30 August 2026 · Veronica Chi
Business & Product Director · Mum of two
Do Formula-Fed Babies Need to Be Burped?
Yes, and more often than a breastfed baby. Bottle feeding puts more air into a baby than the breast does, so a formula-fed or bottle-fed newborn usually needs winding partway through the bottle as well as at the end — roughly every 60 to 90ml, or at the halfway mark.
The good news is that most of the air is preventable rather than inevitable, and the fixes are all in how the bottle is given rather than in how hard you pat afterwards.
Why do bottle-fed babies swallow more air?
- The seal around a teat is less complete than the seal around the breast, so air travels in alongside the milk.
- Flow is set by the teat rather than by the baby. If it runs faster than she can swallow, she gulps — and gulping is how air gets in.
- A bottle held too flat leaves the teat only half full of milk, and she draws air through it with every suck.
- Milk shaken vigorously in the bottle is full of bubbles, and those bubbles end up in her stomach.
- A baby who is fed lying flat rather than semi-upright has milk and air arriving in the least helpful arrangement.
How do you put less air in?
| Change | What it does | How to tell it worked |
|---|---|---|
| Slower teat | Lets her swallow at her own pace instead of gulping | No more coughing, spluttering or milk at the corners |
| Tip the bottle so the teat stays full | Removes the air she was drawing through the teat | Fewer bubbles rising in the bottle |
| Hold her semi-upright, head above stomach | Milk settles below the air so the bubble can rise | Easier burps, less posseting |
| Paced feeding — pauses every few sucks | Gives her time to swallow and breathe | A 20-minute bottle instead of a 5-minute one |
| Swirl rather than shake made-up formula | Fewer bubbles going in at all | Milk looks less frothy at the top |
| Feed at early hunger cues | She is not crying air in before the feed starts | Calmer start, deeper attachment to the teat |
A bottle that empties in five minutes is a teat problem, not an enthusiastic baby. Fifteen to twenty minutes is the range to aim for.
When should you burp during a bottle?
Around halfway, or every 60 to 90ml on a bigger bottle, and again at the end. If she pulls off, coughs, splutters or arches partway through, wind her at that moment — she is telling you the air has arrived and the rest of the bottle will go badly until it leaves.
Do not interrupt a baby who is feeding calmly and swallowing steadily just because the halfway mark has arrived. The clock is a guide; she is the instruction.
The technique
Do anti-colic bottles help?
Sometimes, and less dramatically than the packaging suggests. Vented bottles do reduce the air drawn through the teat, and some families find them genuinely useful. But the evidence that they reduce crying overall is weak, and they are no substitute for the right teat flow, a properly tipped bottle and a paced feed.
If you are already doing those three things and she is still windy, a vented bottle is a reasonable next experiment. If you are not, start with the free changes.
What about combination feeding?
Wind on the bottle side of the arrangement and relax on the breast side. A baby who takes both will often need winding after a bottle and produce nothing after a breastfeed, in the same day, with the same technique. That is not inconsistency — it is the difference in how much air went in.
Maison Q Bib 2 Pc - CarnivalS$21.90Shop now
Bamboo Wash Cloth 4pc (Hearts)S$25.00Shop now
Cambrass Small Nursing PillowS$69.00Shop nowRead next
Questions parents ask
Do formula-fed babies need to be burped?
Yes, and more often than breastfed babies. Wind partway through the bottle — roughly every 60 to 90ml or at the halfway point — as well as at the end.
Why does my bottle-fed baby have so much wind?
Usually a teat that flows too fast, a bottle held too flat so the teat is not full of milk, or formula shaken rather than swirled. All three are easy to change.
How long should a bottle feed take?
Fifteen to twenty minutes. A bottle emptied in five means the teat is too fast, which is the most common cause of a very windy baby.
Do anti-colic bottles actually work?
They do reduce air drawn through the teat, but the evidence that they reduce crying overall is weak. Fix teat flow, bottle angle and feeding pace first.
Should I burp between the breast and the bottle when combination feeding?
Wind after bottles and try only briefly after breastfeeds. The difference in how much air goes in is real, and the same baby will need different amounts on the same day.
Sources
- NHS — Bottle feeding advice
- American Academy of Pediatrics — Burping, hiccups and spitting up
- NHS — Colic
This guide is general information, written to help you understand a topic and ask better questions — it is not medical advice and does not replace your own doctor, midwife or paediatrician. Anything that worries you about your baby belongs with them.