Even before your baby can talk, he or she will show signs of hunger or fullness. Understanding your child’s signs of hunger is important so that you can put him or her to the breast while he or she is still calm. This technique is called responsive feeding.
Here, you must watch out for any hints that your bundle of joy might give, and respond promptly to him or her. In this type of feeding, you feed the baby in the right way and let him or her stop when they are full.
Responsive feeding is very important for the overall development and nourishment of the child. All you must do here is provide and the rest, your child will decide.
Keep an eye out for some sign of hunger in your child.
The little ones have their own way of letting you know by becoming more active or alert or when they try to keep their eyes open. Some of the other signs are when they put their hands to the mouth, turn their head towards the breast, have clenched hands and hands more drawn towards the mouth and chest or when you notice them crying when there is a delay in feeding.
Every time the apple of your eyes puckers or smacks lips doesn’t mean the baby is hungry. It has to be correlated with the interval between the last feeds and the baby’s urine output. Such action in a baby immediately or within 1 1/2 hours of last feed, with good urine output, rules out hunger. That’s when it has to be ignored.
When the stomach is full, the baby gets distracted easily and turns its head from the breast. They even close their mouth, unlatch often, and slow down while suckling. The most common sign is that they relax their hands, open their fingers, and then try to spit. So, always keep an eye out for these signs.
It’s a myth that if a baby is crying, he or she is hungry and the feed is insufficient. The truth is that hunger is the last reason for the baby to cry.
There are several other reasons why your little one may start crying. Some babies want body touch, and they want to be picked by their mom and dad. Sometimes the uncomfortable clothes/over-wrapping and wet/dirty diapers can lead to crying. During winter, cold is the most common reason. It could also be infantile colic.
One of the most common questions of parenthood is what to do when a baby cries? You may receive different answers, remember, everything may just be okay. So when your little one cries, don’t panic and take a deep breath.
Also Read: Hey there new mothers, it is absolutely okay to feel all over the place. Here’s why
There is no medicine to stop any baby from crying. Bottle feeding is not the answer to every crying infant. Try to understand your baby, give warmth and touch, and when it is needed. Finally, take the doctor’s advice when needed.
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