Babies cannot say what they are feeling, including when they are hungry. However, parents can tell the signs of a hungry baby through the gestures, sounds and facial expressions they show. Come on, find out the signs when a 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 have not been given milk or food for a long time.

If it cries, the baby will be fussy and difficult to soothe, so it will be more difficult for parents to give milk or food to the baby. Therefore, Mother needs to breastfeed or feed your Little One when he looks like he is starting to feel hungry, not when he is already crying.

Actually there is no limit to the number of times a baby has to breastfeed in a day. However, newborns generally feed at least 8–12 times a day. However, Mother can give ASI according to the wishes of the Little One.



3 Stages Signs of a Hungry Baby

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:

Early signs of a hungry baby

Early hunger signals shown by babies can be:

• Moves body or looks restless

When the baby starts to feel hungry, he will appear more restless and have trouble sleeping. Babies also usually begin to stretch their bodies and become mobile a lot. Sometimes, he will wake up from his sleep when he starts to feel hungry.

• Opens his mouth

One of the main signs that a baby is getting hungry is that he opens his mouth constantly. Occasionally, he would 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 he starts to get hungry, the baby will also move his head to the right and left more, as if he were looking for a nipple. In addition, when he starts to get hungry, the baby will also blink a lot and move his eyes.

• Looking at food with enthusiasm

In babies who have started to be given solid food or complementary foods, the early signs of hunger that they may show are looking excited when they see food around them.

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

Signs of an active hungry baby

If Mother doesn't immediately breastfeed or eat when your Little One is already experiencing signs of a hungry baby in the early stages, he will show signs of hunger in the active stage, such as:

• Stretching the body continuously

When his hunger increases, the baby will get stronger and move his body more often, and stretch his arms and legs erratically. He is also starting to look uncomfortable and getting agitated and likely to tug on Mother's clothes.


•  Grumble

A hungry baby will generally make sounds like grumbling or even whining. The baby's lips also make a tasting sound like wanting to suckle.

• Puts hand to mouth

When he's hungry, the baby will also show it through hand movements. He will clench his hands in front of his chest or stomach. Next, the baby will put his fingers in his mouth.

• Making sucking motions

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 finger or fist.

Signs the baby is very hungry

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

• Cry

At birth, a baby's cries sound more or less the same, whether he's hungry, tired, or feeling sick. Over time, Mother will be able to recognize the differences in your Little One's cries. For example, a cry of hunger, which is usually short and low-pitched. Meanwhile, his hungry cries will get louder and louder, if he is not fed soon.

• Stomping his body

Not only crying, babies who are very hungry will usually stamp 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 first try to calm your little one down until the crying stops. If he's calm, you can breastfeed him again.



• The skin of the body and face is red

Because crying and stomping his body constantly because of hunger, the baby's face and body skin can turn red. If that's the case, he needs to be breastfed or fed as soon as possible.

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

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

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

• Stop breastfeeding or eating

• Drowsiness or falling asleep

• Loosens his mouth when 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 babies who are starting to be full will stop eating and playing with their food, and look away from bottles, breasts or food.

Recognizing the signs that a baby is hungry and a baby is full can provide many benefits, including developing healthy eating patterns, making breastfeeding or eating easier for babies, and strengthening the emotional connection between Mother and Little One.

Not only eating, Mother also needs to pay attention to the signs when your Little One is not drinking enough. This can make it dehydrated. When dehydrated, your little one will appear weak, have dry lips, rarely pee, and cry without shedding tears.

When you are already dehydrated, your little one needs to get fluids immediately so he doesn't get weaker. If he is severely dehydrated, he should be seen by a pediatrician immediately and will need to be given fluids through an IV.