New parents are thrown into parenthood with so much to learn very quickly. While it might seem obvious when and how much to feed your baby, there’s a learning curve for reading your newborn’s hunger and full cues. Discovering the signs that your baby has a full stomach, as well as learning how often and how much to feed your newborn, can help ensure your baby stays happy, satisfied, and growing.
Each baby has slightly different demands for feeding volume and frequency.1 This is why the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends responsive feeding based on a baby’s cues instead of a rigid feeding volume or schedule. To practice responsive feeding, follow these steps:2,13,14
- Observe your baby’s cues.
- Feed them promptly when you notice that they’re expressing hunger.
- Offer the proper food for their age (breast milk or formula).
- Respect when your baby is full, and don’t force-feed them.
- Nurture them with warmth and affection.
The motto “you provide, your child decides” extends beyond infancy. Giving your child a say in when and how much they eat establishes healthy eating habits and intuitive eating in children. This will hopefully last a lifetime!2,13,14
Using the responsive feeding steps above, follow your child’s lead based on their hunger and fullness cues. This can strengthen mealtime enjoyment, secure attachment, and emotional attunement.3 However, it’s still important to make sure you’re offering them enough food. If bottle-fed, babies usually only take up to ½ ounce of breast milk or formula at least every two to three hours in the first few days of life. Their stomachs are still very tiny and gradually expand. At a week old, they may take 1-2 ounces per feeding. By the time they’re 1 month old, they typically eat 3-4 ounces per feeding and sometimes space out their feeds to every three to four hours.21 You can always offer more if they still seem hungry. Talk to your pediatrician about formula or breast milk volumes per bottle, as it can vary from baby to baby.4
In the first few days of your newborn’s life, your baby gets a full stomach very easily because it doesn’t hold very much milk. They may even want to eat every one to three hours at this young age. This helps establish your milk supply if you’re breastfeeding. These frequent feeds also allow your baby to practice sucking and swallowing at the same time as breathing.1 While it’s ideal to follow your infant’s feeding cues to prevent underfeeding or overfeeding them, it’s helpful to have a loose framework to ensure your newborn is eating enough — volume- and frequency-wise:
Newborns should have a total of at least eight to 12 feedings per 24-hour period. This means they should eat every two to three hours from the start of one feed to the start of another. Many babies will cluster feed and eat more often than this at certain times of day. Babies usually lose some weight immediately after birth, and these frequent feedings help them get back to their birth weight more quickly. Newborns should stick to a schedule of at least every two to three hours, even overnight, especially until they regain the weight. This means you may need to wake your newborn overnight to feed them. Once your baby has reached their birth weight (usually around 2 weeks old), you can start letting them sleep slightly longer stretches of up to four to five hours, if they can make it that long!1,5
Until you introduce solid foods between 4-6 months of age — and until they start eating larger quantities of solids, typically closer to 9 months old — your baby will likely continue to need feedings every two to three hours or so during the day. However, all babies are different.1,12,17 Some will take longer feeds less frequently or vice versa, and it can change from day to day. This is why it’s important to stay flexible and learn your baby’s hunger and fullness cues.1
So, you know that you’re supposed to feed your baby breast milk or formula generally every two to three hours. But how do you know exactly when it’s time? Here are some signs that your baby may be hungry:2,6,13,14
- Bringing fists to mouth
- Rooting or turning head and opening mouth to search for breast or bottle
- Increasing alertness and activity
- Sucking on hands
- Lip smacking or opening and closing mouth movements
- Having a tense body (clenched fists)
- Flexing arms and legs
New parents may wait until their baby is crying to think of offering them milk. But keep in mind that crying is a late sign of hunger. Using these newborn feeding cues, try to notice when your baby is hungry before they begin to cry. Once your baby has reached the point of crying in hunger, it can be more difficult to achieve a strong latch.6
When you’re feeding your newborn, look out for signs that your baby is full to make sure they get enough milk, but not too much. (Remember, their tummies are so small!)1 Below are some of the most common baby full cues:
Your baby may close their mouth or purse their lips tightly together to signal that they’re full and don’t want any more milk from the breast or bottle.8 I used to try to get a little extra milk in my babies before bedtime to get a longer stretch of sleep. But I knew once they closed their mouths, they were full and there was no chance of them taking any more for the night!
If your baby becomes full in the middle of a feed, they may unlatch from your breast or bottle nipple or spit it out.2,6 This can be a sign that they aren’t interested in eating anymore during this feed. If you’re breastfeeding, you can burp them, change their diaper, and then briefly attempt to offer the other breast. If they don’t latch, don’t force it, and offer that breast first the next feeding.6
Just as a hungry baby will open their mouth and turn their head toward a food source, a full baby will turn away from the nipple.6 If your baby turns their mouth and head away from milk when offered, take this as a sign that they’re full.8 Give them a break from feeding, and try again later.
A hungry baby will be solely focused on eating to quench their appetite. As a baby becomes full, they may become more inattentive to their eating and distracted by their surroundings. They may also start to fidget with anything in reach.2 One caveat to this is that around 3-4 months old, babies become much more aware of their surroundings and can become easily distracted, even when they need to eat.18,19 If you feel this is the case, try going to a place where there’s less noise and distraction to feed your baby.
5. Baby’s Body Is Relaxed
When a baby is hungry, they may be tense and angry. Once they get full, they’re content — with little tension remaining in the body. A relaxed baby is a sign that they’re comfortable and full. If your little one is coming to the end of a feed and seems physically relaxed with loose muscles, they’re likely full and have had enough to eat.6
Just as a baby may relax their body as they become full, they may also relax their hands. Tight, clenched fists can be a sign of hunger, while relaxed fists with open fingers and palms are usually a sign that your baby is full.6 So, if you’re ever feeling unsure about whether your baby needs more milk, just take a quick glance at their hands!
Have you ever filled up on a big meal and needed to lay down afterward for a rest? This is probably a result of hormones, blood sugar, and the energy required to digest. And it can happen in babies too!2,9,15,16 If your baby is full, they may appear “milk drunk.” You may notice that they start falling asleep, they appear drowsy with their eyes closing, and their head and neck are relaxed and bobbing. Sometimes, even a little milk dribbles out of their mouth! A milk drunk baby can be a result of either breast milk or a bottle of formula.10
You might be wondering, “Why does my baby fall asleep while bottle-feeding?” In addition to milk and fullness making them sleepy, the action of sucking can bring about relaxation and sleep in newborns. This is a normal soothing technique similar to the effect of a pacifier.11
To prevent their baby from crying and getting too hungry, many parents offer milk at the first signs of distress or discomfort. But can you overfeed a breastfed baby? Can you offer too much via bottle? Or will a newborn stop eating when they’re full?
Infants have very good built-in appetite self-regulation, so it’s difficult to overfeed a baby just by offering milk too often.3 It’s particularly difficult to overfeed a breastfed baby, even if you nurse on demand and for comfort, as well as for feedings.7 In my experience, it’s very tough to get a baby to latch if they aren’t interested or hungry. So, overfeeding directly from the breast would be very difficult.
It’s possible to bottle-feed too much, whether breast milk or formula, especially if the bottle nipple has too fast of a flow. To prevent this, use a slow-flow nipple and practice “paced bottle-feeding.” Start by offering only 3-4 oz at a time, keeping the baby more upright for feeds, and holding the bottle horizontally (as opposed to diagonally or vertically). Allow your baby to suck consecutively for three to five swallows with just enough milk to fill the tip of the nipple. Give them frequent breaks by tilting the bottle back slightly, then tilt the bottle back up when they start to suck again. This will help them learn to self-pace, not eat too fast, and not overfeed.20
Babies will unlatch from either breast or bottle when they’ve had enough. You can offer the nipple again, but respect when they decline to latch. Unless your pediatrician suggests otherwise, you should never force your baby to eat more than they want to take. They don’t need to finish all the milk in a bottle just because you put it there. I know — it can be painful to waste precious breast milk or expensive formula! But food/milk doesn’t make a good reward or punishment, and we should trust babies to let us know when they’ve had enough.8 To avoid wasting breast milk or formula, you can make a smaller bottle. Just add more if your baby shows signs that they’re still hungry. By paying attention to the signs that your baby is full, you can prevent overfeeding your newborn.
While you may not be able to read your newborn baby’s mind, you can observe their body language for signs that they’re hungry or full. In general, if your baby is bringing things to their mouth, they’re alert and awake. And if their body seems tense, they may be hungry. If they’re relaxed, are uninterested in latching, and seem sleepy, they’re likely full of milk for now. By observing your little one day to day, you’ll learn their signs of hunger and fullness. Remember, don’t force-feed them! Instead, follow their lead — feed them when they’re hungry, and stop when they seem full. This will likely strengthen their relationship with you and food, hopefully for life!2,3,6,13