Spitting Up in Infants

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Medical Author:

John Mersch, MD, FAAP

John Mersch, MD, FAAP

Dr. Mersch received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, San Diego, and prior to entering the University Of Southern California School Of Medicine, was a graduate student (attaining PhD candidate status) in Experimental Pathology at USC. He attended internship and residency at Children's Hospital Los Angeles.

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Medical Editor:

David Perlstein, MD, MBA, FAAP

David Perlstein, MD, MBA, FAAP

Dr. Perlstein received his Medical Degree from the University of Cincinnati and then completed his internship and residency in pediatrics at The New York Hospital, Cornell medical Center in New York City. After serving an additional year as Chief Pediatric Resident, he worked as a private practitioner and then was appointed Director of Ambulatory Pediatrics at St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx.

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• Spitting Up in Infants Overview
• Spitting Up in Infants Causes
• When to Seek Medical Care
• Exams and Tests
• Spitting Up in Infants Treatment
• Self-Care at Home
• Medical Treatment
• Feeding Techniques
• Medications
• Synonyms and Keywords
• Authors and Editors

Spitting up is the mild vomiting or regurgitation of food, milk, and saliva that can occur in infants. Spitting up is not forceful and does not contain large amounts of food and fluids.

• Spitting up is very common among normal infants. About 40% of infants spit up on a regular basis, and almost all infants spit up at least once in a while.
• Spitting up usually occurs right after feeding or burping. The spit up fluid may look just like the formula or milk that was just fed or may appear slightly curdled. The amount of fluid spit up is usually just a small portion of the feeding, but it often appears to be much more.
• The infant seems otherwise well and does not seem hungry until the next feeding. Gentle patting on the infant's back should be all that is required during a spitting up episode.

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