Overview

Infant reflux, when a baby spits up, occurs when food moves back up from a baby's stomach. Reflux occurs in healthy infants multiple times a day. As long as your baby is healthy, content and growing well, reflux is not a cause for concern.

Sometimes called gastroesophageal reflux (GER), the condition is rarely serious and becomes less common as a baby gets older. It's unusual for infant reflux to continue after age 18 months.

Rarely, infant reflux can be accompanied by worrisome symptoms, such as failure to thrive or weight loss. These can indicate a medical problem, such as an allergy, a blockage in the digestive system or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).