Burping or not burping baby? that is the question

Burping — a 2025 article

A recurring question in lactation consultations concerns burping: should you burp your baby? What's the best technique?

We present an editorial published in BMJ Paediatrics Open in 2025 on the value of burping infants to prevent crying attributed to intestinal pain ("colic") and regurgitation.

Note: on the topic of colic, see this article since the intestinal origin is now being questioned, and this one because marketing around this subject...is very much alive and well.

The authors conducted a literature review of this age-old practice and conclude that, with only one randomized clinical trial available and highly varied methods for burping, there is no evidence that it relieves infants of gas problems, colic, or crying — it may even increase regurgitation.

Current HAS (French National Authority for Health) guidelines for managing reflux also recommend keeping the baby upright and burping them.

At night, these recommendations can undo the benefit of falling asleep at the breast, and parents sometimes decide not to burp their baby.

Many stick with the advice they were given and wear themselves out trying to burp their baby at night

.Similarly, during the day, systematically interrupting a feed to burp can sometimes cause the baby to become agitated at the breast.

Sometimes burping is helpful : it's up to parents to judge. Sometimes it isn't helpful, but parents are attached to the ritual, and sometimes the baby enjoys it too.

We also see numerous videos circulating on social media where Instagram influencers present their "best technique for burping baby." These are short, highly visual, easily shareable pieces of content that reach many parents and give an impression of expertise. They generate a lot of engagement — views, likes, comments — which can create an illusion of legitimacy and professionalism, but above all adds more unnecessary noise to the general cacophony surrounding parenting.

In reality, no single method is superior to others for burping an infant. The only truly relevant approach remains careful observation of one's own baby and adapting to their needs.

Ultimately, this short article tells us that burping is an age-old practice with no scientific evidence, to date, that it relieves infant crying. If parents feel burping provides no benefit, they can be encouraged to trust their instincts.

James V, Savargaonkar R. Science of the burp: understanding aerophagia and eructation in newborns. BMJ Paediatr Open. 2025 Oct 29;9(1):e004066. doi: 10.1136/bmjpo-2025-004066. PMID: 41167623; PMCID: PMC12581050.