Feeding your infant is a special time of bonding. It is, however, important to remember a few tricks to prevent air from getting into their little bellies causing big gas pains. First and foremost, with bottle feeding, never prop your infant up with their bottle as this can lead to improper positioning and more air getting into their bellies. While holding your infant in a supportive manner, keep their bodies in an upright position, keeping their heads supported in the crook of your arm. Regardless of feeding with bottle or breast, latch is important as well. You’ll want to make sure baby’s lips are out, around the nipple and not tucked inward. This creates a nice seal keeping air out as much as possible. If baby’s mouth is properly forming around the nipple, it should be a fairly quiet feed. When you hear slurping, check their lips and reposition if necessary. This proper form will also help with sore nipples early on with breastfeeding. If baby seems to struggle latching properly, take your index finger and gently pull their chin down, opening the mouth and reposition around nipple.
