Baby doesn't need to be over the shoulder to burp, experts say

After feeding their baby, many parents pick the infant up, hold the child vertically with the baby's chin over their shoulder and wait for the burp.

But experts saying it's time to stop this method. Holding a child so that the stomach is vertical doesn't actually reduce the likelihood the baby will throw up. It only encourages Baby to soil the back of your shirt.

It's better to continue quietly holding the baby in your arms after feeding and wait for the belch, since babies ordinarily need no help in releasing excess air, according to experts consulted for the April issue of the German magazine Eltern.

The magazine says that spewing what is technically called reflux can't be avoided and is fully normal in most cases, because the sphincter muscle between the baby's stomach and oesophagus hasn't yet matured.

It adds that the regurgitated milk, unlike vomit, is nearly pH-neutral and therefore doesn't irritate the baby's mouth or esophagus.