Your baby will give you cues when she is hungry:
- squirms or has rapid eye movement while the eyes are closed
- roots or turns her head when her cheek is stroked
- opens her mouth and searches
- smacks her lips
- makes sucking movements
- puts her hand in her mouth
- cries (the last cue)
Having your baby stay in your room will make it easier to watch for the following feeding cues.
Source: Allina Health's Patient Education Department, Guide for the Care of Children: Ages Birth to 5 Years Old, fifth edition. To avoid awkward sentences, instead of referring to your child as "he/she" or "him/her," this guide will alternate between "he" or she" and "him" or "her."
First Published: 02/01/2010
Last Reviewed: 01/01/2016