Probiotics for gas

[rugrat]

My 2.5 month old is extremely gassy at night. He wakes up at least once every hour grunting and kicking his feet, and I have to pump his legs to get the gas out. I've tried gas drops, infant massage, and giving him a warm bath before bed time. Nothing has really made a difference so far. The problem seems to be getting worse lately - I was hoping it would start to get better since we're approaching the 3 month mark! I've heard that probiotics can help with digestive issues. Has anyone had any success using them for gas? If so, how long before you noticed an improvement? Any other suggestions would be welcome also!

[InspiredCT]

Hi rugrat, I had my babaloo on probiotic drops from about 4 mo until about 7 mo. Before we started the drops he was very gassy, sometimes loud and very smelly although he was exclusively bf at the time. After about 2 weeks of giving the drops every evening before bed we saw a huge improvement. No more loud gas. No more smells and a totally happy babe. I ran out of the drops at one point in that period and because if the success thought that perhaps his gas issues had passed, but after not having the probiotic for more than a week the same symptoms returned. 

Are you breastfeeding? If so have you considered cutting out dairy? I never needed to take that route, but for some mamas it's the only solution to extreme gas problems.

Good luck x I would definitely recommend the probiotic drops. 

[LivingSky]

I went with both probiotic drops (we used BioGaia) and the dairy free route before we saw a real improvement. The probiotics made some difference after 10-14 days of use, but it was really the combination of that and me going dairy free (FULL dairy free, no hidden dairy at all) that really made a difference for our gassy uncomfortable babe.

And it was right around 10 weeks that his gassiness started to really bother him - he was on probiotics until he was about 8 months and I stayed dairy free until he was about 14 months

[rugrat]

Thanks ladies! I think I'll try the probiotics. I've made several attempts at giving up dairy but keep either giving into temptation or accidentally either food with dairy ingredients. If the probiotics don't work I'll make a more serious attempt!

[Pepper44]

Our pediatrician also recommends Bio Gaia brand probiotics for infants, starting at two weeks old.

[skinnyloveBC]

Our DD had the same nighttime gassiness. We started using Udo's Choice powdered infant probiotics at 6 weeks. She was completely free of discomfort within 3 days. She slept better and had a much easier time passing gas and BMs. We still give the pro-bs daily. I cut out dairy about a month ago (4 months) to try to address a skin rash. It hasn't seemed to affect DD's tummy, for better or worse. We plan to keep giving the pro-bs indefinitely.