How to know if your baby is hungry?

Did you know that your baby has long communicated with you even before they can speak? Since they are not able to talk yet, babies rely on instinctual signals rather than words to communicate their hunger to the mother. This is what we call feeding cues. 

Feeding cues, also known as hungry cues, are signs shown by newborns when they are hungry and ready to nurse. Why is it important for parents to understand these cues? 

• To allow your baby to properly attach and feed
• To fulfil your baby’s hunger and thirst
• To maintain the mother’s milk production
• To assure them that you are available whenever they need you

Let’s explore the common feeding cues displayed by babies together to better meet your little one’s nutritional needs and support his or her overall well-being.

Hence, as parents, you need to understand that your baby crying is not because they finally feel hungry but because they are actually in the late stage of feeding cues and are distressed that they are still not fed. 

According to the Australian Breastfeeding Association (2022), apart from the crying, if parents do not notice the feeding cues exhibited by their baby early on, these unpleasant situations will occur:

• Baby will refuse to latch to your breast or the bottle
• Baby will not feed well
• Mothers who breastfeed may find their nipples to be sore as the baby is not well-attached

In these situations, you would want to calm your baby first before attempting to nurse or bottle-feed them.

How to do that?

• Cuddle your baby
• Have a skin-to-skin contact by placing your baby on your chest
• Talk to your baby
• Stroke your baby

Reference

Feeding cues. (2022). Australian Breastfeeding Association. https://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/resources/feeding-cues