7 Common New-Parent Worries

Spit-up and reflux: what's the difference?

You surely expect your shirt to occasionally play the role of bull's-eye for baby's digestive arrows. It's normal for some of baby's milk or formula to come back the way it went down, and the truth is that reflux and spit-up are different names for the same thing. Spitting up is dangerous only if it prevents a baby from gaining weight and growing normally. (That's when spit-up becomes GERD, or gastroesophageal reflux disease, and you should seek a doctor's input.) One cause: more milk than baby's stomach can hold. So slow down, burp baby often, and experiment with feedings -- some kids do better with less milk spread out over more feedings. "Reflux usually starts and can worsen any time from birth to 4 months; then it slowly starts getting better," Dr. Steiner says. That's because certain stomach muscles become stronger, and baby's spending more time upright than vertical. In 99 percent of kids, it will be totally gone by 11/2 years.