It is essential to ensure a baby gives a burp after every feed till they are at least a year old. It is even more vital in the initial few months of a baby’s life as they are most vulnerable at that time and many mishaps get regularly reported where a baby gets choked on milk which is thrown back from the baby’s stomach to its mouth.
A baby’s internal organs develop continuously even after it is born. It actually takes about four months for all organs in the region of the stomach of a baby to completely develop and begin digesting food like solids etc. As your little baby’s body has still not adapted to all things around it which an adult has been well adjusted to, your child will unavoidably keep throwing up milk just after a feeding session.
This is where good burp cloths come in handy. You have to keep quite a huge set of both bibs as well as burp cloths with you as both of them will be utilized more often than you think.
Firstly concerning bibs, I have checked out a few available in the stores where you have to tie it around the neck of the baby. Unfortunately they use laces – a thicker form of a shoe lace – to tie the bib around the baby’s neck. Bibs of this type must essentially be avoided. You should look for something that not only fits comfortably around the baby’s neck, but something that can easily be detached. Your little one is likely to move a lot and a bib which cannot come out easily could end up hurting or even choking the baby. Instead if the bib comes out easily, then at least you are aware if it gets accidentally pulled by any reason, instead of choking the baby, it will simply come off.
After all feed that you give to your baby, you must hold him or her in the upright or vertical position for minimum 15 minutes. Not doing so will result in putting a lot more pressure on your baby’s stomach and will result in milk being thrown out again and again. One more thing you should ensure is while holding your baby vertically; make sure there is no pressure on the stomach. The less pressure on the stomach, its more unlikely your baby is going to throw up.
Of course before you carry your baby, put a burp cloth on your shoulder. I always feel a Stitch burp cloth which is lengthy enough to cover your entire upper body from shoulders to chest and back. Your baby can throw up milk further than you can think of. Many a times, even with a little burp cloth on my shoulder, my daughter has managed to wet my entire top.
In fact you can get lovely burp cloths nowadays which are created in such a way that it wraps properly around your neck without having to fold the cloth. I would recommend getting such burp cloths as it wraps around easily on your shoulder and can absorb milk even if the baby throws up on your chest.
Of course all bibs and burp cloths should be able to soak up well as the quantity of milk being thrown out could be quite high and you need a cloth which can soak up all without making your baby feel wet all over its face or body.