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Lifestyle and home remedies
By Mayo Clinic staffEven with treatment, your baby will probably still experience reflux sometimes. To minimize reflux, consider these tips:
- Keep baby upright. Feed your baby in an upright position. Follow each feeding with 15 to 30 minutes in a sitting position. Try a front pack, backpack or infant seat. Gravity can help stomach contents stay where they belong. Be careful not to jostle or jiggle your baby while the food is settling.
- Try smaller, more frequent feedings. Feed your baby slightly less than usual if you're bottle-feeding or cut back a little on the amount of nursing time if you're breast-feeding.
- Take time to burp your baby. Frequent burps during and after each feeding can keep air from building up in your baby's stomach. To burp, sit your baby upright, supporting his or her head with your hand. Avoid burping your baby over your shoulder, which puts pressure on your baby's abdomen.
- Check the nipple. If you're using a bottle, make sure the hole in the nipple is the right size. If it's too large, the milk will flow too fast. If it's too small, your baby may get frustrated and gulp air. A nipple hole that's the right size will allow a few drops of milk to fall out when you hold the bottle upside down.
- Thicken the formula or breast milk. If your baby's doctor approves, add a small amount of rice cereal to your baby's formula or expressed breast milk. You may need to enlarge the hole in the nipple to make sure your baby can drink the thickened liquid.
Remember, infant acid reflux is usually little cause for concern. Just keep plenty of burp cloths handy as you ride it out.
References
- Tighe MP, et al. Managing gastro-oesophageal reflux in infancy. Archives of Disease in Childhood. 2010;95:243.
- Gastroesophageal reflux in infants. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/gerdinfant/gerdinfant.pdf. Accessed June 22, 2010.
- Winter HS. Gastroesophageal reflux in infants. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed June 22, 2010.
- Vandenplas Y, et al. Pediatric gastroesophageal reflux clinical practice guidelines: Joint recommendations of the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition (NASPGHAN) and the European Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition (ESPGHAN). Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition. 2009;49:498.
- Sondheimer JM, et al. Gastrointestinal tract. In: Hay WW, et al. Current Diagnosis & Treatment: Pediatrics. 19th ed. New York, N.Y.; McGraw-Hill: 2009. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=3403837. Accessed June 18, 2010.
- Hoecker JL (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. June 24, 2010.
- FDA Drug Safety Communication: Possible increased risk of fractures of the hip, wrist and spine with the use of proton pump inhibitors. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/PostmarketDrugSafetyInformationforPatientsandProviders/ucm213206.htm. Accessed August 4, 2010.
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