What are feeding problems?
Feeding problems in babies and young children include problems taking in food or keeping it down or getting the wrong amount of food (either too little or too much).
Common feeding problems include:
Spitting up
Throwing up
Overfeeding
Underfeeding
Feeding problems are common and usually minor, but sometimes your baby or young child may need to be seen by a doctor or treated in a hospital.
What is spitting up?
Spitting up is when the formula or breast milk your baby has just swallowed comes back up and flows out of the baby's mouth or nose. The flow is usually gentle, not forceful like throwing up.
Spitting up is normal for babies.
Almost all babies spit up and almost always stop by 12 months
Spitting up happens because babies can't sit up after eating, and because the valve that keeps the food in the stomach is weak
Spitting up that causes pain to your baby, doesn't go away, or keeps your baby from eating or gaining weight is called acid reflux (gastroesophageal reflux Gastroesophageal Reflux in Children GERD (acid reflux) is a disease caused by your stomach contents and stomach acid flowing back up your esophagus. Your esophagus is the tube that connects your throat to your stomach. GERD is... read more )—your baby may need medicine to treat it
Go to a doctor right away if your baby’s spit up is green or bloody or makes your baby cough or choke.
How can I prevent spitting up?
To keep babies from spitting up:
Feed babies before they get really hungry
Burp them every 4 to 5 minutes while feeding
Hold them upright during and after feeding
Make sure the bottle nipple only lets out a few drops with pressure or when it’s upside down
What is throwing up?
Throwing up is food in the stomach being forced back up your baby’s or child’s throat. Most throwing up in babies and children is caused by a stomach virus.
Throwing up is a sign of sickness or a problem—babies between 2 weeks and 4 months rarely throw up for no reason
Most throwing up goes away on its own without treatment
If your child is throwing up, give small amounts of fluids often
Throwing up too much can cause dehydration Dehydration in Children Everyone needs water and certain chemicals (electrolytes) to be healthy. Normally, you drink fluids to meet the need, and being thirsty tells you when you need more fluids. But babies and very... read more , which is not having enough water in your body.
Go to a doctor right away if your child is throwing up and has any of these warning signs:
Severe belly pain
Can’t keep fluids down
High fever
Feels weak and tired all over their body
Throws up for more than 12 hours
Has green or bloody throw up
Doesn’t urinate for 8 hours
What is overfeeding?
Overfeeding a child is giving more food than the child needs to be healthy and grow. This can cause children to spit up, have diarrhea (frequent, loose watery stool), or become overweight or obese.
To prevent overfeeding:
Don't automatically feed your baby just because your baby is crying—see if there's another reason for the crying
Don't give your baby a bottle as an activity or let the baby have a bottle all the time
Don't reward good behavior with food
Don't make your child finish food when not hungry
What is underfeeding?
Underfeeding is not giving your child enough food to be healthy and grow. It usually happens if a baby is too fussy to feed or has trouble sucking or swallowing.
A child who is underfed may have failure to thrive Failure to Thrive Failure to thrive is when a baby or child doesn't grow or gain weight as expected. Babies and children with failure to thrive are underweight, lose weight, or stop growing at their expected... read more .
To make sure your baby gets the right amount of nutrition, always mix formula according to the instructions
Community social agencies, such as the Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) program, can help you pay for food and formula and learn the best ways to mix formula and feed your baby
If your baby is very underweight, doctors may care for your baby in the hospital to make sure your baby gains weight
