Infant Reflux
Over half of all babies will experience some degree of reflux during their first three months of life, but how much milk a baby brings up and how often varies from child to child.¹ Around two thirds of babies aged four months will regurgitate milk once or more each day.¹
Understandably, reflux can be worrying for parents, however be assured that reflux is perfectly normal in babies.¹ If your child has reflux, it is important understand are why reflux happens and what you can do to help.
Why do babies experience reflux?
Reflux is common in babies because the muscular valve that normally keeps food and liquid in the stomach is not tightly closed.² This allows milk to escape from the stomach into the food pipe and then flow back up towards the mouth. After a feed, wind escapes from the baby's mouth as a burp and the milk comes out too.² Babies have a completely liquid diet and spend a lot of time in a lying down position, which increases the likelihood of reflux occurring.
Relieving reflux in babies
Simple solutions, like keeping the baby upright after feeding so gravity can work to keep the milk down, and giving small frequent feeds to stop the stomach getting too full, can help control reflux.² However, if your baby is suffering from complications caused by reflux, consider Gaviscon Infant Sachets.
References:
1. Clinical Knowledge Summaries (CKS). GORD in children. 2009. Accessed on 7 Feb 2012. Available at: http://cks.nice.org.uk/gord-in-children.
2. National Childbirth Trust (NCT). What is reflux? Accessed 5 January 2014. Available at: http://www.nct.org.uk/parenting/what-reflux.
1. Clinical Knowledge Summaries (CKS). GORD in children. 2009. Accessed on 7 Feb 2012. Available at: http://cks.nice.org.uk/gord-in-children.
2. National Childbirth Trust (NCT). What is reflux? Accessed 5 January 2014. Available at: http://www.nct.org.uk/parenting/what-reflux.
Gaviscon for Infant Reflux
Gaviscon Infant provides relief from reflux and regurgitation for young children