Mother, These are Signs of a Hungry Baby

Babies really can't say what they're feeling, including when they're hungry. However, parents can know the signs of a hungry baby through their gestures, voice, and facial expressions. Come on, know the signs when the baby is hungry in the following article.

Many parents think that crying is a sign that the baby is hungry. It's true, Mother, crying is one of the signs your little one gives when he's hungry. However, babies will usually cry when they feel very hungry because they haven't been fed or fed for a long time.

If you cry, the baby will be fussy and difficult to soothe so that parents will also find it increasingly difficult to give milk or food to the baby. Therefore, you need to breastfeed or feed your little one when he seems to be starting to feel hungry, not when he is already crying.

Actually there is no limit to the number of times a baby should breastfeed in a day. However, newborns generally feed at least 8–12 times a day. However, the mother can give breast milk according to the wishes of the little one.

3 Stages of Hungry Baby Signs

In fact, babies begin to show that they are hungry long before they cry. The characteristics and signs of a hungry baby are divided into three stages, namely:

Signs of a hungry baby in the early stages

Early-stage hunger signals shown by babies can be:

Moves or looks restless
When your baby starts to feel hungry, he will appear more restless and have trouble sleeping. Babies also usually begin to stretch and become more mobile. Sometimes, he will wake up from his sleep when he starts to feel hungry.

Opening his mouth
One of the main signs that your baby is getting hungry is that he opens his mouth constantly. Sometimes, he will also stick out his tongue. To determine whether your little one is crying because of hunger or other causes, you can touch his lips. If he opens his mouth when his lips are touched, this means that your little one is hungry.

Look right and left
When starting to get hungry, the baby will also move his head more to the right and left, as if he was looking for a nipple. In addition, when they start to get hungry, babies will also blink a lot and move their eyes.

Looking at the food with enthusiasm
In babies who have started solid food or solid food, an early sign of hunger that he may show is that he looks excited when he sees the food around him.

He may also move his hands and try to reach nearby food while opening his mouth.

Signs of an active hungry baby

If the mother does not immediately give him breast milk or eat when the little one has experienced early signs of hunger, he will show signs of active hunger, such as:

Constantly stretching the body
As the hunger increases, the baby will get stronger and move his body more often, and spread his arms and legs erratically. He is also starting to look uncomfortable and increasingly restless and will likely tug at your mother's clothes.

Grumble
Babies who are hungry will generally make sounds such as grumbling or even whining. The baby's lips also make a tasting sound like they want to suckle.

Putting hand to mouth
When they are hungry, babies will also show it through hand movements. He will clench his fists in front of his chest or stomach. Next, the baby will put his fingers in his mouth.

Make a sucking motion
Not only putting his hand in his mouth, a hungry baby will also make sucking movements with his mouth or tongue. Not infrequently, he also sucked his fingers or fists.

Signs that the baby is very hungry

When the baby is very hungry, he will usually show the following signs:

Cry
At birth, a baby's cry sounds more or less the same, whether he is hungry, tired, or feeling sick. Over time, you will be able to recognize the difference in your baby's cries. For example, a cry because of hunger, which is usually short and low-pitched. Meanwhile, the cry of hunger will get louder and louder, if he is not fed immediately.

stomping his body
Not only crying, babies who are very hungry will usually stomp their bodies in all directions. This is a sign that your little one is upset and needs to be breastfed immediately. If your little one has shown these movements, you should try to calm your little one first until the crying stops. If he has calmed down, you can breastfeed him again.

The skin on the body and face is red
Because crying and stamping his body constantly because of hunger, the face and skin of the baby's body can turn red. If so, he needs to be breastfed or fed as soon as possible.

By recognizing the signs of a hungry baby, every mother is expected to be able to breastfeed or feed her baby before they start crying.

This is because babies who are already crying because they are hungry can make breastfeeding more difficult. In addition, crying because of hunger can make the baby feel tired and eventually just don't want to eat.

In addition to knowing the signs your baby is hungry, you also need to recognize signs that your baby is full. This is to prevent your little one from feeling full and vomiting. When you feel full, your little one will show the following signs:

Stop breastfeeding or eating
Drowsy or asleep
Loosening his mouth while feeding
Removing the bottle from his mouth
Closes mouth when brought to breast or bottle

If they are older or can eat and drink, usually a baby who is starting to feel full will stop eating and playing with his food, and turn his face away from the bottle, breast, or food.

Recognizing signs that your baby is hungry and that your baby is full can have many benefits, including developing a healthy diet, making it easier for your baby to nurse or eat, and strengthening the emotional connection between you and your little one.

Not only eating, you also need to pay attention to signs when your little one is not drinking enough. This can make him dehydrated. When dehydrated, your little one will look weak, dry lips, rarely pee, and cry without tears.

When you are dehydrated, your little one needs to get fluids right away so they don't get weaker. If the dehydration is severe, he should be checked by a pediatrician immediately and will need to be given fluids through an IV.

now, now Mother is no longer confused to recognize when your little one is hungry or is full, right?