Quick Home Remedies for Acid Reflux in Babies, infants, kids.

Babies are the cutest things on the earth, and nobody likes to see them in any trouble. But babies have their own problems just like elders. These sweet little things can suffer from acid reflux, just like us, and it might be frequent too.

As babies are still in developing phase and many body parts like the muscles between the food pipe and stomach are not yet fully developed and so the contents of the stomach more easily flow backward and infants are likely to vomit soon after eating.

Causes of Acid reflux in Infants & babies

Born prematurely

Lying flat most of the time

Too much liquid diet

Babies who suffer with infant acid reflux, medically known as gastro esophageal reflux (GER), throw up more often after feeding. Moreover, they become more irritable and stay annoyed most of the time.

Baby reflux symptoms

Frequent vomiting

Resistance to laying on back

Red eyes & runny nose while eating

Sour breath, burps and frequent hiccups

Crying or uncomfortable after eating

Gassy and/or foamy bowel movements

Coughing or choking regularly

Wheezing, breathing difficulties or apena (respiratory infections)

Refusing the breast/bottle

Failure to gain weight

Arching back after eating

Unhappy or uncomfortable in body

Persistent cough

Above signs and symptoms signify serious condition such as GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease), which may cause poor growth in babies.

Till the baby stays healthy and happy and has a steady growth, acid reflux does not pose any threat to your child and there is no need to worry about it. You would be glad to know that as the baby grows older this problem diminishes all by itself.

You can try following natural home remedies that are very effective in reducing the problems associated with acid reflux in infant/babies.

1. Fennel seeds

If baby’s stomach aches due to gas, indigestion, acid reflux, fennel seeds can be excellent natural home remedy for both babies and nursing.

1. Crush/smash 1 teaspoon of fennel seeds and add to cup of hot water.
2. Steep for 10-12 minutes, and then strain the water & allow it to cool.
3. Give your baby 1 tablespoon of this fennel water 2-3 times throughout the day.
4. You can also mix some finest roasted fennel seed powder to baby’s food and cereal.

2. Sleeping Adjustments

Sleep is a very important part of any human’s routine and when it comes to babies you may call it the most important one. So, the baby should have a correct posture while sleeping because a wrong position can worsen the condition of a child and make it a lot fussier.

1.  This is what you should do to make sure that your baby sleeps in the correct position: keep the baby’s head elevated by 30 degrees with the help of some towels under the baby’s crib, bassinet or bed. This way the body remains elevated and due to gravity the stomach prevents the contents from reverting into esophagus. Making babies sleep on their backs or on their left side also helps clear acid from esophagus.

2.  Feeding your baby while it is in a sleeping position is a big no no..!! Keeping the baby upright while feeding is suggested and you should not lay the baby down immediately after feeding.

3.  Hold the baby upright for at least 30 minutes after baby has been fed.

3. Easy Exercise

Here are some basic movement exercises which can help your baby to deal with the symptoms of acid reflux.

Just like us for the babies too, exercise helps in improving their digestion. However there are two things which you should keep in mind.

1.    Firstly never feed the baby immediately before the exercise.

2.    Secondly do not feed the baby till 30 minutes after exercise.

Exercises like bicycle legs or knee-pushing exercises which target gas and bloating are some of the best options to try. Try this with your baby to get the problem of indigestion solved.

1.    Put your baby in a lying position.

2.    Hold the legs in a half-bent position with your hands.

3.    Gently begin to move your baby’s legs as if he or she was riding a bicycle.

4.    Repeat this for 10 minutes; this exercise is to be done several times a day.

4. Gentle Massage

Who doesn’t love a good massage..!! Isn’t it? So even babies love it..! And giving them full body massage regularly helps in improving their functioning of the respiratory and digestive systems.

Body massage helps in stimulating the vagus nerve, it is the nerve in the brain which is responsible for controlling various regions of the respiratory and digestive systems. It even helps in quick development of the body and thus each and every body part starts operating more effectively very quickly. Massage helps reduce symptoms in infants suffering from GERD.

Massage even helps in improving cognitive ability, reduces crying and aids sleeping.

1.    Lay down your baby in a comfortable position

2.    Apply some warm olive or coconut oil on your baby’s stomach.

3.    Gently massage the stomach in a clockwise direction for 3 to 4 minutes.

4.    Then, massage the back gently for 2 minutes.

5.    Finally, massage the hands and legs with long, firm strokes.

6.    Repeat 2 or 3 times daily.

Note: Do not massage your baby immediately after a feeding.

5. Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar helps balance the acid level in the stomach, this results in easy digestion of food and also useful in preventing spitting up. Apple cider vinegar also helps boost the immunity in baby and protect them from repeated illness and infections.

1.    Mix ¼ teaspoon of raw/organic apple cider vinegar with glass of filtered lukewarm water.

2.    For baby younger than 1 year: Give 1-2 teaspoon at a time of this mixture to baby at regular intervals (keep 30-40 minutes gap in each teaspoon)

3.    For baby older than 1 year: Give 1-2 tablespoon at a time of this mixture to baby at regular intervals (keep 30-40 minutes gap in each teaspoon). You can also add some organic honey to this mixture for baby older than 1 year.

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