Watching your baby spit up frequently, fuss through feeds, or arch their back in discomfort is one of those things that is hard to witness and even harder to troubleshoot. Most parents describe the same mix of worry and exhaustion: trying to finish a feed, wondering whether what just happened is normal, and feeling unsure what to do differently.
Reflux in babies is not always preventable, but the frequency and severity can often be reduced with some straightforward adjustments to how and when you feed, how you position your baby, and what you do in the time after a feed. Read on to find out more.
What Is Infant Reflux and Why Does It Happen?
Reflux happens when stomach contents come back up the oesophagus, the food pipe connecting the mouth to the stomach. The main cause is an immature lower oesophageal sphincter, a small band of muscle that keeps stomach contents down. In the early months of your baby’s life, this muscle has not yet fully strengthened, so milk moves back up more easily than it will later.
Reflux in babies is extremely common and often starts around eight weeks. Most cases improve by the time your baby turns one.
What Are the Signs of Baby Reflux?
The most common signs include:
- Frequent spit-up, sometimes in noticeable volumes
- Arching the back, pulling away, or crying mid-feed
- Coughing, gagging, or hiccupping during or after feeds
- Refusing to drink from the bottle
- Not gaining weight or showing signs of growth
One or two of these signs on their own may not point to reflux in your baby. It is the pattern that tends to be more telling. If several are happening consistently, speak with your paediatrician to rule out anything more significant.
How to Prevent Infant Reflux During Feeds?
What happens during the feed itself tends to have the biggest impact on reflux. A few adjustments to position, pace, and timing can make a noticeable difference.
For instance, keeping your baby in a more upright position during feeding, rather than reclining flat, uses gravity to help keep milk down. This works alongside paced bottle feeding, one of the most consistently recommended strategies for bottle-fed babies. The approach involves holding the bottle at a more horizontal angle, with your baby sitting upright, and building in short pauses every few minutes so your little one can swallow, breathe, and regulate the pace. This reduces air intake and prevents the fast flow that can push milk back up.
Burping halfway through and at the end of each feed helps release trapped air before it can dislodge milk. Smaller, more frequent feeds also tend to sit better than large ones, as overfeeding places extra pressure on your baby's developing digestive system.
For breastfeeding mums, laid-back or side-lying positions can help your little one manage milk flow more easily, which may reduce gulping and the air intake that often comes with it.
How to Prevent Reflux After Feeds
What you do in the 20 to 30 minutes after a feed matters almost as much as the feed itself. Keeping your baby upright during this window gives the stomach time to settle before your little one lies flat. Bouncing or active play in this period can dislodge milk that has not yet moved through, so a quieter time tends to work better here.
It is also worth noting that tilting the cot’s head is no longer recommended. If you have questions about sleep positioning for a baby experiencing frequent reflux, your paediatrician is the right person to ask.
One smaller detail that is easy to overlook: nappies and clothing that fit too snugly around the tummy can add pressure after feeds. Keeping waistbands loose is a simple adjustment that can help.
Choosing the Right Baby Bottles and Teats to Help Prevent Reflux
If your baby is bottle-fed, the teat you use is worth thinking about alongside the feeding adjustments above. A teat with a flow that is too fast can overwhelm your baby's swallowing rhythm, leading to increased gulping, air intake, and discomfort. Teats designed to support a slower, more controlled flow allow your baby to feed at their own pace, which aligns directly with the principle of paced bottle feeding.
Not all baby bottles are designed the same way. For instance, Hegen’s range of baby bottles includes a built-in anti-colic air vent in the teat to help your baby control the flow rather than being overwhelmed by a fast stream. The Super Soft Elliptical-Shaped Silicone Teat supports slow, rhythmic feeding, and teats come in Slow, Medium, and Fast Flow to complement your baby’s feeding journey. For parents working through their infant’s reflux, having a bottle that supports the feeding approach rather than working against it can make the day-to-day feel a little more manageable.
A Final Word for Parents Managing Reflux in Babies
How to help your infant with reflux often comes down to consistency rather than any single fix. The adjustments above, feeding position, pacing, burping, and bottle choice, tend to build on each other, and most parents find the combination makes a more meaningful difference than any one change alone.
If your baby's reflux seems severe, is accompanied by poor weight gain, or is causing significant distress, speak with your paediatrician. Most cases do improve as your baby grows, and having the right approach in place makes the months in between more manageable.
For parents looking for bottle options that support more comfortable feeds, Hegen's range of baby bottles and teats is worth exploring.
