Reflux
A baby spitting up occasionally is usually looked on as “something babies do.” According to the late Dr. Gregory White, husband of the late LLL Founder, Mary White, “In a healthy baby, spitting up is a laundry problem, not a medical problem.”
A baby may spit up for many reasons:
o Allergy to foods and/or dietary supplements a mother may consume
o Disease
If the spitting up is frequent and obviously uncomfortable for your baby, it may be that your baby is experiencing gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD.
If your baby is overall a pleasant and healthy with good output (urine and stools) and normal growth patterns, be assured that he will likely outgrow this stage by 6-12 months. In the meantime, here are some general tips to keeping spit up episodes to a minimum:
Occasionally, some older babies will start to spit up when they hadn’t typically been spitting up. If your baby doesn’t seem ill, other reasons might include:
Further Reading:
Food Allergies and Breastfeeding
Published May 2026.
*Adapted from La Leche League International information.
A baby may spit up for many reasons:
- A baby is not able to swallow quickly enough when milk ejects forcefully during a feeding, resulting in swallowing excess air.
- A mother has an oversupply of milk that can result in her baby taking too much too fast for the stomach to handle. Either can result in additional air swallowed with the large volumes of milk.
- Less common reasons are:
o Allergy to foods and/or dietary supplements a mother may consume
o Disease
If the spitting up is frequent and obviously uncomfortable for your baby, it may be that your baby is experiencing gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD.
- GERD occurs when the band of voluntary muscle fibers within the esophagus where it enters the stomach fails to keep the stomach contents in the stomach.
- Milk or food, along with acid from the stomach, backs up into the lower esophagus and irritates the tissues there.
- Adults recognize this feeling as heartburn.
If your baby is overall a pleasant and healthy with good output (urine and stools) and normal growth patterns, be assured that he will likely outgrow this stage by 6-12 months. In the meantime, here are some general tips to keeping spit up episodes to a minimum:
- Use positions for feeding that keep your baby’s head higher than his tummy, such as a laid-back position or having your baby diagonally across your chest in a cradle hold. Avoid positions that have your baby bending at the waist, putting more pressure on his tummy, see Positioning. [add link when ready]
- Keep your baby upright for 15-20 minutes or so after feedings to allow for digestion to begin. This is a nice time to just lean back with your baby on your chest to soothe, talk, sing, or hum to him or to just snuggle.
- Burp gently between sides and at the end of the feeding.
- Try shorter, frequent feedings, if your baby is agreeable, to reduce the load in his tummy.
- Try nursing at one breast only for each feeding to avoid two strong milk ejections and, therefore, reducing overfeeding and excess swallowing of air.
Occasionally, some older babies will start to spit up when they hadn’t typically been spitting up. If your baby doesn’t seem ill, other reasons might include:
- Something new added to his diet – solids, adding or changing vitamins for you or your baby, medications for either of you.
- Growth spurt – when babies start feeding more frequently with a growth spurt, they can be taking in larger volumes of milk and/or more air.
- Teething – the discomfort of the gums may cause your baby to be less efficient with his sucking and take in more air. Teething can also result in increased saliva production and swallowing, adding to the volume of fluid and air in his tummy.
Further Reading:
Food Allergies and Breastfeeding
Published May 2026.
*Adapted from La Leche League International information.
