Massage for Baby Gas Troubles

When Thomas was younger and sometime even now, he would suffer from horrible gas pains. Instead of just shoving him full of medicine I tried baby massage. He loved it. It not only helped when he was super gassy, but it helped relax him as well.  

Start with laying baby down on their back on a soft surface. I always just laid Thomas down on the bed. It might also help them relax because they’re surrounded by mommies scent. This is apparently naturally comforting for them.

You can use you regular baby oil or lotion, but you’ll want something to help you hands glide smoothly over baby’s skin. I tried to always do a quick massage time after his nightly bath to help him relax and go to sleep.

Most places will tell you to keep their diaper on, or to loosen it. That’s because when you’re doing some tummy massages if there isn’t something to catch the mess you will certainly end up cleaning one up. A lot of the gas massages help aid in the digestive process and can be used for constipation.

Start by rubbing the oil or lotion straight down from the chest to baby’s feet. Lay one hand palm down and rub down – ward. After the first hand gets so down to the feet, start with the other hand and keep doing this so you have a steady movement and slight pressure. This helps baby just relax and stretch out. If they’re too distraught to relax with this then you can start by pumping their legs. Uses a motion like they’re peddling a bike, or help them stretch their legs straight out and them push them up into their tummy/chest and repeat. You can alternate between them; I find that to be the most helpful.
Tip – It helps to talk to them in a soothing voice.

Next rub the tummy in a clockwise spiral motion. Starting at the bellybutton and working your way out. This is easier to do with a couple fingers vs. your whole hand. But I also find that if you just rub the belly with slight pressure and a flat palm in a circular motion.

I like to repeat each step a couple of times, say 5 times. And then repeat the whole thing for 5-10 minutes. It really depends on how long baby will let you massage.

Other things I like to do with Thomas when he is screaming about his tummy troubles are use something warm. It could be a warm washcloth, a warmed rice bag, or even a blanket warmed up in the dryer. The blanket is Thomas’ favorite. And I like to gently massage the sides of his tummy by using one hand and pinching the sides inwards and moving my hand in a slightly circular motion. You want to be super gentle with this one; you would really hate to hurt your baby. This is honestly something I learned from taking care of orphaned kittens. After feeding them you have to massage their bellies to help them digest their food properly. It’s something that their mother’s do by licking them to clean them after a feeding.
I remembered it one night when Thomas was only a couple weeks old. I tried it right after a feeding and then proceeded to burp him. And sure enough a couple minutes later there was a full diaper in need of changing.

What are some things that you do to help you baby during a gas fit?