14 Baby Burping Tricks That Actually Work

Baby won’t burp and has gas or falls asleep? Discover 14 baby burping tricks to get your newborn to burp fast — minus the spit up!

As a first-time mom, I couldn’t figure out why my baby’s burps were getting stuck.

I knew he had to burp because he’d squirm and scream if he didn’t. I’d pat his back forever with no luck, but of course, once I put him down to sleep, he’d spit up practically everything he just ate within minutes. I’d give him gas drops and gripe water to no avail.

With burping taking 20-plus minutes, that left me with practically no time to do much else. Sometimes, he took so long to burp, that by the time he finally did, he was usually hungry again.

It didn’t help that this went on for weeks. You’d think I’d have the burping thing down by then, but I was still having trouble figuring out the best way to burp my baby and ease his discomfort. My arms were tired from all the holding, and it didn’t help that hardly any burps came out at all.

Baby burping tricks you have to try

Getting your baby to burp is the last problem a newborn mom needs to have—we’re already exhausted enough as it is. But fussiness and spitting up their entire meal on a burp cloth isn’t a good alternative, either.

And if you’re like me, you don’t know where to start or whom to ask when the burping methods you’ve been trying just doesn’t work.

I know exactly what you’re going through mama, so I want to share all the tricks I learned. These came from asking other parents, researching, and trying just about everything to get those burps out.

Of course, every baby is different, but the worst thing to do is continue doing what doesn’t work. So, give these tips a shot, and hopefully you’ll get your baby burping in no time:

Sitting the baby on your lap

Take a look at these tricks to try while sitting your baby on your lap to help him burp faster. Support him by placing one hand on his chest and “cupping” his chin in your palm, between your thumb and index fingers. Then, keeping him in an upright position, you can try to:

Gently jiggle or bounce your thigh.
Pat his back firmly and quickly to help him burp.
Rub his back in circular motions from the bottom to the top.

When can you stop burping a baby? Learn right here.

Holding the baby over your shoulder

You’ve likely tried holding the baby over your shoulder to get a burp, but sometimes you need a little extra to get the air bubbles out. Take a look at these tricks to try while you’re in this position:

Hold him high so his belly presses on your shoulder (in other words, his head shouldn’t be the only part peeking over your shoulder). The pressure on his belly helps push the gas out.
Pat his bottom to push the gas up.
Rotate your upper body forward, right, backward, and left. The movement helps him dislodge swallowed air and get it up and out.

Free resource: Do you struggle with getting him to sleep? His awake time just might be affecting how well he sleeps or not. Join my newsletter and get One Mistake You’re Making with Your Baby’s Awake Time—at no cost to you.

Discover one mistake you may be making with his awake time. Don’t make the same mistakes I did—help him fall asleep with this one simple trick! Grab it below:

Laying the baby tummy down

Many babies will only burp when they’re “lying down” somewhat horizontally, stomach side down. Take a look at these burping positions to see if they work for your baby:

Hold her along your forearm, cupping her chin with your hand to support the head. With your other hand, pat her back and gently move your arm up and down to loosen the gas bubbles.
Sit down with your feet flat and close to your body, so that your knees form a “mountain.” (For instance, sit on the couch with the bottom of your feet against the edge of the coffee table.) While keeping your knees together, lay her belly down with her head cupped between your knees. Rub her back to get the gas bubbles up.
Sit with your legs together, and lay her across your legs with her face down. Support her head with one hand and pat her back with the other. You can also lay her across just one leg, so that she’s not completely horizontal, and instead is inclined against your leg. And lastly, you can bounce your knees for extra motion.

Learn how to burp a sleeping baby right here.

Baby burping tricks while feeding

If you breastfeed, burp after changing breasts. If you’re bottle-feeding, burp after the first ounce. Your baby is probably hungrier at the start of a feed, when he swallows and gulps more air. By getting the burp out mid-way or after the first ounce, you can help expel the gas earlier in the feeding.
Feed him unswaddled. I know it’s easier to just lay him down already swaddled, but burping while swaddled can be difficult. Plus, feeding unswaddled keeps him awake for a full feed (and makes sure he falls asleep drowsy but awake).
Feel his belly. If it’s soft, then he likely got all his gas out, but if it’s firm, there may still be more gas inside.

Is burping a newborn after breastfeeding necessary? Find out here!

Moving the baby around

While carrying your baby upright, walk around heavily on your feet, stomping each time your foot comes down. You can also walk up and down stairs, which naturally adds a “jolt” to each step you take.
Hold him against your chest, then slowly lay him down for a few seconds. Then, bring him back toward your chest again. Repeat a few times to bring the air up a little.

Learn what to do when baby won’t burp and gets hiccups.

Conclusion

Dealing with a baby who won’t burp and has gas is a challenge for any newborn mom, especially when he just falls asleep. Thankfully, you now have 14 baby burping tricks to try.

These tricks are based on familiar and not-so-familiar positions, from sitting him on your lap to holding him over your shoulder. Several tips apply when you’re holding him tummy down, as well as best practices when you’re feeding.

And finally, moving him around—from walking around to laying down and up—can help move gas bubbles up.

Hopefully these tricks can help you burp a newborn that won’t burp at night—and much faster than holding him for 20 minutes.

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