Baby hunger and fullness cues

We are baby experts, it’s true…but 99% of the parents that we work with are not!

Parents usually know a few things about babies – they poop often, they don’t sleep often, and they eat OFTEN.

So, it stands to reason, when a baby starts to fuss, a parent’s natural instinct is to feed their baby. 

Let me take you back in time to 1989. My mother had a high fever and was rushed to the hospital, leaving my clueless father with a three day old baby. Every time I cried, he gave me a bottle, a FULL bottle. Let’s just have a little reminder of newborn belly sizes shall we?

Well, let’s just say that I cried a LOT. My little belly must have been full to bursting, which caused a cycle of more crying, more feeding…you get the idea.

Well, nobody taught my poor father about baby hunger cues and baby fullness fullness cues. We’re here to teach you so you don’t make the same mistake feeding your baby.

Early Baby Hunger Cues in Newborns

Here are some examples of early baby hunger cues in newborns: 

• Rooting
• Licking lips
• Tongue thrusting
• Hands to mouth
• Fussing
• Acting alert and active

Late signs of a hungry newborn baby

Crying is a sign that your baby has been hungry for too long. Try not to let your baby get to this point as they will be upset and harder to settle down and feed

A baby that is dangerously hungry may become dehydrated and lethargic. You need to take this baby to a medical professional immediately.

The easiest way to know when your baby is hungry is to feed them on a schedule, like Eat. Play. Sleep. With a schedule you can have an easier job of ruling out if it’s a feeding time, or if your baby is fussing for another reason.

How to tell if your baby is full after a feed

Some signs of baby fullness are: 

• Pushing out the nipple
• Letting milk run out of their mouth
• Turning head away from the nipple
• Spitting up
• A general sense of relaxation
• Falling asleep and ceasing to suck

Full baby signs and “I have to burp” signs can easily get mixed up also! If you think your baby is finished feeding, burp them, and then offer one last time to rule it out!