Baby Spits Out Milk While Bottle Feeding: Reasons & Solutions

Newborns have a minimal diet, and they can’t cope with overeating from breast milk and food.

Even with the simplest meals, there are unexpected hiccups. Indeed, drinking from a bottle is never simple with a newborn.

Notably, when your baby spits out milk while bottle feeding, you should find out why.

That awkward and unexpected moment is one of those weird things that happens occasionally. It’s almost like an inside joke by the universe: “Let’s mess with these first-time parents!”

Worry not! We are here to decipher this phenomenon, helping you go for a sweet time with your child.

Is It Ok When My Baby Spits Out Milk While Bottle Feeding?

Baby Spits Out Milk While Bottle Feeding

It’s normal when you see your baby spitting out milk during bottle feeding. Yet, in some cases, even with a name-brand formula, it’s no longer a simple story.

Many parents want their breastfed babies to use the bottle on their own (bottle-feeding). Still, you may have at least one moment of shock after watching a video online of breast milk or bottle feeding.

Let your hair down, as we will provide some pointers to decide whether it’s a problem right below.

Typical Spitting-Up Symptoms In Babies

All babies may spit up with milk formula and breastmilk or formula.

Most can be found on a full stomach or in an inappropriate position after meals. Here are some cases where there’s not much to be worried:

  • Trivial spitting up comes after most feedings
  • The baby pulps his feedings, along with lots of gas and bottle refusal
  • Bouncing or tummy time after meals
  • The negligible spitting up due to milk or formula
  • A minor spit-up after overfeeding
  • Spit up without crying or having unpleasant feelings
  • Inappropriate bottle nipple or amounts of formula

When It Becomes A Problem

You should keep an eye out for your spitting-out child once he has other uncommon signs, as below: 

  • Spit-up comes with muscle contractions after every feeding. The projectile vomiting shoots out with force.
  • Liquids contain blood or multiple colors (bile green, deep yellow, pinkish-red) surrounding mouths and the bottle nipple.
  • Your child gets weight loss or becomes fussy all day long.
  • Your infant gets dehydrated due to spitting up, vomiting, severe acid reflux, and poor weight gain.

Why Is My Baby Spitting Out Milk When Feeding?

Spitting up is typical in most cases. It often originates from several reasons as below:

  • Gastroesophageal reflux disease or severe reflux
  • Bacterial infections
  • Illnesses related to digestive systems
  • Aerophagia (swallowing more air than usual)
  • Overstimulation (due to bouncing or tummy time)
  • Pyloric stenosis
  • Common methodological issues
  • Esophagitis or stimulation from ear infections
  • Milk allergies or improper formula-fed babies and artificial nipples
  • Allergy to milk or other types of foods
  • Other health problems, painful infections, or a medical issue

If the spitting out frequency is higher, and you keep asking: why does my baby spill so much milk?, you might need doctors or lactation consultants.

The person in charge can test to determine if your kid has pyloric stenosis, GERD, allergy to milk, or other potentially dangerous illness.

From there, he can suggest some medical treatment and diagnosis accordingly.

How Do I Stop My Baby From Spilling Milk?

Notably, there are many raising concerns when a baby spills milk while bottle feeding, yet it’s treatable.

Say No To Overfeeding

Any baby’s body tends to spurt out with too much milk intake or too many types of foods. Overfeeding is the top reason for spitting out.

Worse yet, overfeeding can lead to painful infections, making the situation more serious. That’s why sometimes feeding on demand doesn’t work with loads of food.

Serving your infant various smaller meal times per day is a feeding cue. A bit of change can be fantastic for your feeding time.

Burp Your Hungry Baby More Frequently

Burp Your Hungry Baby More Frequently

Exceeding gas inside the stomach will find ways to get outside, so-called air bubbles.

They often entail a little milk outside and cause the spitting up. In this case, burp your baby after and during feeding with the correct feeding position.

As such, you can minimize the likelihood of spitting up and enjoy the sweet time with babies.

Prioritize Upright Position & Limit Active Play After Feeding

Don’t let the baby get tummy time right after meals. Indeed, any pressing on his full belly can lead to unexpected acts. Steer clear of bouncing or rough movements.

The feeding position is nothing but vital. We highly recommend holding your baby upright for 20-30 minutes after feeding, along with light play.

Consider The Infant Formula

Consider The Infant Formula

Many babies react negatively to the bottle of formula. When parents notice these awkward signals, it’s time to consider a better method for formula-fed babies.

Don’t add solid foods to the baby’s bottle of formula, which often causes adverse effects.

Perhaps, your baby requires a change in formula feeding daily. To better understand the formula, you can attend the Tinyhood baby class for further insights.

Also, following a name-brand formula is worth it.

Try A Little Oatmeal

Use oatmeal if you don’t stick to baby formulas and are keen on cereal for under-6-month babies.

Oatmeal is a perfect substitute for rice cereal. What the baby needs is something safe to eat and mitigate reflux. Don’t mix too many types of foods uncertain for your child’s health.

Other Tips

In addition to all above, go for other tips and tricks to minimize your baby’s discomfort of spitting out: 

  • Let go of tight and binding diapers or clothing. They may put pressure on your baby’s belly, notably after meals.
  • Unless your doctor consults, don’t put solid foods into a bottle for formula-fed babies.
  • Treat infections and diseases engaged directly to spit-up, like ear infections.
  • Don’t rush to feed the baby right away if your infant is still healthy with an unchanged weight.
  • Substitute a new bottle nipple in case of bottle refusal.
  • Pick up high-end artificial nipples.
  • Feeding on demand will urge the child to eat better.

How To Tell The Difference Between True Vomiting And Spitting Up

Vomiting and spitting up are unpleasant experiences after overeating, drinking too fast, or anything similar. Both are signs that the baby’s body is rejecting something, along with methodological issues.

But there’s a difference: true vomiting is throwing up the stomach contents as much as the body can handle, engaging in forceful muscle contractions.

Meanwhile, spitting up just brings up a minor amount of milk with no muscle acts relevant.

The “vomiting center” in the brain responds to the true vomiting phenomenon, which is triggered by these common reasons: 

  • Psychological reaction to weird smells or tastes.
  • Signals from the middle ear (motion sickness, related to potential ear infections).
  • Bacterial infections
  • Harsh methodological issues
  • A medical issue involved in the intestine or stomach gets blockage or infection.

Takeaways

A newborn baby has to undergo many changes when they’re first born. No wonder many newborns, including healthy babies, struggle with bottle-feeding.

They often find it difficult to coordinate their hands when drinking the milk from the bottle into their mouths.

Still, this is entirely normal for newborns since they need some time to get used to handling objects.

Now you won’t feel nervous when your baby spits out milk while bottle feeding. Everything will be fine if you apply those techniques above.

On top of that, you’d better consider consulting an expert or doctor for your baby if needed.

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