Windy Babies and Eliminating Foods

Windy babies is a very common concern for new parents.

Wind is the the air in your baby's tummy. During feeding your baby may swallow a lot of air along with her milk when they feeds as well as potentially gulping in air when they cry. While all babies can get wind, some will experience this more than others. Your babies gut is very delicate especially in the early new born days as it is very immature. While the organs of the digestive system are fully formed the upper and lower intestine which make up your babies gut take some time to mature - in terms of the bacteria that gets laid down as well as the enzymes that get processed. It is this process that can take longer for some babies.

Some babies may also experience reflux - the technical terms for this is Gastroesophageal Reflux

There is a valve at the top of the stomach that keeps food from going back up into the esophagus. If that valve is not fully developed, or opens at the wrong time, the stomach contents can move back, or “reflux,” into the esophagus,

It can challenging as a parent to watch your baby go through this - I have worked with many mums in this situation. In an effort to try and reduce the symptoms of wind or reflux a lot of mums will cut a lot of foods out of their diet. It is important to note that a mothers diet is not typically the root cause of wind or reflux - however eliminating some foods may help to ease the symptoms.

I do caution against taking everything out totally - as hard as it is - because you need good nutrients to keep feeding, producing milk and also to cope with the day to day physical demands of a new baby.

The top three foods to reduce or if possible eliminate, that can help to reduce these symptoms are:

• Dairy


• Gluten


• Added Sugar

Reducing your added sugar can be a challenge when you are breastfeeding because your fatigue (and therefore cravings) but it is worth trying - every little bit counts. For those looking for dairy-free milk alternatives my blog here will help.



In addition, I also have my top gluten-free flour alternatives here.



I have more tips on managing food while breastfeeding for windy babies - as well as for boosting milk supply, the hormones involved in breastfeeding, recipe ideas and more in my new Breastfeeding Guide (electronic) which has launched this week for just $10!



Some of you may have more questions or are wanting specific individualsed help. I offer 1-1 consultations on skype any where in the world! For those really struggling with windy babies or milk supply I would recommend having a skype consultation where I analysis all the nutrients in your diet to check for potential deficiencies.

My most popular package is my Kick-Start Package which includes a follow up as well as a membership to my VIP Group (just click here).

For those that might have short questions or are unsure of how breastfeeding fits with starting solids for infants or toddlers you can book one of my special starting solids or toddler consultations (just click here).

xxx Dr Julie Bhosale