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Updated: 6/11/2025
The secret to getting your baby sleeping through the night is BURPING
As a child, I used to memorise episodes of The Simpsons by heart. One of my favourite scenes sees Homer’s half-brother Herb borrow $2,000 to produce a baby-translating machine. Not surprisingly, it becomes an enormous commercial success and Herb paid Homer back with $8 and a Spine Melter 2000.
You are your baby’s translator
There is no doubt that a baby translator would indeed be a commercial success, but the truth is that you can already possess all the knowledge and ability to interpret your baby’s communication. In my experience most parents will attribute every sound and squawk to be a sign of hunger, prompting frequent feeds and driving poor routines.
Babies ‘wake up’ at 3–4 weeks
One thing that surprises most new parents is that babies can be incredibly oblivious to loud noises when they first arrive home. You can take a newborn to a loud restaurant or rock concert, and they’ll probably sleep soundly, despite the noise. They’ll also sleep in a central living area with full light and the bustle of a busy home. This is because babies are born relatively insensitive initially. This helps to numb the discomfort of the birthing process for babies, and allows them to concentrate on establishing feeds and gaining weight. Lot of people will tell you you don’t need to burp a newborn but the truth is ALL babies need to be burped! Newborns don’t suffer any less from wind, they just aren’t sensitive to the pain yet. You will find most babies will become increasingly bothered by it at the 3-4 week mark.
ALL babies need to be burped
Babies are obligate nose breathers while a strong latch to the breast can minimise the amount of air that gets in, this means they prefer breathing through their nose, so that they can breathe while they feed. That’s why our nostrils are shaped the way they are – to create a window for airflow, even when pressed against a breast.
This means that swallowing air is inevitable. It cannot be prevented, only corrected after the feed. This swallowed air needs to come out via burping, not out the other end, which will cause a series of very predictable problems.
Burping is incredibly important
The trapped wind that drives many of these discomfort signs, and the sooner you learn to identify these cues, the sooner your whole family will be sleeping through the night. Adequate winding (burping) is one of the most under-appreciated aspects to raising a newborn, which is why 3 entire chapters are devoted to it in the Dr Golly Sleep Program …and at least 10 pages in my book!
Why burping matters:
💨 Trapped wind isn’t just a short-term issue – it can cause big problems NOW & LATER.
Here’s why burping your baby properly is one of the most important things you can do 👇
💨 Watch this instagram reel for the run down…
The 3 videos on wind in the Dr Golly Sleep Program
These videos will be help you to understand
1. The reasons why wind gets trapped
2. How to identify if your baby is uncomfortable due to wind – and most importantly,
3. The step-by-step technique to wind your baby effectively.
These are the first – and most important steps – in achieving a good night’s sleep with a newborn, after stretching out on your Spine Melter 2000.
SHOP the Dr Golly Sleep Programs here.
Learn more about my philosophy on sleep, settling & parental empowerment here.
💛 You can find my Active Winding Technique in my book ‘Your Baby Doesn’t Come With A Book’ and my online sleep programs.
