If your baby is taking a long time to burp, you usually do not need to keep trying until you hear one. Support their head and neck, hold them comfortably upright, and gently rub or pat their back for a couple of minutes. If they stay comfortable and no burp comes, you can stop the attempt. Babies do not burp after every feed. [1] [2]
I would judge the next step by how your baby is feeding, breathing, and behaving. Persistent distress, feeding refusal, repeated vomiting, or unusual sleepiness needs attention beyond another burping position. Trouble breathing, blue or gray color, or a baby who will not wake needs emergency help. [3] [4]
A quiet shoulder does not tell you that you missed a necessary step. Sometimes the useful result is simply a comfortable baby and permission to put the burp cloth down.
What is happening while you wait?
- Comfortable, with a usual feed
- Finish the brief attempt. Resume feeding if your baby is still hungry, or move toward their usual care and safe sleep if the feed is over.
- Upset during the feed
- Pause and support your baby. Notice whether the difficulty begins with milk flowing, with a position change, or after feeding.
- Distressed repeatedly, feeding poorly, or unwell
- Get feeding or medical advice. More minutes of patting cannot tell you what is causing the problem.
SleepBaby.org • A way to choose your next action, not a diagnosis.
When the concern needs medical help
Do not wait for a burp if your baby is struggling to breathe, turns blue or gray, becomes unresponsive, or cannot be woken. Call your local emergency number. If your baby cannot breathe or cry during a choking episode, follow the emergency dispatcher’s instructions. [4]
Seek urgent medical advice for green or yellow vomit, blood in vomit or stool, forceful vomiting, a swollen or tender tummy, inability to keep feeds down, feeding refusal, or crying that remains intense and cannot be consoled. Fewer wet diapers than usual and a marked drop in energy also deserve prompt assessment. These are reasons to describe the whole situation, rather than reporting only that your baby will not burp. [3] [5]
For a baby 3 months old or younger, a rectal temperature of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher means calling the pediatrician immediately, even without other symptoms. [6] If your baby has a medical condition or a feeding plan, follow the care team’s specific instructions.
How long should you try to burp your baby?
The NHS describes a couple of minutes as enough for a burping attempt. The American Academy of Pediatrics says you can continue the feed if a burp has not appeared after several minutes. Neither describes a requirement to keep going for 15 or 30 minutes. [1] [2]
I would use that short pause as an opportunity to help, not as a timer your baby must beat. A baby who relaxes without making a sound has given you useful information. A baby who remains upset has also given you information, but it does not prove that one stubborn bubble is the cause.
If you are already 20 minutes into the attempt, stop and reassess. Is your baby still hungry? Did they become upset when the feed was interrupted? Are you repositioning so often that neither of you gets comfortable? Is there a warning sign from the section above? Those questions are more useful than choosing a harder pat.
There is no required number of burps to collect. One burp does not mean you owe the evening a second one, and a loud burp is not a better result than a small one. I would keep the goal ordinary: a baby who can feed and settle comfortably, with concerns noticed when they arise.
You also do not need to restart the entire process because your baby makes a small noise during the transfer. Look at what happens next. If they are uncomfortable, respond; if they remain settled, a noise by itself is not a reason to begin another long session.
Choose a position you can support confidently
Put the bottle down before changing positions. Keep one secure hold as you move, support the head and neck, and keep your baby’s face clear of your clothing. Gentle rubbing or patting is enough; a burp does not need shaking, bouncing, squeezing, or firm pressure on the belly.
Over your shoulder
Hold your baby upright against you with their head supported near your shoulder. Keep the nose and mouth uncovered and the neck comfortably aligned. Support the head and upper body with one hand while using the other to rub or lightly pat the back. The NHS and AAP include this familiar position in their guidance. [1] [2]
The shoulder cloth is there for cleanup, so arrange it before lifting your baby. If it bunches near the face, move it. I would rather pause to make the hold secure than keep one hand searching for fabric while the other does all the supporting.
Sitting on your lap
With your baby seated on your lap, support the chest and the chin or jaw while allowing a small forward lean. Keep pressure off the throat. Use your free hand for gentle back rubbing or patting. This is a supported holding position, not independent sitting practice. [1]
Your hands need a comfortable job, too
If a position feels awkward or your baby slumps, stop and reset your hold. Ask your health visitor, pediatric nurse, or feeding professional to show you a secure position with your own baby. An online description should not leave you guessing where to support the head.
Across your lap is optional
The AAP also describes placing a baby tummy-down across your lap with the head supported higher than the chest. This is an awake caregiving hold, with continuous hands-on support and a clear face. It is not a position for sleep. [2]
You do not have to work through every position at every feed. If shoulder holding feels secure and your baby is comfortable, changing to a complicated position simply to obtain a burp adds no clear benefit. If a different supported hold helps, keep that observation without turning it into a compulsory sequence.
A demonstration from Sharp HealthCare
See how the support changes with the position
Sharp HealthCare’s How to burp a baby offers a visual companion to the positions above. Watch the caregiver’s supporting hand and the baby’s head position. You can use the written instructions here without playing the video.
Keep the head and neck supported, the airway clear, and the touch gentle. Fussiness alone cannot tell you that trapped air is the cause. Watch the hospital’s demonstration on YouTube.
Why a burp may take longer, or never arrive
A burp releases air swallowed during feeding. How much air a baby takes in varies, and some breastfed babies swallow relatively little. A baby can burp during one feed and not the next. The absence of a sound does not measure how much milk they drank. [2]
I would be cautious about any explanation that treats a long wait as proof of a digestive problem. You cannot tell from the clock whether there is air to release, whether feeding was difficult, or whether your baby needs something else. The useful clues happened during the feed and in your baby’s response afterward.
That is also why I would not promise a technique that makes every baby burp in seconds. It sets you up to repeat a maneuver when your baby may already be comfortable. A practical stopping point is more useful than a faster-sounding trick.
For the evening after the feed
Leave room for settling after the burp cloth
When feeding concerns are addressed, you may still want help thinking through ordinary baby sleep. You can explore the Baby Sleep Miracle presentation on SleepBaby.org and decide whether its approach fits your family.
The program is an optional sleep resource. It does not treat gas, reflux, feeding problems, or illness, and it cannot promise that your baby will burp faster or sleep longer.
If this happens at most feeds, watch the feed itself
Before changing bottles or spending longer on burping, notice when the difficulty begins. Does your baby gulp as soon as milk starts flowing? Pull away? Seem comfortable until you stop the feed? Refuse to restart? I would describe those actions separately rather than putting them all under “gassy.”
For bottle feeding, hold your baby close in a supported, semi-upright position. The NHS recommends keeping the bottle almost horizontal, slightly tipped so milk does not flow too quickly, and allowing breaks. Follow your baby’s cues rather than pushing them to finish what remains. Never prop the bottle or leave your baby feeding alone. [7]
A natural pause gives you an opportunity to offer a burp if your baby seems to need one. You do not need to remove the bottle every few mouthfuls to satisfy a schedule. If the pause produces more upset, check whether your baby was still actively feeding and hungry rather than assuming the upset confirms trapped air.
I would also check the bottle’s actual instructions, including assembly and the teat’s condition. A familiar bottle can still have a worn or incorrectly assembled part. Do not enlarge the nipple hole or move to a faster flow simply because a feed is taking longer. If milk flow seems difficult for your baby to manage, ask a feeding professional to watch a feed.
When breastfeeding, the most useful help may be an assessment of positioning, latch, and milk transfer. Pain for you, repeated difficulty staying attached, or a baby who struggles through feeds deserves support. You do not have to arrive knowing whether the problem is a latch, milk flow, or something else. “This happens when the milk starts, and the feed keeps stopping” is useful information.
For either feeding method, a burp is not proof that intake was adequate. Keep following the feeding and growth plan you have been given. A newborn who repeatedly falls asleep before feeding well needs a different conversation from a well-fed baby who becomes peacefully sleepy afterward.
When breast and bottle feeds look different
If your baby takes both, compare the feeds without turning the difference into a verdict on either method. Note who was feeding, whether your baby was already crying, when the pause happened, and what followed. “Comfortable after nursing, gulping and pulling away with this bottle” is a more useful starting point than deciding that all bottles cause gas.
Bring the actual bottle and teat to a feeding appointment if you can. Tell the person helping you what happens during nursing as well. I would want advice based on the feed your baby is having, rather than changing several products because another family’s baby burps more quickly.
One useful note for the next feed
Write down when the upset started, what feeding looked like, and whether a brief supported pause changed anything. Add unusual spit-up, wet diapers, or other symptoms if relevant.
I would keep observations separate from conclusions. “Pulled away and coughed when milk flowed” gives a clinician more to work with than “needed a bigger burp.”
What if your baby cries whenever you try?
First notice which part they seem to dislike. Crying when the bottle leaves their mouth, crying as you move them onto your shoulder, and remaining distressed throughout a feed are different observations. I would not assume that stronger crying means you need to work harder at burping.
If you interrupted active feeding and your baby still shows hunger cues, settle them enough to feed comfortably and offer milk again. Do not require a burp before allowing the next part of the feed. If the difficulty begins with the movement, check your hold and make the transition slowly, keeping their head supported. You can choose the simpler position instead of repeatedly switching between three.
If your baby stiffens, arches, or keeps drawing their legs up, note what accompanies it. Those movements do not identify a cause on their own. Persistent distress, especially alongside vomiting, trouble feeding, or poor growth, belongs in a discussion with the care team. [5]
I would stop a maneuver that seems to make your baby more distressed. Comfort them, reassess their needs, and get advice if they do not settle or the pattern keeps returning. The aim is not to teach a baby to tolerate burping. It is to help them through the feed while noticing when help beyond home adjustments is needed.
Another caregiver may have a hold that feels more comfortable, but that does not make you less capable. Ask them to show you the support and movement while you are both awake. Keep the comparison practical, and skip any technique that involves force or leaves the head unsupported.
Burping time and upright holding are different
You may hear “try for a couple of minutes” alongside advice to hold a baby upright after feeding. Those instructions refer to different things. You can finish actively trying to produce a burp and still hold your baby comfortably upright while you remain fully awake.
The AAP mentions an upright period of 10 to 15 minutes after feeding in its spit-up guidance. Your clinician may recommend a different plan for your baby’s needs. That does not mean continuous patting for that entire period, or that every comfortable baby must be kept awake until a precise time has elapsed. [2]
Ask what the advice is intended to help and what to do if it becomes difficult to follow. I would especially clarify a plan that leaves you struggling to stay awake with a baby against your chest. A supported hold and a safe sleep surface serve different purposes.
If your baby falls asleep before burping
A baby who has fed adequately, looks well, and settles comfortably does not need a long campaign to produce a sound. You can finish the gentle attempt and prepare for sleep. If the feed may have been incomplete, or you have instructions to wake for feeds, follow that plan. Sleepiness does not override feeding needs.
Our guide to whether to burp a sleeping baby goes further into that particular decision. The distinction I would keep here is simple: stopping a burping attempt is different from deciding a sleepy newborn has eaten enough.
Place your baby on their back on a firm, flat, level infant sleep surface, with a fitted sheet and no loose items. The burp cloth stays outside the crib or bassinet. Do not use a wedge, raised mattress, pillow, side position, or tummy position to compensate for a missing burp. Back sleeping remains recommended for babies with reflux, too. [8]
If you notice yourself nodding off, put your baby in their safe sleep space. Do not wait for one final burp while sitting on a sofa or armchair. Ask another awake adult to take over when available. If you are alone, the clear crib or bassinet gives you a place to put your baby while you regroup.
It can help to agree on that point before the night feed: where the safe sleep space is, which supplies are within reach, and who can help. You should not have to negotiate a new plan while trying to keep your eyes open.
For an older baby whose feed is going well but the evening keeps stretching out, look at the rest of the routine. Our guide to finding your baby’s bedtime helps you work from the actual evening, including feeding and the last nap. I would not delay needed milk or keep a tired baby awake to finish a burping ritual.
A later waking does not prove you stopped too soon
If your baby wakes, you pick them up, and a burp follows, it is understandable to connect those events. The useful observation is that a supported hold seemed to help that time. It does not tell you that every later waking can be prevented by extending the previous burping attempt.
I would respond to the baby who is awake now, checking hunger, comfort, and any concerning symptoms, rather than replaying the last feed as a mistake. If the same difficulty repeatedly interrupts sleep or feeds, describe the sequence to the pediatrician. That gives you a way to investigate the pattern without making a half-hour burping session the price of every putdown.
As your baby grows, reassess the routine
There is no need to preserve an elaborate burping routine simply because it was part of the newborn weeks. The same brief, cue-led approach can guide the next feed. I would judge whether the pause is helping your baby, rather than choosing a birthday on which burping must stop.
A sudden change that comes with discomfort or feeding difficulty deserves attention even in an older baby. Growing out of a routine and developing a new problem are separate possibilities. Keep that distinction in mind before dismissing a change as age or deciding that you must bring back every newborn step.
What if a late burp brings up milk?
A little milk may come up with a burp. That alone does not tell you that you stopped too soon or need to start again. Look at comfort, feeding, and growth, and distinguish an ordinary small spit-up from forceful vomiting or the warning signs above.
Reflux means stomach contents move back up. Reflux disease involves troublesome symptoms or complications; difficulty burping cannot establish that diagnosis. NIDDK notes that several other conditions can produce similar symptoms, so persistent feeding or discomfort concerns need assessment rather than a home diagnosis. [5]
I would avoid changing formula, restricting your own foods, adding cereal or thickeners to milk, or starting a remedy solely because burping takes a long time. If a clinician recommends a treatment or feeding change, get the instructions for your baby and know when to review the response. A long list of simultaneous changes makes it harder to describe what helped.
If spit-up and settling have become the main problem, our safe night plan for a baby with reflux separates awake comfort care from safe sleep. Keep that separation even when upright holding seems to make your baby more comfortable.
When I would ask someone to watch a feed
If burping has become a long struggle at most feeds, ask for help with the whole feeding sequence. Tell the pediatrician or health visitor about your baby’s age, when the pattern began, feeding method, and whether it happens every time or only at certain feeds.
Repeated coughing, choking, difficulty swallowing, feed refusal, poor weight gain, or clear distress should move that conversation forward promptly. Do not spend several days collecting notes before calling about a concerning change. The notes are there to help explain what is happening, not to qualify you for advice. [5]
Useful questions include: Can you watch how my baby manages the flow? Does the position need adjusting? Is milk intake on track? Is the upright-holding advice intended for our situation? What should make us call again? I would leave with a manageable plan and a clear follow-up point, rather than a new requirement to produce a burp.
If your baby was born early or has an established medical or feeding difficulty, bring the care team’s instructions into that discussion. Advice for an otherwise well baby cannot replace a plan designed around your baby’s needs.
Give the next caregiver the useful part
“Still hasn’t burped” can accidentally hand someone an unfinished assignment. Add how your baby actually seems: whether the feed went normally, whether they are comfortable, and whether there is a clinician’s plan to follow. That can prevent two adults from each beginning another 20-minute attempt.
I would make the handoff about observations and the next action. Keep the cloth and any feeding notes within reach of the awake adult, outside the sleep space. If a symptom concerns you, say so directly and agree who is calling for advice.
There is a small kindness in being able to stop when the baby is comfortable. You can stay attentive without making the entire evening depend on a noise. For tonight, let the next step follow the baby in your arms: feeding if hungry, support if uncomfortable, medical help if unwell, and a safe place to sleep when it is time.
For the cleanup, when you need a spare
An Amazon burp-cloth option for the next feed
aden + anais cotton muslin Burpy Bib, two-pack, Twinkle–Stars
Why it fits: A washable cloth for your shoulder can make spit-up cleanup easier. This listed cotton muslin two-pack is a practical spare-cloth option; it does not make a baby burp or treat discomfort.
Check before buying: Confirm the Twinkle–Stars two-pack, material, care instructions, seller, and current price. Product variants can differ. The recommendation is based on product information, not a hands-on test. [9]
Skip it if: You already have clean, suitable cloths. Keep any burp cloth or bib out of your baby’s sleep space.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Sources
- NHS: burping positions and brief attempts.
- AAP: burping, hiccups, and spit-up.
- NHS: reflux and urgent warning signs.
- NHS Wales: serious illness and emergency help.
- NIDDK: infant reflux symptoms and assessment.
- AAP: fever in young babies.
- NHS: responsive bottle feeding.
- NICHD: back sleeping, including with reflux.
- Algopix: exact burp-cloth product information.
When the cloth goes back on the shelf
Make some room for the rest of bedtime
If feeding is going well and your baby is comfortable, you can stop organizing the night around one more burp. For ordinary sleep questions beyond this feed, explore the Baby Sleep Miracle presentation and decide whether it offers a useful next step for your family.
Keep medical and feeding concerns with your baby’s care team.
What viewers said10 comments · 4 replies+
Archived comments from the original Baby Sleep Miracle presentation. Not independently verified by SleepBaby.org; individual experiences vary.
Thank you so much for this video! I had no idea about the dangers of baby swings :O
Hi Mary-Ann. I have a question: Is method in any way similar to the ones recommended by Dr Bucknam, Dr. Weissbluth or Dr. Karp? We tried those but none of them help.
Hi Regina, thank you for your question. The short answer is no. The techniques I share in my guide are based on newest scientific research and this is why I have never seen any approach similar to the one I recommend.
This method really works! I tried it on my son Jesus and after just one week he went from waking up more than 5 times a night to waking up just once or twice. You are a lifesaver, Mary-Ann!
I'm truly impressed with how much information you share in your video. And all for free! I can feel that you truly care about mothers like myself, and that's hard to find these days. I have recommended your site to several of my friends already.
Mary-Ann, our child suffers from autism. Is your approach still suited?
Chloe, I made sure my method can be used with any child, even babies who are special like yours. Please note that I'm not a doctor and that I always advice to consult with your physician because nothing is more important than the safety and well-being of your love.
Hallo Mary-Ann, I'm from Germany. Do you have your guide in German?
Hello Heide, we do! Normally you should already see our video in German. If not, please contact our support so they can guide you
Thenk you for your answer, Mary-Ann!
I just completed your approach and I have to say, it worked almost too well. Yes, it took a bit of getting used to with your bedtime routine but the difference is huge. My son George used to take 1 hours to go down and now he's firmly asleep in no more than 10 minutes! You're the best!
It seems I'm the only man watching this video, lol! What you shared about the 'emotional backpack' made immediate sense to me and I can't wait to help my little girl Mila to unpack it!
Hey there, just discovered your site and this really sounds different. Just wanted to say thanks for sharing :)
For everyone who's still thinking about getting Mary-Ann's guide I want to advise you to go ahead. I wasn't sure myself but now I'm so thankful I invested in this program. It made a huge difference in our life as a family and yes, my baby girl does sleep through the night now.