By Kate Marple and BabyCenter.com
Feeding your baby is one of your most important tasks as a new parent – but it's not always the easiest.
If your baby is having trouble with formula feeding or you notice symptoms that concern you, check out this list of possible problems.
(The information in this article isn't meant to replace a visit to your baby's doctor for an exam.)
Spitting up after feeding Spitting up is very common in babies and may be unavoidable. About 40 percent of young babies spit up regularly, and the peak age for spitting up is 4 months. Some possible causes:
Your baby needs to be held upright during and after feedings.
The nipple makes the milk flow too fast or too slowly. Find out about choosing nipples and bottles for formula feeding.
Your baby needs more frequent burping. Learn how to burp your baby.
Some babies spit up frequently due to a weakness in the valve between and stomach and the esophagus. This common, harmless condition is called reflux.
Vomiting after feeding Some possible causes:
Overfeeding. Find out how much formula your baby needs.
Using formula that is improperly mixed, stored, or handled. Find out about using formula safely.
Your baby is sensitive or allergic to an ingredient in the formula. Find out about formula allergies and sensitivities and choosing formula.
Other causes of vomiting in babies, include stomach flu as well as some less common but serious conditions. Note: If your baby's vomiting is severe, persistent, or forceful, call the doctor immediately.
Excessive gas Some possible causes:
Your baby is getting too much air from the bottle. Find out about choosing nipples and bottles for formula feeding.
Your baby needs to be held in a different position during feedings. Find out the best way to give your baby a bottle.
Inadequate or infrequent burping. Find out how to burp your baby.
Constipation.
Your baby is sensitive to an ingredient in the formula. Find out about formula allergies and sensitivities and choosing formula.
Seems hungry after a feeding Some possible causes:
Underfeeding. Find out how much formula your baby needs.
Some babies have a strong urge to suck that can seem like hunger but may be for comfort.
Fussy and crying at the beginning or end of a feeding Some possible causes:
Overfeeding or underfeeding. Find out how much formula your baby needs.
The bottle nipple is too big for your baby's mouth or the flow of formula is too slow or too fast. Find out how to choose the best bottle nipple for your baby.
Painful gastroesophageal reflux
Your baby is sensitive or allergic to an ingredient in the formula you're using. Find out about formula allergies and sensitivities and choosing formula.
Colic (uncontrollable crying)
No one knows what causes colic, but your baby's doctor may recommend trying a different kind of formula. Learn about formula allergies and sensitivities and choosing formula.
Find out more about how to cope with colic as well as other causes of colicky baby behavior, including excessive gas and constipation.
Poor weight gain (after 2 weeks old) Some possible causes:
Underfeeding due to sleepiness, a weak sucking reflex, or feeding on a schedule (instead of on demand). Find out how much formula your baby needs.
Using formula that's improperly prepared. Find out about using formula safely.
Talk to the doctor if your baby isn't wetting six to eight cloth diapers, or five to six disposable diapers a day. This is a sign that he's not getting enough to eat.
Also let your doctor know if your baby has diarrhea for more than a day. Profuse diarrhea can be a sign that a child is not absorbing nutrients.
Rashes, hives, or eczema A possible cause:
Your baby is allergic to an ingredient in the formula. Find out about formula allergies and sensitivities and choosing formula.
Of course, contact with something else, like a skin care product, clothing item, or detergent, for example could also be causing the problem. Gagging or gulping formula Some possible causes:
The formula is flowing too fast. Find out about choosing nipples and bottles for formula feeding.
Underfeeding. Find out how much formula your baby needs.
Your baby needs to be held upright during feedings. Find out more about the best way to give your baby a bottle.
Trouble sucking from the bottle A possible cause:
The bottle nipple is too big for your baby's mouth or the flow of formula is too slow. Find out how to choose the best bottle nipple for your baby.
Won't take the bottle Some possible causes:
Your baby may not be hungry. Find out how much formula your baby needs.
You're introducing or reintroducing the bottle and your baby isn't used to it. (Breastfed babies often reject the bottle at first, and you may have to try multiple times.)
A red ring around the rectum A possible cause:
Your baby is sensitive or allergic to an ingredient in the formula you're using. Find out about formula allergies and sensitivities and choosing formula.
Note: If your baby has a diaper rash that doesn't get better, even after treatment with zinc oxide cream, it may be due to a yeast infection or a bacterial infection. Constipation, or unusually hard stools A possible cause:
It's not uncommon for the protein in some formulas to cause constipation. Ask your baby's doctor about switching brands. Find out about choosing formula and constipation.
Note: You may have heard that the iron in formula can cause constipation, but this isn't true.
How to relieve your baby's constipation
What are the signs of constipation in babies, and how can you treat it?
Diarrhea or foul-smelling stools Some possible causes:
Your baby is sensitive or allergic to an ingredient in the formula you're using. Find out about formula allergies and sensitivities and choosing formula.
Using formula that is improperly stored or handled. Find out about using formula safely. Find out more about diarrhea.
Mucusy or blood-tinged stools A possible cause:
Your baby is sensitive or allergic to an ingredient in the formula you're using. Find out about formula allergies and sensitivities and choosing formula.
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