Mothers who choose bottle feed as a means of feeding their babies are the most plagued by baby farts and excessive gas. 

While it can also occur with breastfed babies, it’s less common. 

Some parents worry that if their newborn baby farts a lot and isn’t moving bowels, there must be something wrong with the baby’s digestive system.

Your baby’s tummy is small, and it’s sensitive. 

Your gassy baby can mean that there’s an issue going on in your baby’s tummy. However, it’s usually an issue with air bubbles and not so much with your baby’s overall health.

In this article, we’ll answer your question, “Why does my baby fart so much?” Then, we will also cover your baby’s digestive system and what to do to alleviate cramps and discomfort when your baby farts a lot. 

Whether your child is one of the many formula-fed babies with this issue or is on the other end of the scale and feeds on breast milk for nutrition, you’ll find the answers about your little one’s excessive gas here.

Why does my baby fart so much?

To understand your why baby farts a lot, you need to understand many other things. 

From your baby’s sensitive and underdeveloped digestive system to how much exercise your little one is getting to how often an infant should poop daily. All this information will help you get to the bottom of your gassy baby issues.

The following will help you understand what is going on, what is considered “normal” for infants and baby farts, and what to do about an uncomfortable and gassy baby.

How often should a baby poop?

If you notice that your baby farts a lot more than they poop, you may get worried that there’s a constipation issue or that your little one has trouble digesting milk. 

Understanding how often your child should have a bowel movement is the first step in figuring out whether or not you should be concerned about excessive gas.

The issue with this information is that it changes depending upon how your child gets their nutrients and food.

Breast milk

A breastfed baby poops less often than a baby who consumes formula milk for nutrition. This is because an infant can digest and utilize just about every part of breast milk.

It’s totally normal for a baby who consumes breast milk only (no solid foods or supplementation of infant formula) to go a week or two without a bowel movement.

Formula-fed babies

If your baby farts a lot, is bottle feeding with formula, and is not pooping regularly, there may be a cause for a little bit of concern. 

This is because your baby, who consumes formula often, cannot utilize every bit of the food properly and therefore needs to poop more often.

However, there is a little bit of leeway when it comes to this, as well. 

It’s normal for a bottle fed newborn baby who consumes formula to poop several times a day or even every time your baby eats. 

On the other hand, sometimes your baby’s digestive tract can absorb more of the nutrients in the formula, and your baby farts a lot but only poops every few days.

Either of these scenarios is entirely normal. You must understand how your child’s unique digestive tract works and how often it is “normal” for them to know whether they are not pooping regularly.

Solid foods

Whether it’s a combination of breastfeeding and food sources or formula and other foods, babies are more likely to pass gas with some foods when they eat real foods or purees.

Babies do the same when adults eat gassy foods like beans, some dairy, and other things that can cause excessive gas. 

When your baby farts excessively after eating certain foods, you should keep track of what makes the baby uncomfortable. 

They may have a food allergy or be lactose intolerant.

Excessive farting and air bubbles

All babies, but a newborn baby especially, have a strong sucking reflex. 

They latch onto a nipple, whether a breast or a bottle and the suckling motion begins. This gives way to the ease with which babies can inhale air bubbles during a bottle feeding or when they don’t have a proper latch on the breast.

When babies swallow excess air, too much gas can build up in the tummy. When a baby sucks at a bottle that is mostly empty or doesn’t get a proper latch on the breast and sucks air instead, that air trapped in the belly can make babies suffer tummy cramps and be gassy.

Lactose intolerance and the growing digestive system

Babies don’t have the mature digestive system that an adult has. Adult bodies naturally produce enzymes that break down gluten and lactose, helping us to control excessive farting caused by dairy and other substances.

Babies don’t even have probiotics in their guts, which supplement digestive enzymes to help process the baby food and milk formula they consume. 

As the digestive system matures in an infant, these good bacteria will cultivate, and babies outgrow that excessive farting.

How to treat excessive farting and baby gas

If your baby’s farts are causing concern, and if your baby’s gas seems to make them very uncomfortable or even pained, there are certain things that you can do to help them get more air out of their bellies and feel better.

The following are some home remedies you can try to aid your baby’s digestion and relieve your baby’s discomfort due to extra gas.

1. Give your baby a massage

Gently rubbing your little one’s tummy and lower back can help your baby burp and fart.

Your baby’s body sometimes has more air trapped, making them uncomfortable. Air bubbles increase bloating, constipation, and overall discomfort. 

A gentle massage can help to work that air out. This works exceptionally well if you notice that your baby looks bloated and has a hard tummy.

2. Hold your baby upright to feed them

As your baby grows, this will be an easier thing to do. 

But even as a newborn, you should do your best to keep your little one upright when feeding. This helps to reduce excess gas and gas pain, as less air is swallowed in this position.

If your baby breastfeeds, try adjusting your feeding position to reduce gas.

3. Adjust your baby’s diet

If your baby spits up and passes gas, you may need to consider changing the formula or solids you are feeding them. 

Foods that are rich in starch cause more gas, which is produced in the large intestine.

The only food that is a starch that does not produce gas is rice. So if you feed your child a lot of potatoes, you may notice trapped gas faster than if you feed your little one brown rice.

Trying to adjust the foods your baby consumes to keep the levels of gas down and still ensure all the nutrients needed is sometimes a difficult balancing act, but one that is necessary to help keep your child’s gas levels down and the digestive juices from being upset and overactive.

This extends to foods your child drinks as well as eats. For example, if your toddler is drinking citrus juices, you may notice that it makes your child irritable or gassy not long after. 

These sorts of drinks can irritate the lining of the intestines and stomach, and until your baby strengthens their digestive system as they grow, you may need to water down the juices or cut them out completely.

4. Exercise your baby’s legs

A simple exercise that often shows big results is cycling your little one’s legs. To do this, lie your baby down on their back, and pull up their legs, holding them firmly but not too tight.

Cycle you baby’s legs as if your infant were riding a tiny bicycle, bringing them up to the belly as tightly as possible without causing too much pain. Doing so will often help to work the gas out of the body and produce some stinky but relieving farts for your infant.

5. Get a proper health analysis

If you have tried switching the type of formula, changing the position in which you feed, changing your own diet, and doing everything else listed here, and nothing is helping, it may be time to contact your doctor.

Sometimes sensitivities and conditions exist that need medical intervention and treatment, and if nothing else seems to be helping, don’t hesitate to make an appointment with your child’s pediatrician.

Why do my baby’s farts smell so bad?

If your baby farts a lot and smells atrocious, there are several possibilities as to why that stink is so offensive.

The following are some of the most common reasons your baby’s fart smells bad enough to clear a room.

1. Breastfeeding mom’s diet

If you breastfeed, and your child has got some rank farts, you may be the one to blame. Remember that your child consumes the food you consume to a degree. 

So lots of starches, garlic, and other foods known to produce a nasty smell can do the same to that tiny belly you’re feeding.

2. Food sensitivity

If the stink is disgusting, and the dirty diaper isn’t any more pleasant, your child may be sensitive to the food they are being fed. 

You may need to change the formula you are feeding, or if your little one is eating big kid food at this point, you may need to switch or trade out some foods that will cause less stink.

Kids often outgrow these sensitivities, but it’s still a good idea to limit the intake of the foods that inspire the stinky toots for a little while, if for no other reason than to give you and your baby relief from the farts and the stink.

Conclusion

There are many reasons why your little one may be farting a lot.

It’s a normal yet stinky issue for babies and toddlers to deal with, but understanding why it’s happening can help lead you to the things you can do (or stop doing, in some cases) to reduce the smelly farts.

Hopefully, this article has given you the information you need to investigate the stink you’ve been dealing with and give you some ideas about how to get rid of them.