If you bottle feed, your doctor or hospital staff member may tell you to burp your baby after every one-half to one ounce during the first few weeks. Once your baby’s digestive system matures at about four weeks, you can burp him less often. Most nanny found that it works well to burp a baby every one-third of a bottle. For example, if your baby is eating six ounces per feeding, the nanny will burp him after every two ounces. Breast-fed babies will need to be burped less frequently and some breast-fed babies may not need to be burped at all, because a baby usually takes in little or no air when breastfeeding.
Some babies tell you when they need to burp by taking a break from eating or by beginning to fuss or cry. Unfortunately, most nannies experience this as many babies don’t provide these warning signs. By the time a baby is crying, he has a lot of gas that is making him uncomfortable. It is easier on your baby if you burp him before the pressure from excess gas becomes too painful.
As your baby grows older and his digestive system matures, he will need to be burped even less often while feeding. Our nanny share that at about six months of age, they won’t need to burp the babies anymore. They burped on their own at the end of the feeding because they were sitting up and moving around.