Acid regurgitation or reflux and babies is a term that not many parents know, but it is very common among doctors around the world. In general, this condition will normally only occur with the first three years of a child’s life and this is the case for more than fifty percent of all newborn babies.

Although most cases of acid reflux and babies have a need for medication treatments, a minority of babies will have what is often referred to as severe or chronic acid reflux and will continue into their childhood. For the most part, babies and infants will have outgrown the spitting phase by the time they are one year to eighteen months old and these babies are commonly known as “happy spitters.”

With regards to acid reflux and babies, there are a few symptoms that you should be aware of and these are the ones that are commonly associated with the condition in young children:

bad breath
o Poor sleep patterns, waking up frequently, poor sleep quality
o Cough that is persistent
o Hiccups that occur more often than is considered natural
o Belching that sounds wet or has fluid
o Arch your back when feeding
o Cry for no reason or cry constantly
o Eat small amounts of food and occasionally not eat at all
o Being quite irritable when eating, not concentrating on eating
o Vomiting and regurgitation

If you notice that your baby is having these side effects, it may be time to take them to a doctor or other medical professional to have them checked out. Although some babies and particularly younger ones will have fussiness from time to time and poor sleep patterns as well, it is when the symptoms are combined with the others on the list above that a problem arises.

There are a few other symptoms you may notice with acid reflux and babies and although these are less common, they are occasionally a sign of chronic or severe acid reflux that will need to be monitored and treated accordingly. Symptoms that are normally associated with this are:

o Having trouble swallowing food and swallowing in general
o Losing weight or having trouble gaining weight
o Sore throats that are persistent and do not respond to medication
o Problems with the respiratory system such as asthma, wheezing, bronchitis, etc.
o Ear and sinus infections
o Persistent and excessive drooling
o Hoarseness with respect to voice and crying
o Periods of bad breathing or stopping breathing

While these symptoms may seem scary to any parent, they are all associated with acid reflux and babies, and can be easily maintained as long as medication is administered and the condition is monitored by a healthcare professional. In general, these symptoms will disappear when the child walks and runs, but they can continue until the age of a toddler and even older.