Gas after starting solids: what's normal and what helps

Why solids bring more gas

Everyone makes gas, babies included. The AAP says gas can be uncomfortable, but it isn’t dangerous, and the NIDDK (part of the US National Institutes of Health) says some gas during or after meals is normal.

Starting solids often means more of it. The NIDDK explains that some carbohydrates in food aren’t fully digested in the stomach and small intestine. When they reach the large intestine, the bacteria there break them down and make gas. A baby who has lived on milk alone is suddenly meeting lots of these foods for the first time.

Foods that often cause gas

The NIDDK lists foods that can lead to more gas, including:

• legumes: beans, peas and lentils
• cruciferous vegetables: broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale and collard greens
• some fruits, such as apples, peaches and pears
• dairy foods, such as yogurt
• whole grains, such as whole wheat
• lots of fiber at once, or fatty foods

Many of these are healthy foods your baby needs, and the AAP names fiber-rich foods like beans, lentils, pears and peaches as ones that help keep poop soft. So more gas is usually a sign your baby’s gut is getting used to new food, not a reason to stop. See black beans, lentils, broccoli and pear for safe ways to serve them.

What helps

• Start small. The AAP suggests starting with a teaspoon or two of a new food and increasing the amount gradually. Offer a gassy food in a small portion alongside foods your baby already eats.
• New foods one at a time. The AAP suggests a few days between new single-ingredient foods. If a food seems to bother your baby, you’ll know which one.
• Sips of water with meals. From about 6 months, offer small sips of water from a cup with meals, up to 4–8 oz (120–240 ml) a day in total (AAP). See water for babies.
• Sit them upright for meals, in a high chair, and keep mealtimes calm. The NHS suggests holding babies upright during milk feeds so they swallow less air.
• Don’t wait until they’re very hungry. The AAP says babies may swallow more air when they feed frantically.
• Tummy rubs and bicycle legs. Lie your baby on their back, gently massage their tummy, and move their legs as if they’re riding a bicycle (NHS, AAP). Tummy time can also help move gas along (AAP).
• Keep a short diary if gas seems to follow one food every time. The NIDDK suggests a food and symptom diary, which you can show your doctor.

Skip juice: babies under 12 months shouldn’t have it (AAP). See juice for babies.

Remedies: what the evidence says

Pharmacies sell gripe water, gas drops (simethicone) and probiotic drops for gassy babies. US and UK advice on them differs:

• The NHS says remedies for colic, such as anti-colic drops and herbal or probiotic supplements, are not recommended and there’s no evidence they help.
• The AAP says probiotics, gripe water or gas drops “may be worth a try” for colic, but to discuss them with your pediatrician first. For gas, it says gas drops and probiotics are not always helpful.

So don’t give any remedy without checking with your pediatrician, GP, health visitor or pharmacist first, especially to a young baby. Never give a baby under 12 months anything containing honey: see honey and botulism.

Is it gas, or something else?

Gas usually comes and goes, and your baby is otherwise happy, feeding and growing. Other things can look similar:

• Constipation: hard, dry poop that’s painful to pass. See foods that help with baby constipation.
• Cow’s milk allergy: the AAP lists pain with feeds, back arching, vomiting, blood or mucus in the poop, and poor weight gain. See cow’s milk allergy.
• Food intolerance: tummy symptoms a few hours after eating. See food allergy vs intolerance.
• Colic: long bouts of crying in a healthy baby, which usually stops by 3 to 4 months (NHS), before most babies start solids.

Don’t cut a major food such as milk out of your baby’s diet without talking to your doctor first.

When to call the doctor

Talk to your pediatrician, GP or health visitor if your baby (AAP):

• has blood or mucus in their poop
• isn’t feeding well, or isn’t gaining weight
• vomits, or seems to be in pain during or after feeds
• has constipation that lasts more than a week
• has a fever, or seems unwell
• still seems uncomfortable after you’ve tried the steps above, or you’re worried

Intussusception is a rare but serious condition where part of the bowel slides into itself. The AAP says it is most common between 6 and 12 months. Signs include bouts of intense tummy pain where your baby suddenly cries and draws their legs up to their chest, vomiting, a swollen tummy, and dark, bloody poop with mucus. The AAP calls it the most common tummy emergency in children under 2. Call 911 or go to the emergency room.Call 999 or go to A&E.Call your local emergency number (such as 112 in Europe or 000 in Australia) or go to the emergency department.

Call 911 or go to the emergency room if your baby:Call 999 or go to A&E if your baby:Call your local emergency number (such as 112 in Europe or 000 in Australia) or go to the emergency department if your baby:

• has a sudden, severe tummy ache (NHS)
• has bouts of intense crying with legs drawn up to the chest, or dark, bloody poop with mucus (AAP)
• vomits green or yellow-green fluid, blood, or something that looks like coffee grounds (NHS)
• is floppy, not responding as usual, or hard to wake
• is struggling to breathe, or has blue, gray, pale or blotchy skin, lips or tongue (NHS)

Where US and UK advice differs

• Remedies. The AAP says gas drops, probiotics or gripe water may be worth a try after you’ve talked to your pediatrician, though they’re not always helpful. The NHS says colic remedies aren’t recommended and there’s no evidence they help colic. In both countries, ask first.
• Who to ask. In the US, call your pediatrician’s office.In the UK, talk to your health visitor or GP, or call NHS 111 if you’re worried.Talk to your doctor or child health nurse.

For what’s normal in the diaper after starting solids, see baby poop after starting solids.