In With Your Pediatrician

Most infant gas resolves on its own and responds to the techniques above. But it's worth calling your pediatrician if your baby:

• Cries inconsolably for more than 3 hours a day, several days a week
• Has blood in their stool
• Is not gaining weight as expected
• Has a hard, distended abdomen
• Has gas that seems to have started suddenly after a period of comfort

These can occasionally point to something beyond typical infant gas — including a formula intolerance, reflux, or another digestive issue worth evaluating. Your pediatrician can help sort it out. For reference, the AAP has a detailed resource on gas relief for babies worth bookmarking.

And if your baby is also spitting up frequently alongside the gas, our post on why babies spit up so much covers what to expect and when it warrants attention.

How Tracking Feeds Helps You Spot Triggers

Gassy periods often have patterns — but they're hard to see in the fog of new parenthood. Logging your baby's feeds in Milk & Minutes gives you a timestamped history of every session: feed type, duration, and which side. That history makes it much easier to look back and ask: are the gassy stretches following the longer feeds? The fast bottle sessions? A certain time of day? Spotting a pattern is the first step to adjusting it.

Ready to track your baby's feeds and start spotting patterns? Download Milk & Minutes free on the App Store or Google Play — log your first feed in under a minute.