How much baby spit up is too much?

A baby with a full tummy is usually a happy baby, which probably explains why infants doze off after most feedings. And when their tummy is full of breast milk or formula, it’s perfectly normal for a baby to spit up a little bit of it.

It’s different than vomiting

“Vomiting is a more forceful or shooting event, like projectile vomiting, as opposed to the easy flow, low-force event of spitting up. It’s usually accompanied by other symptoms, such as fever or diarrhea,” Dr. Feely said. “Vomiting also presents more of a risk for dehydration than spitting up.”

How much spit up is normal?

Babies spit up a lot. It’s nothing to be concerned about unless your baby is losing weight.

Normally it’s just a mouthful at a time.

“We like to call them ‘happy spitters.’ The baby is just sitting there, happy and cooing, when all of a sudden – blip! A little spit up happens. However, some babies hold on to every drop and don’t spit up at all, so there’s a wide range of what’s considered normal,” Dr. Feely said.

The difference in spit up for breastfed and bottle-fed babies