Support for Infant Reflux - A Natural Approach

More and more infants and young children are being diagnosed with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). GERD is characterized by spitting up, irritability during or after feedings, coughing, wheezing, refusing to eat, poor weight gain, and crying when placed on his or her back, especially after a feeding.

The conventional infant GERD treatment natural alternatives aside involves treating with medications such as Prilosec and Tagamet. However, a natural approach to infant GERD treatment involves a more comprehensive view and can be very successful.

A Natural Approach to Infant Reflux

What helps infant reflux?

First, if breastfeeding, it is important to consider the mother’s health because her health influences the infant’s health. What is her digestive system like? Does she have nutritional deficiencies? Does she have yeast? Does she have an imbalance in her healthy bacteria levels? Or, is her immune system under attack due to allergens? Sometimes eliminating dairy or soy from the mom’s diet can significantly help the infant.

Support for the Breastfeeding Mother

• Enhance digestion - stimulate digestion by using herbs such as chamomile or dandelion root, consider supplementing with HCl before meals, try digestive soothing herbs such as catnip, fennel, and dill.
• Make dietary changes - A food diary can help pinpoint what foods make baby fussiest. But you can also reduce common culprits like processed foods, fatty foods, coffee, tomatoes, chocolate, and citrus. Eating multiple smaller meals throughout the day may help, as well.
• Watch for possible trigger foods - common culprits include dairy, soy, and wheat/gluten. Thankfully, there are many great alternatives to each of these foods, that may be a little easier on the digestive tract.
• Support digestive healing - consider herbs such as slippery elm, plantain, aloe and marshmallow, or supplements such as probiotics, glutamine, DGL licorice, zinc, and vitamins A, C, E.

Support for Infants and Children

• Food introduction recommendations - delay introducing high allergenic foods such as gluten, soy, dairy, eggs, citrus, and nuts.
• Support digestive health - consider probiotics and digestive enzymes. Consult with a nutritionist to make sure what is best for your child.
• Upright positioning - some find that an elevated position of the baby works well as a natural treatment for infant reflux.

Slippery elm for babies is a gentle one that people often inquire about. Since the inner bark is a mucilage herb (one that becomes slippery when in contact with water), slippery elm, among natural treatment options for baby reflux, has been traditionally used for hundreds of years to coat and soothe the digestive tract. Always check with your pediatrician or a nutritionist about the form and dosage of any herbal supplement you might give an infant.

Importance of Probiotics

• It can take up to 2 years for full colonization of bacteria in a healthy child. And, a round of antibiotics can disrupt healthy bacteria for up to 3 months. So, daily probiotics for baby reflux and overall gut health are highly recommended for infants and children.
• Probiotics can also help with a variety of other concerns, such as diarrhea, allergies, atopic dermatitis, sinus infections, upper respiratory infections, ear infections, colds, colic, and urinary infections.
• For infants up to 2 years old, pregnant and breastfeeding women: use predominantly Bifidobacterium species (infantis, bifidum, breve, longum, lactis). For children ages 2-5 years old, give a blend of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus species such as rhamnosus, acidophilus, and reuteri. It is always best to discuss dosage with your health care practitioner.

This research is promising, although fairly limited. Studies of infant colic and reflux have typically used Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938, and the 2018 joint guidelines published by pediatric gastroenterology societies cover feeding modifications, homeopathic and natural remedies for infant reflux and treatment options. This underscores the importance of choosing the right strain and age group, and why discussing dosing with your practitioner is important.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to help infant reflux?

Start simple. Try smaller, more frequent feedings. Holding your baby upright for a while after feeding may be helpful. If you are breastfeeding, eliminating some common allergens such as dairy and soy from your own diet may help in some cases. Some evidence suggests a daily probiotic can help soothe the digestive tract. Always discuss any treatment plan with your pediatrician or healthcare provider.

When does infant reflux get better?

For most babies, reflux is loudest in the first couple of months and gets better over time as their digestive tract develops. Most babies outgrow it around 12 to 18 months old, when they can sit upright and start on solid foods. Each baby is an individual, however. If there’s trouble gaining weight, a refusal to eat or signs of true discomfort, it’s best to consult your pediatrician.

What Infant Reflux Really Is?

Reflux is just stomach contents flowing back up. In infants it is normal and typically benign because the valve at the top of the stomach hasn't finished developing. It becomes GERD when the refluxing occurs with symptoms like pain, failure to thrive, or feeding aversion. The good news is that in most cases it's just a plumbing problem that will be resolved as the body matures, not an indication that there's something wrong.

When Reflux Peaks and Gets Better?

It’s common for babies to experience reflux during the first several weeks of life, peaking around 4 months of age when feedings are still frequent and their stomachs are still very small. This is especially true because a baby’s stomach can hold such a small amount at one time - which is why spit up is so common in the early weeks and months of life. Fortunately, most babies outgrow reflux by the time they begin sitting upright and eating solid foods. Many will have outgrown it completely by 12 to 18 months.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.