When to Feed Baby

New parents need plenty of time to get to know their baby.  This includes:

• Learning about your baby’s personality, likes, and dislikes
• Learning to interpret your baby’s signals, cues, and communication
• Learning to anticipate and respond to your baby’s many needs 

To help you recognize when it is getting close to feeding time for your baby, you can watch for feeding cues, or signs of hunger.  Your baby may:

• Show rapid eye movements under his eyelids when he is sleeping
• Begin to wake up from sleeping, stretching and moving his arms and legs
• Open and close his mouth, lick his lips, stick out his tongue, make sucking or smacking noises
• Bring his hands to his mouth, suck on his hands or fingers 
• Move from a quietly alert state to a more actively alert state 
• Try to suck on your cheek, shoulder or breast when held or cuddled
• Move his head and open his mouth as if searching for something to eat
• Make small sounds or noises

Crying is a late sign of your baby’s hunger and you may find that your baby is more difficult to latch onto the breast when they are crying.  If this happens, cuddle and soothe your baby skin-to-skin and then bring him to your breast.  Try calming your baby by allowing him to suck on your clean finger before trying to get him to latch. Even though using a soother may seem like a good idea, soothers or pacifiers can hide a baby’s early signs of hunger.

For more information, call (705) 721-7520 or click Your Health Connection and speak with a public health nurse.