What You Need To Know About Infant Reflux Treatment

Baby acid reflux is present in appropriately 20% of babies before the age of nine months. Acid reflux is due to an underdeveloped digestive tract and almost all babies will outgrow the condition before their first birthday.

In the case of bottle fed babies, acid reflux can be managed by thickening their formula. With breast milk you can try expressing the milk and mixing it with some rice cereal. Add 1 tbsp. per four ounces of formula or breast milk and mix thoroughly. If this mixture is too thick to flow through the nipple, the infant may fuss and parents can confuse this with food refusal. However, if this happens while trying this infant reflex treatment, you should try switching to a different size nipple or enlarge the opening on the nipple slightly by cutting a small X on the tip. You could try spoon feeding your baby instead if you wish.

Many parents have successfully managed their baby's acid reflux by modifying their feeding routine. Though some infants like to drift off to sleep after a feeding, keeping the baby in an upright position for 30 minutes after a feeding may reduce infant reflux.

The general advice is to keep the baby's head a minimum of 30% higher than their stomach. Always burp babies suffering from acid reflux frequently during feeds. Stop to burp the baby after 2 oz. if bottle fed. If you are breastfeeding trying burping every few minutes. This should also help keep the infant awake for the feeding and make it easier to keep the infant upright after feeding. Lastly, when your baby does nap after feeding, make sure he sleeps on his back.

In the majority of cases acid reflux can be successfully treated and managed with simple changes to the baby's diet. More serious cases of infant reflux may require immediate medical attention. Signs that your baby's reflux is severe include: projectile vomiting or regular vomiting; difficulty breathing after vomiting or spitting up; yellow vomit; or, vomit with blood.

If an infant does not respond well to the natural treatments for infant reflex detailed in this article, this can be indicated by poor weight gain or by weight loss, excessive crying or irritability, parents may need to consider a medical alternative to natural infant reflux treatment. These alternatives can include over the counter or precribed medications or in severe cases feeding tubes.


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Having a baby who suffers from acid reflux is hard work, even once the condition is diagnosed. Steve Phillips had two children who suffered from infant baby reflux, also known as GERD, and shares his experiences of infant reflux treatment. For more parent to parent help visit SurviveBabyReflux.