Gas Pain

Many parents report that their baby’s crying seems to be caused by gas. This theory is supposedly confirmed when parents notice a slightly distended belly, or when gas is released after burping or exercising their baby’s legs or massaging their baby’s tummy.

Research carried out in the 1950’s however, showed that the amount of gas in the tummies of fussy babies was the same as the amount of gas in the stomachs of calm babies. In fact, x-rays show that babies actually have more gas in their tummies after their crying episode than during, and this when they are calm and content. So if the problem is gas, why aren’t they crying when they have the most gas?

There are many popular products (gas drops, gripe water) on the market that are aimed at ‘curing’ gas and colic in infants. They may indeed help if your baby’s crying is caused by gas. But since gas is likely not the cause of colic in infants, they aren’t likely to help.