Gas Wakes up Baby in the Night

one word...MYLICON. Mylicon has been great for LO and his gassy problem. =) When he is fussy and I can hear/ feel the gassiness- I give him some Mylicon and he's a happy camper. It's over the counter so it's safe too.

I have been wondering about this for my 4 month old. She also wakes frequently with gas in the night...hope you get some helpful solutions.

I really like the gripe water. It even works great for my self and my husband. we do foster care and take care of emergency children. So we see alot of infants. I have not found any thing that works as good as gripe water. However, you may ask your doctor if you are starting him on to many solids at a time. They usually say to introduce one solid every four weeks so they can get it good into there systom and find out if there are any elergic reactions.

HOpe that helps some.
D.

Our son had the same problem. There's some herbal infant gas drops you can buy online by a company called "Limited Edition Herbs" - they're called "Super Catnip and Fennel" and they're made with all natural ingredients, and they work really well. It's pleasant tasting also.

In addition to that, you can bicycle his legs to help him pass the gas.

And if all else fails, he may be allergic to the large cow's milk proteins that are either passing through your breastmilk or that are in his formula. If you're nursing, you may want to try going dairy-free for a week and see if that helps (in our case, my son was 100% better within 24 hours after I gave up milk products). If he's on formula, try Nutramagen (the best for this problem) or Good Start.

Hi E., I am a faithful user of that stuff. Both my children were the same.

A Little about me: I am a mom to a 2 & 3 yr old.

Hi E.,

I feel your pain. It's so very common for babies to be gassy for what might seem to be no reason at all. Babies gastro-intestinal systems are immature, meaning they are not fully developed, until about a year old.

We are all told that Mylecon drops are very benign & harmless, & it's true that the drops wont really cause any immediate side effects. However, mylecon drops are a synthetic liquid plastic that is a petroleum biproduct - it's a petro-chemical & petro chemicals are known carcinogenics.

Are you familiar with Infant Massage? There is a really great, very easy read, short paperback book "Infant Massage: A Handbook for Loving Parents" by Vimala Schneider McClure. She pioneered the infant massage movement here in the US, which is now adopted in all major hospitals across the US in NICU units.

I'm an infant massage instructor & you can contact me with any questions. I'm very happy to share some tips with you. There's been alot of scientific research in recent years about the efficacy & lasting benefits of massaging your baby every day for only a few minutes. It literally tones & strengthens their intestinal tract, stimulates growth & development & is also very calming & can help to regulate sleep patterns. These are just a few of the benefits.

Feel free to email me at ____@____.com if you have any questions.

Peas are big gas producers! Try a different legume. His digestive tract might not be quite ready for some of what he's ingesting. Just experiment with different vegetables until you find one that doesn't end up turning into gas in his intestines.

Use babies magic tea twice in the night and your baby will be at peace and stay calm during whole night.

Check your pharmacy, there are a lot of products that work well for this problem. G. V

I would definately give your baby some mylicon before bed. My 1st child had stomach/gas problems when he was an infant and we had to change his formula to a soy. after that the Mylicon was a god send

Hi E.. Gas is usually something all babies outgrow but it's miserable while it lasts. We couldn't have lived without Mylicon! All 3 times! A real life saver/sleep saver. :)

We gave our daughter Mylicon with every other bottle for the 1st 4 months and it seemed to help. She was a very gassy baby for the first 4 months or so. We started solids at 4 months and it didn't make her more gassy at all. I know when our daughter had growth spurts she would would be very cranky during the day, but sleep pretty good at night. My daughter was breastfed for 4 months and then we switched her to formula and that seemeed to make the gas problem horrible. We eventually switched her formula to Nestle Soy and she was a completely different baby (slept 10 hours at night, took long naps and was happy all the time). Also, if you are breastfeeding what ever you eat can have a big effect on the baby (dairy is a common culprtit)

Good Luck!

I would go back to using the gripe water (before bedtime meal) if I were you. His digestive tract might just need some help to get used to the solids you have introduced so far. I'm sure you know this but, gripe water is not a drug, its food based, so there is no reason not to try it. Also I wouldn't add any other solids until you've figured it out.
Good Luck :)

I don't know if you are nursing him or if he is formula fed, but I figured out that my baby (same as many babies) was sensitive to cow's milk and it gave her terrible gas (at night mostly). The protein in cow's milk is larger and very difficult for their little bodies to digest. I was breastfeeding my daughter when someone suggested this could be the problem, so I immediately switched to drinking soy milk and almond milk (they're really good, but it just takes a little getting used to). And my baby's gas problem improved dramatically. And once I started supplementing with some formula, when she was about 9 mos. old, I used soy formula and she was fine with that also. You just have to try different things sometimes as a new mom until you find what works best for your baby. Good luck!

i'd like to hear the response for this because i have a similar situation but I don't know how to access the responses

Mylicon Drops worked wonders for my kids when they were babies!

Hi E.,
The Mylicon (sp?) drops didn't do much for our son. Gripe water helped sometimes. What worked best for our son was having him lie on his back and then moving his legs like he's riding a bicycle. If we did this for about five minutes, he would get out enough gas to keep him more comfortable. Perhaps you could try this each night about a half hour before bedtime (might not be terribly soothing right at bedtime just because of all the movement). Our son, now 4.5 years, has had to take antibiotics recently and they have been giving him some stomach aches. He actually asks us to do "bicycle" with him to help his stomach feel better and it still works. Also, I echo others' comments about the peas potentially adding to this issue (especially if the gas problems time at all with when he started having peas), and that you should look at any dietary changes you have made if you are breastfeeding. Perhaps it's just the addition of solid foods that is taxing his digestion. Did you start with just the rice cereal for several weeks, and was he ok with that? Perhaps his gut isn't ready for more. Another easy to digest food is mashed up banana. Some kids hate banana, but I waited for bananas to get nice and ripe (sweet) and either put them through a food mill or mashed them well with a fork. My son really liked them. For older kids and adults, doctors often recommend the BRAT diet -- bananas, rice, applesauce, and dry toast -- for an upset stomach. I'm not sure the applesauce makes sense for a baby's digestion, and certainly dry toast would be too tough to eat as a first food. Be sure to try one food at a time and once you've established that it does not produce gas, add another and give it some time. Maybe a week per food? It's probably a good idea to get some advice from the nurses at your son's pediatrician's office, too, as I'm sure they've dealt with this issue many times, and they have medical training. I hope some of this helps. Definitely try the bicycles! K.

The gas could be from the food choices you have made for him. They may not overtly produce gas but they ferment and produce gas when they are hard to digest. Babies do not make adequate amylase to break down starches so grains are really best avoided until they are 1 year old. Not the party line, I know. Further, a baby's gut is intentionally "leaky" to allow those great immunoglobulins from breast milk to boost the babe's immunity. Feeding solids too soon can also contribute to the digestive difficulties.

Meanwhile, you can decoct a tea from fennel, coriander and cumin (1/2 tsp, 1/4 tsp, 1/4 tsp respectively) in 1.5 cups of water (simmer 20 minutes covered and strain). Offer 1-2 tsp prior to bed. Another herb that works is chamomile, with a similar small dose. If still nursing, you take the tea yourself too.

Another factor, if still nursing is what you are eating. Many women have "leaky guts" (from any drug, alcohol, inappropriate food choices, heavy metal exposure, stress, etc.) which allows your undigested proteins to leak through the breast milk into the baby. Also means irritation from large protein molecules.

I would try eliminating one of the foods he eating and see if that works. A mini elimination diet. You didn't mention how old your baby is. Introducing new foods one at a time and after six months has worked best for my children. Best of luck...

My daugter screamed the whole first two months of her life becuase of gas. Solids did it too. Mylicon is the only thing I have found that quiets her tummy down. Gripe water is a God-send for us becuase she gets terrible hiccups too. Try it, I know not all kids are the same, but it really helped us!

Mylicon used to work for my kids when they were infants. They are little drops that you give them.

My daughters both were colicky. My secret (and has been for many years) is Chamomile and Peppermint tea. For my first daughter, everything worked (Bay Leaf tea, etc). For my second, I took her to a Homeopathic doctor and he gave me Chamomila sugar pellets - wow, magic! Over the years, I've stocked Chamomile and Peppermint tea and shared with many to rave reviews.