Is Mylicon Safe For Newborns?


Mylicon, also known as simethicone, is a popular remedy for gassy newborns. It’s hard to know the causes of newborn gas. Should you cut dairy from your baby’s diet? Is it just your baby’s immature digestive system? If you decide on a remedy, you want to choose a safe one, and so you might be on the fence about mylicon drops.

What is mylicon?

Mylicon baby gas drops are essentially made of a substance that causes foamy, painful, belly-bloating bubbles to combine together into one big bubble by decreasing surface tension. This giant bubble is much more easily passed out of the baby’s digestive tract. Once that happens, your baby’s gut pressure goes down and they tend to feel a lot better (and so do you!).

Is mylicon safe for newborns?

Of course, you always want to ask your doctor or pediatrician to be sure. Because simethicone is not absorbed by the bloodstream, the treatment has been evaluated as safe for newborns in multiple clinical trials. On a less scientific note, parents’ experiences with simethicone and related products suggest that mylicon drops have a clear effect on newborns with gas, but with no evident side effects unless your baby is taking thyroid medication.

Does mylicon help eliminate gassiness?

The answer is yes and no. In a randomized controlled study of babies with colic, simethicone did no better than a placebo at alleviating the symptoms. However, simethicone does relieve infant discomfort even when the discomfort is not related to abdominal distress. If you’re puzzled about why simethicone works no better on than a placebo and yet still functions as an effective pain reliever, the magic ingredient is probably sugar. Essentially, sugar works as an analgesic for young babies, so if your baby gas drops come in a tasty sugar suspension, there’s a strong chance it will alleviate her gas pains and she’ll feel better.

Are other gas relief methods better than simethicone?

Gripe water, a popular homeopathic remedy often touted as a remedy for gas in newborns, was originally made with dill seed oil, baking soda, and alcohol — ingredients the World Health Organization certainly does not endorse. Though most gripe water today is alcohol-free, doctors are concerned about the alkalinity of the baking soda in babies’ systems. In short, if you’re looking for a safe (but effective) method to help your newborn’s gas, baby gas drops like mylicon may be the safer choice.

Ultimately, the search for a safe, effective method to help your gassy newborn might be simpler than it first appeared. Simethicone is considered safe for newborns by most medical professionals, but the secret ingredient might simply be the sugar. If your baby has gas, you can always give it time and remember the old saying: “This too shall pass.”

Photo: Getty