How Do You Know If Your Baby Is Hungry of Full?

So many parents ask me, 'How do I know if my baby is hungry or full?'. Sometimes it might be really obvious, and other times they're crying and we don't know what to do. I'm going to show you what to look for with your baby starting right now.

My name is Lindsay, and welcome to The Little Foundations YouTube channel, where I help parents and caregivers create healthy habits for their babies from the very start. Let's do this!

Of course, every baby is different, and you are going to find that your baby has their own unique cues and signals, and you and your baby's caregivers will start to learn how to look for these cues. I'm going to share with you some of the most common ones so that you start to know what to look for.

And one of the most important things I can share right now is that your baby's cues for when they're full are just as important as when they're hungry.

Sometimes we miss their cues, and we start to overfeed them by accident, and then they start to get really uncomfortable. If your baby starts to get full a lot of the time, they might start to associate negative things with eating. They might start to connect that with being full or that their cues are not being noticed.

We want to keep feeding really positive, and so these are the things that we can look for to keep them safe and comfortable.

Alright, here is my cheat sheet for newborn baby cues. Remember, we're looking for when they're hungry and when they're full. Let's jump right in.

So, if your baby is hungry, you are going to see them get more active.

They'll start to move around and maybe put their hands toward their mouth.

They might make suckling noises or lick and suck on their lips.

They might clench their fists up really tight close to their face.

They might start rooting a little bit more than usual.

They might start touching their belly, looking around pretty quickly.

They might start to get really restless, and if we miss some of these other cues, they might start to cry.

The reason that there's an asterisk near hands in or near the mouth and next to rooting, it's important to know that we don't want this to be our only cue.

It is normal for babies to put their hands in their mouth, and they have that natural reflex to root. So, we don't want that to be the only cue that we're looking for. You will start to see a combination of cues that your baby has, but this is a great place to start.

Now, what if your baby is full? What is that going to look like?

You might see your baby turning away from the breast or bottle.

You might see them starting to spit out the breast or the bottle or milk.

They might start to close their mouth all the way.

They might open their fists and have an overall more relaxed position. Their body starts to look a little bit floppy and relaxed when they're getting toward the end of the feed, and they're starting to get full.

They might start and stop many times.

They might slow down a lot or even start to fall asleep.

They might ignore the breast or bottle even when it's right there.

And if we miss these cues again, they might start to cry.

Every baby is different, and only you and your medical team know what's best for your baby, but these are some great things to start to look for so that you start to see the pattern of cues that you see with your baby.

Here, you can get your own Baby Cue Cheat Sheet to keep handy.

Alright, now you have an idea of what things to look for, and I want to remind you why this is so important. Sometimes babies, especially in their first few weeks, are really overfed by accident, and the research shows us that over time, babies start to get really uncomfortable and have negative associations with eating. Not only that, but then their system is sort of in overload. It's too much for their system and it can cause a lot of distress and problems with eating down the road.

Sometimes when we're trying to care for this sweet new baby, they're crying and they're fussing, and we assume that they're hungry. But it's important to use this cheat sheet to make sure that they're not just a little bit uncomfortable and trying to tell us.

Alright, let's say your baby has been breastfeeding or bottle feeding for a while, and now you're not sure if they're starting to get full. I always say it's worth trying three breaks first. It's always a great idea to pause if you're not sure if they're hungry. Let them tell us.

There are a few things that we can do to double-check. So, the first break that we're going to try is a Burp Break. Whether you're halfway through or you're thinking that they might be done, it's always worth trying to see if your baby will burp. Sometimes babies will start to fuss and cry even when they're still a little bit hungry, and it's usually because they have a burp that's building up or some sort of uncomfortable feeling that they need to tell us about. They might start to squirm around and fuss a little bit more, and they might still want to eat, but they might need a short break just to take a burp and to get back to it.

Alright, on that same line, another break that we can try is a Pacifier Break. This is where a lot of us will get a little bit confused. Sometimes babies will desperately want to suck, and we give them a pacifier, or they're sucking on their hands, and we assume that they're hungry. But actually, babies have a natural reflex to comfort themselves by sucking.

When your baby was in utero, they would suck on their hands to comfort themselves. Sometimes they're a little bit more uncoordinated or have a harder time bringing their hands to their mouth after they're born, and that's where a pacifier can come in handy.

Sometimes, if you're not sure if they're hungry or full, it's great to double-check and give them the pacifier. If they are sucking on the pacifier really quickly and really looking mad, of course, let's go back to trying to feed them. But if they're sucking and they're starting to calm down, that is a way that they're showing us that they needed a little comfort.

Maybe their belly is starting to hurt, or maybe they have that burp stuck, and maybe they had a little bit of reflux when they burped last. It's important that we give them the chance to pacify themselves and take a break before we give them more milk.

And that goes right into the next break. Sometimes your baby needs a Cuddle Break. They need comfort, and it's okay for us to take a pause. We can try to burp, we can try to give the pacifier, but if not, sometimes they just need to be held. They need to be comforted, and they just need to take a pause.

For many babies, especially really little newborns, their belly really works quickly, so as soon as they're eating, they're about ready to poop again, and that can cause a lot of stress in a little belly. So sometimes they just need a little bit of comfort, and that's where a burp and a pacifier and a cuddle break for comfort can really come in handy. It's a lot of work to eat as a little baby, and it's always worth double-checking with these three breaks to make sure that you're not feeding your baby too much.

Yes, and after we have these breaks, yes, some babies might want to go back to eat more. Do not worry; they are designed to tell us what they want. But make sure to take a pause, take a break, and double-check before we start to give them more food.

The more that you listen to your baby and follow their cues, the more that they are going to enjoy feeding. They're going to be relaxed and comfortable because they know that you are looking for those cues. They know that they can trust you, and they know that you are going to respond to what they're telling us.

Keep these cues in mind, look out for those hunger cues, look out for those fullness cues, and always remember, it's worth double-checking: does your baby need a burp break, or a pacifier break, or a cuddle break? It's worth checking so that you and your baby can enjoy feeding. There's no stress, and we are following their lead.

The fact that you're here watching this shows me that you care. I know how much you want this to be an easy and enjoyable process for your baby.

Again, get your own cheat sheet for your baby's feeding cues.

And for more baby feeding tips, check this.