Tiny Tummies: Common Culprits, and How to Solve them

 

Tiny Tummies

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Tummy troubles are common in little ones, especially during their first year.^1a Your baby may not be able to tell you their tummy hurts, but they can show signs of discomfort that are hard to miss. You might notice they’re extra fussy, squirmy, or their eating, sleeping, or nappy habits seem a bit off.^1b

There are plenty of reasons why your baby’s tummy might be giving them a hard time. Let’s look at some common culprits and how you can help your baby’s tummy feel better.

 

Common Causes of Tummy Problems in Babies

Colic: Colic involves crying or fussiness lasting more than three hours a day and occurring more than three times a week.^2a It typically starts a few weeks after birth and resolves by four months.^2b To soothe colic, you can try things like probiotics^2c, swaddling,^2d or gentle rocking.^2e

 

Gas: Babies often get air in their tummies because they can swallow it while breastfeeding, bottle feeding, crying, yawning, or even sucking on a pacifier.^3a This trapped air can make them uncomfortable and give the sensation of being full, even when they’re still hungry.^3b To reduce gas, try anti-colic bottles^3c and gently pat or rub your baby’s back to encourage them to bring up wind.^3d A gentle tummy massage (in a circular, clockwise motion) can also help.^3e

 

Milk Protein Allergy: Milk protein allergy occurs when a baby reacts to proteins in cow’s milk.^4a Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhoea, and coughing.^4b If your breastfed baby has a milk allergy, it’s a good idea to chat with an allergist about any changes you might need to make to your diet. For formula-fed babies, your paediatrician may recommend switching to an extensively hydrolysed formula or an amino acid-based formula.^4c

 

Constipation: Constipation in babies involves firm, dry pellet-like stools.^5a To help ease constipation, try a warm bath to relax your baby’s bowels,^5b or move their legs in a “bicycle” motion.^5c If you’re formula feeding, be sure to follow the instructions carefully and use the correct number of scoops of formula to water to avoid constipation.^5d

 

Reflux: Reflux (posseting) is common in babies under six months.^6a It happens because the muscle between the food pipe and stomach isn’t fully developed, allowing milk to travel back up.^6b Most babies outgrow it by 12 months as their digestive system matures and they spend more time sitting upright^6c. Until then, try a responsive/paced feeding approach^6d and try keeping your baby’s head higher than their bottom during feeds.^6e

 

Gastrointestinal Infections: Stomach infections can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, fever, and belly pain.^7a While you can’t completely shield your baby from the germs that cause gastroenteritis, encouraging proper handwashing for the whole family is the most effective way to reduce its spread.^7b

 

Other Things That Can Affect Your Baby’s Tummy

Breastfed babies naturally unlatch when they’ve had enough, but with a bottle, it can be trickier to know when to stop. Watch for signs of fullness, like turning their head away, slowing down their sucking, or relaxing their fingers, arms and legs.⁸ When your baby starts solids around six months, start with a teaspoon of food and slowly increase the amount based on your baby’s hunger and fullness cues.⁹

 

Panado® Has The Power To Fight Their Pain

Panado®’s infant-friendly formula is formulated to relieve fevers, ease mild to moderate pain, and provide relief during teething, tummy aches, or after vaccinations. Panado® helps soothe pain and fever from as early as 0 months. Available in alcohol and sugar-free syrups and drops, Panado® is fast-acting¹⁰.

 

Panado® also makes medicine time a breeze with its taste-bud friendly flavours - peppermint flavoured syrup¹¹, because it’s “mint to be”, strawberry flavoured syrup¹², which is as “berry nice” as it sounds, and peppermint flavoured infant drops¹³ with a dosage dropper.

 

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Always administer using a medicine measure or a syringe. Do not exceed the recommended dose.  Dosage details can be found at https://panado.co.za/dosage-calculator/ and are calculated according to your child's age and weight. 

Panado® is trusted¹⁴ by parents to bring relief when your little one needs it most so your baby can get back to what they do best: filling your world with joy.

 

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Panado® products are available at Baby City, Pick n Pay, Checkers, including Hypers, Shoprite, Clicks, Dis-Chem, and Independent Pharmacies. For more information and references, visit https://panado.co.za/ and join the conversations on Facebook.