How do you know when to feed?

[jacs]

Ok seems like a ridiculous question, but how do you know when your baby wants a feed rather than dummy/cuddle etc?

I don't recognise different cries yet and seem to be making up bottles constantly that barely get touched. I check the obvious first, like his nappy, and I keep an eye on how long it's been since the last feed, but I just feel like if I don't offer a bottle constantly, he might not get enough to drink.

Any advice appreciated, J

 

[bobthebuilder]

hi J, my boy oliver takes his feed realy well (5oz, he's 9 weeks old) then he mellows out....after 5-or-so minutes he starts to cry as if he wants more food.... i cuddle him, that usually does the trick and he settles again, if that fails then i use his dummy.....that never fails

kind regards ade.

 

[Annaspanna]

I usually pop my finger into her mouth and she will start sucking straight away if its food she wants bless her!! xx

 

[AnnaHughes]

I found it really hard, i was useless at recognising different cries, even now, i only really know a tired cry, and a in pain cry.

Your LO is still really really young, i am a firm believer in routine, yet i didnt think it was possible to even start till my LO was 6 weeks old.

Before that, i demand fed, and he was having anything from 9 to 12 bottles in 24 hours, and anything from 50ml to 90ml at a time. it was so random.

How much is he taking at a time? I used the guide on the formula pack to work out how much he should be having in a 24 hour period and used that as a rough guide.

Basically, if after nappy change, cuddle, check if too hot or cold, and a walk round the room did not do the trick, we gave him a bottle ( obviously if it had bee hours since his last one, we didnt need to do all the above first!)

 

[faille]

When Violet was that little, I couldn't recognise cries either (still cant to some extent!).

What I found is that if she was hungry, she'd go for anything near her mouth... So we used to tickle the side of her mouth and if she went for it, she was hungry. We'd also keep an eye on the clock because she's always been pretty predictable with feeding times.

But if you've tried everything else when your LO cries, then I would try a bottle as well.

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

If nothing else stops Lo crying (cuddle, burp, check not too hot/cold, tired, overstimulated) then it's prob hunger.
My LO's cries all sound the same so I much prefer feeding to a rough schedule. Plus, crying is often a last resort, by the time hunger is causing them to cry they're very hungry indeed. At 2 weeks old we were feeding about every 2 hours in the day.

but chucking lots of bottles away in the early days is pretty par for the course. Along with wasting lots of nappies. We kept thinking Ruby was crying due to a wet or dirty nappy but she never was...

 

[NoSpringChick]

Mines always done a certain hand gesture for milk, and she has another one for wind.
The milk hand is like she makes a fist to her face or she'll stick her finger out straight away from her lips and the wind one she like waves at the side of her head.
I could never tell the difference in crying. I thought all mothers knew instinctively but I think thats just some romantic notion.

 

[NoSpringChick]

hehe i forgot the other sign for milk when she was young, she would suck on your neck - anyones kneck would do and sort of peck away!

 

[dizzyisacow]

when he was younger i just touched the side of his mouth and he would try to eat it if he was hungry, lately if a few hours pass i just know he is hungry and feed him. and if he sees the bottle and i shake it he gets super exited opens his arms widens his eyes and kick his feet then when i put it close to him he starts sucking before i put it in his mouth and grabs it with his hands!
when i didnt know if he was hungry i wasted alot of milk too so i just made a bit and if he ate that i gave him more! now i hardly ever waste milk!
oh and sometimes i think he cant be hungry he ate a while ago but he cries loudly and if he isnt tired then it definetely hunger

 

[jacs]

Thanks everyone, that's reassuring!
We did have him on 4 hourly feeds of 5oz. However, HV said the other day that there was no need to wake him for feeds as he will let us know if he's hungry (I had told her I felt like I was force feeding him at times).
We'll keep going then!

Jac x

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

I think the key is to keep offering feeds and not worry if he doesn't take it. Personally I woke Ruby and offered a feed every 2.5-3 hours at that age. It got more milk into her during the day and think that's why she's always been such a good night sleeper.

 

[NoSpringChick]

Just be careful of giving feeds too often as it takes 3 hours for a full bottle to digest, hence why 4 hours is what it says on the tin.

 

[Cinderella]

Max does a wonderful head bobbing hand gesture thing too! It's really cute to watch! He pats his mouth with his hand and shakes his head side to side, like he's looking for a nipple. If he's at that stage then he's usually quite happy with a dummy until we can make his feed, it's when he's doing that with crying you're in trouble! lol

Those first few days/weeks are a bit of a whirlwind of bottles but things seem to be settling now!