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Baby spitting up after feeds

Also called: Infant reflux, spit-up, GER in babies

Spitting up after feeds is very common in healthy babies and usually gets better by 12 months. If your baby is gaining weight and is happy, it's usually just reflux and not a problem. Forceful or green vomit, poor weight gain, or blood needs prompt care.

Common causesNormal infant reflux, overfeeding, swallowed air
Usually serious?Usually not
Get checked ifForceful or green vomit, poor weight gain, or blood
If you think it's an emergency, call 911.Possible poisoning or something swallowed? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.

Overview

The muscle between the stomach and esophagus is immature in babies, so milk easily comes back up. Spit-up often peaks around 4 months and improves as babies sit up and grow.

Projectile vomiting in a baby 2 to 8 weeks old can be pyloric stenosis. Green vomit can mean a bowel blockage, an emergency. Poor weight gain, refusing feeds, or arching in pain may mean GERD or a milk protein allergy.

When to get medical care

Call 911Green or yellow-green vomit. Vomiting with a swollen belly, lethargy, or trouble breathing. Blue or pale spells.
Get care todayForceful (projectile) vomiting after every feed. Blood or coffee-ground material in spit-up. Fewer than 6 wet diapers a day, or no tears. Fever in a baby under 3 months.
See a doctor soonPoor weight gain. Refusing feeds, choking, or arching in pain. Spit-up starting after 6 months or lasting past 12 months. Blood in stool.

Causes

Causes include normal infant reflux, overfeeding, swallowing air, GERD, cow's milk protein allergy, pyloric stenosis, infections, and, rarely, bowel blockage.

OwieClear has pages on 1 condition that can cause baby spitting up after feeds. Each shows how soon to get care.

Common causes

  • Baby spit-up (infant reflux)Often treated at home

    Spitting up after feeds is very normal in babies because the muscle at the top of the stomach is still developing.

What you can do at home

  • Feed smaller amounts more often.
  • Burp often during feeds.
  • Hold your baby upright for 20 to 30 minutes after feeds.
  • Always put your baby to sleep on their back on a flat surface, even with reflux.
  • Avoid tight diapers.

Medicines

Most babies don't need medicine. A provider may suggest thickened feeds or a formula change, or a trial off dairy for breastfeeding parents. Acid medicine is only used for confirmed GERD.

At the doctor

The provider will check growth and look for warning signs.

Questions you may be asked

  • How much and how often spit-up happens
  • Color and force
  • Feeding and wet diapers
  • Fussiness or arching
  • Weight gain

The exam

A physical exam with weight and growth check.

Tests

  • Usually no tests
  • An ultrasound for pyloric stenosis if suspected

Prevention

Spit-up usually improves with time.

  • Smaller, more frequent feeds
  • Burp often
  • Keep baby upright after feeds

Check your symptoms

Most symptoms have more than one possible cause. The symptom checker looks at all of your symptoms together, plus your age, and shows how soon to get care.

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Sources

Last updated 2026-11-13.