How to tell if your baby is hungry

How to tell if your baby is hungry

Watch your baby's feeding cues

Your baby will give you cues when they are hungry:

  • roots or turns head when cheek is stroked
  • opens mouth and searches
  • smacks lips
  • makes sucking movements
  • puts hand in mouth
  • moves body in a way that looks like squirming
  • cries (the last cue)

Having your baby stay in your room will make it easier to watch for feeding cues.

Source: Allina Health's Patient Education, Guide for the Care of Children: Ages Birth to 5, sixth edition, ped-ah-91554
First Published: 02/01/2010
Last Reviewed: 11/16/2022