An infant

A tolerance for small messes

A towel or cloth diaper (unused) to drape on yourself

When bottle feeding, burp a baby every few ounces. When breast feeding, every 5 minutes or so. When in doubt, burp your babies when they stop suckling.

A little experience will tell you which of the three positions works best for your baby. In any case, after everybody's finished, your baby should be placed on the side or stomach, to prevent choking on anything that might be spat up.

If you decide to put your baby down to sleep after a feeding, research shows that if you place your baby on his or her back, you can decrease the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

2torial #0439: Learn2 Burp a Baby Ahh, the joys of parenthood! You probably don't remember this, but when you were a nursing infant there was a little problem. Every time that you had a nipple in your mouth you'd get some air (along with your milk) in every swallow. Which meant you'd feel full before getting enough nutritional liquid (to use the 90s term), and would need to be burped so you could nurse some more. Lucky for you, someone knew how to burp you. Now you can return the favor. There are three classic ways to burp your baby. No matter which one you use, it's very important to properly support your baby's neck and head. An infant's neck muscles are very weak, and you should be careful not to let the head flop forward or backwards. The other very important thing to remember is to use a towel or cloth diaper to protect your clothing where your baby's face will be resting. You won't forget to do this twice.   Method 1: On your shoulder This is how we commonly think of a baby being burped: Hold that baby gently but firmly against your shoulder. Support the baby by placing an arm or hand under his or her bottom. First try to gently rub, or pat the baby on the back. If this does not produce the desired results, do it again with a little more force (but still be gentle!). Method 2: On your lap, face down This is a particularly soothing position. Turn your baby over, and place him or her face-down on your lap. The stomach should be on one thigh, the head should be resting on your other thigh. Hold the baby securely with one hand. First try to gently rub, or pat the baby on the back. If this does not produce the desired results, pat or rub a bit more firmly. Method 3: Sitting up Be extra sure to support your baby's head when using this method. Place the baby in a sitting position on your lap, leaning forward just a bit. Support the baby's chest and chin with one hand. Try to gently rub or pat baby on the back. If this does not produce the desired results, pat or rub a little more assertively. But be careful: absentmindedly thumping away could harm the child.   -end-