A baby’s tummy can produce an impressive soundtrack of rumbles, bubbles, gurgles and squeaks.
Yet new research from SMA® Nutrition reveals that 80% of adults are unaware of just how many different sounds a baby’s tummy can make and only 35% of parents recognise that tummy noises can be a normal part of digestion.
In response, SMA® Nutrition has teamed up with singer, radio DJ and mum Fleur East to launch Tummy Talent, a nationwide search for babies whose natural tummy sounds will help create a new track. Selected little ones will come together as Britain’s Smallest Band, joining Fleur in the studio to record their rumbles, gurgles and squeaks.
For many families, it’s a familiar soundtrack: 89% of parents surveyed hear their baby’s tummy making noises every day. Gurgling is the most commonly reported sound (26%), followed by bubbling (24%), rumbling (19%) and squeaking (10%).
But decoding those noises is less straightforward, with 69% of adults saying they would not feel confident interpreting what they mean. Asked what might cause them, survey respondents suggested everything from hunger, trapped wind and colic to illness or a food intolerance or allergy.
That uncertainty can be unsettling. More than half of adults (52%) say they would be concerned if they heard an unfamiliar noise from a baby’s tummy, while 74% of parents have worried about sounds from their own baby.
The concerns range from pain or discomfort (44%) and milk or food not agreeing with them (35%) to a potentially more serious health problem (12%). For 40%, worries including tummy noises or digestive discomfort have even disturbed their sleep.
The findings also reveal a clear information gap, with 72% of adults saying parents are not given enough information about babies’ digestion and the noises their tummies can make.
After hearing tummy noises, 71% of parents sought information or advice through online searches, parenting websites or apps, social media or online parenting groups, while 90% turned to a GP, health visitor, pharmacist or another healthcare professional.
And 89% say clear information from a healthcare professional would have been helpful when they first noticed an unfamiliar sound.
Supporting your baby's gut health in the first 1,000 days can help build strong foundations for digestion, immunity and healthy growth.
Bringing together her experience as a recording artist and radio DJ with her life as a mum, Fleur understands both the power of music and how quickly an unfamiliar sound can raise questions.
Parents can submit their baby’s tummy noises and nominate their baby for Tummy Talent through the SMA Baby Club website from 3rd November until the competition closes on 17th November.
The baby tummy sounds will be judged on originality, musical potential and clarify of audio. Selected families will be invited to join Fleur East in the studio and help form Britain’s Smallest Band. Their natural rumbles, gurgles and squeaks will be transformed into a gentle 60 beats-per-minute (BPM) track, matching the natural rhythm at which babies typically suck during feeds1, with the track released soon afterwards.
Fleur East said: “As a mum, I know how quickly a tiny noise can make you wonder whether everything is okay. Babies’ tummies have a soundtrack all of their own, so I love that SMA® Nutrition and I are turning those brilliant rumbles and gurgles into something positive. I can’t wait to meet our smallest musicians, get into the studio and help create a song that celebrates what their busy little tummies can do.”
The project forms part of SMA® Nutrition’s commitment to making infant gut health easier to understand. Ellie Grove, Scientific Development Manager at SMA® Nutrition, comments: “Our research shows that common tummy noises can still cause uncertainty. Tummy Talent turns those sounds into something positive, bringing babies together as Britain’s Smallest Band while helping families access clear, trusted information about a developing digestive system and when to seek professional advice.”
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