How to tell if baby is hungry?

Mealtimes are one of the key moments in baby's day. During the first few months, your life will indeed revolve mainly around their sleep and their hunger. Whether you've chosen to breastfeed or bottle-feed, their feeds will set the rhythm of daily life for you both and can sometimes be a source of worry. As baby can't yet talk and express their needs, you'll constantly be wondering whether they're hungry or whether they've had enough. But rest assured, baby sends out plenty of signals so you can tell when they're hungry, and Premiers Moments is here to give you the keys!

The physical signals that show baby is hungry

As baby can't use words to show their needs, they use physical signals to let you know they're hungry. Here are the three main signs that you can easily spot and that show baby is hungry:

When your little one starts making sucking movements, they are probably hungry! It is even more likely if they bring their hands close to their face or put their fingers in their mouth to suck on them. They may also stick out their tongue or make small movements with their mouth. Sucking is the most obvious sign that baby is hungry!

The second sign is called the rooting reflex. It is when your little one turns their head from side to side. In this way, they are looking for food, the teat or the breast. All babies have this reflex when they are hungry!
The third easy-to-spot sign is their alertness. Is baby opening their eyes wide, wide awake and paying particular attention to their surroundings and the world around them? They want to tell you something and probably feel like eating.

Besides these three main signs, baby's restlessness can also be a sign of hunger. They'll try to get your attention by suddenly waving their arms and legs about when they were perfectly calm until then!

The ultimate sign: baby's crying

This is the final stage, when baby lets you know they have waited too long and their hunger is too strong! Their first reaction is then to cry. Of course, baby can cry for lots of reasons. It is up to you to recognise what they really need thanks to the earlier signals. Be attentive: little by little you will learn to decode your little one's signals, that's for sure! Also take care not to leave too long between feeds, especially during the first months.

Do make sure you calm them down if they are in floods of tears before giving them their bottle or breastfeeding them! If baby is very hungry, they will throw themselves at the breast or the bottle and may gulp it down in a few seconds. That's not ideal! They may also swallow air by drinking too fast, which could then bother them with wind.

And now, how do you know if baby has had enough to eat?

You've worked out that baby was hungry! But now other questions arise: have they eaten enough? Are they full after their bottle? Did I take them off the breast too soon? Once again, don't worry, you will find all the answers by decoding your newborn's signals! A baby who has eaten enough will let you know. First by wanting to stop sucking, sometimes spitting out the teat or nipple and closing their mouth. And if they become curious about the world around them again, fall asleep or start playing or laughing, there's no doubt about it: they are no longer hungry! You should also know that from birth, newborns are able to regulate their own appetite.

And there you have it, you now have all the keys to decode baby's signals! They'll know how to let you know their every need, so don't worry about that!

Dylan
Proud dad of three little ones and founder of Premiers Moments. Together with the whole team, I share our parenting tips here to support you, from pregnancy through your child's first years.