How much baby spit up is normal and how often?

Question

My son has started spitting up after every formula feeding. I changed him once already from Similac to Good Start because of gas. He did really well with that one for the first week but seems to be going back to his old problems. Sometimes he spits up a big amount and other times just a tiny bit. Should I be concerned? How long should you "try" a formula before deciding it didn't help?

Answer 1

Does he spit up after being on his tummy? Does it smell like sour milk, or does it smell like fresh formula? If it is sour, then he might need to change formula. If it smells fresh, then he just took to much, or the formula came up with a burp bubble.

I wouldn't worry unless you think that more is coming out than going in, or he seems to start spitting up a large amount all the time, rather than only a small amount sometimes.

Answer 2

I would try switich him to Similac lactose free and adding 3-5 teaspoons of baby rice to it to thicken it up. Also call your peditrican and ask about taking him in, they might prescribe him some Zantac. Also try buying some Dr. Brown bottles, they are really good for babies that spit up, have gas, and ear infections. After the lactose free milk, if that doesnt work then try soy. My little sister has to have the Similac Alimentium. Do you or the babys dad have any allergies to diary products? I would just o and ask the peditrican. Also after the baby eats, dont lay flat down. Try either sitting the baby in a swing or bouncy seat for 30 minutes or so. And never ever prop the bottle always hold the baby in a upright position to feed. Some babies spit up cause they want to eat and not take time to burp, make sure the baby is burping. Depending on the age you can burp every ounce or every 2 ounces. The best of luck

Answer 3

I know that it's disconcerning to see your baby spitting up frequently, but I remember that my son did it, too. He's seven, now, and perfectly healthy.

As long as your son is holding down SOME of the formula, and isn't running a fever, I wouldn't worry too much. Babies spit up.

If the formula that you have your baby on isn't working, though, I would ask the doc to recommend something else. I used Good Start with my son, too, and he spit it up.

If your baby has gas, try Mylecon drops. That should help ease it. If you're baby's not having diarrhea or fever, though, I wouldn't get overly concerned.

Answer 4

If he's spitting up to the point where it looks like it's about everything he ate, and then he's hungry again within an hour, he probably spit up too much.

I'm breastfeeding, and started to supplement with formula with my baby. And this was the case for the first three different formulas we tried. (I think one day is all you need to try a formula, after all, one day equals about 8 or 9 feedings) We went from Similac to GoodStart to Enfamil, and then finally he's on the Enfamil A.R. which is designed for babies who spit up a lot. That works GREAT for him. He keeps almost everything down, and it's helped him to keep down more breastmilk, too. Try that one and see how it works for your baby. It really worked for mine, and he's been so finicky with formula!

Answer 5

This is normal. My little girl spit up it seemed like a million times a day the first 5 months of her life, and she was on breast milk. Like you said some times it was a little, and some times it was a lot. I wouldn't change the formula too much. The child needs time to adjust to the new formula. Some babies are just what they call spitters.

Answer 6

It depends on how old he is.
My kids did that when they were just a few months old. I took the first one to the hospital ER ( over reaction of a new Mom !!! ), and was told that it was due to him being so hungry and drinking too much formula. I was told to start putting very small amounts of plain cereal in his bottle, and increase it as needed. Worked like a charm !
When I had my second one, I was ready !! I already knew what to do, and it worked well with him also.
You may want to give that a try before dehydration sets in. That's when the real trouble starts!!!

Answer 7

you should check with your doctor because my daughter spit up a lot and it turns out that she suffers from acid reflux adn she is on meds. As soon as she went on the meds she was 100 x better. Other signs of reflux are arching back while lying down, wanting a bottle, but then pushing it away then taking it back and coughing. If your son has any of these other symptoms, go to your doctor. If he doesn't than he is probably fine.

Hope this helps

Answer 8

We tried with daughter for 2 weeks. She had strted spitting up almost double what she ate or at least that is what it seemed. We changed bottles 3 times best for her seems Playtex Airvent. And feeding her in as upright postion as possible, and burping or trying to every 1to 1.5oz. then keeping her from lying down for 30 min. But we called doc and brought her in to make sure nothing else was the problem. If child seems in pain or has diaherra sp? or is consitaped as well you might want to have them seen.

Answer 9

As the mother of five I can speak to the fact that some babies spit a lot and some very little. As long as they are not projectile vomiting or having trouble with choking it is more than likely normal.

Here are a couple of articles on Spitting Babies, both from trustworth sources:

http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/baby/newborns/1765.html

http://familydoctor.org/218.xml

But if you are still concerned contact your local WIC office if your state has one. Or your pediatriation's office.

Answer 10

When you feed, make sure you tilt the bottle up so that the nipple part of the bottle is always covered by formula: it prevent him from sucking in air. Do you burp him? You should: with a towel. Some babies burp more than other. A lot depends on age, and what they're eating.