Issue #5: Babies And Their Feeding Cues.
Do babies have fullness cues? Can you overfeed a baby when using donor milk and formula and solids?
From Jaimie.
Hey Jaimie,
It's such a catch-22, isn't it? We don't want to starve our kiddos but we don't want to overfeed them either.
Yes, babies can have fullness cues.
Some babies are very clear-cut on their cues and some 👶 babies are very subtle and if you 😳 blink, you'll miss it. Plus, they seem to change it up so often. You get the hang of their cues 👏 and then they throw in something totally different 🤦♀️
Learning your baby's cues takes 🕰 time and each time you introduce new foods (transitioning into solids) there are all new cues. So, give yourself some grace. You will not learn them overnight, but you will get them. Sometimes you will get it wrong or you'll miss them and that's ok. We are not perfect mothers. Our plates are full (no pun intended).
Here are some cues that your 👶 baby may show if they are feeling full or not interested in eating:
✨ Closing their mouth
✨ Turning their head away from the breast or bottle
✨ Stop sucking on breast/bottle
✨ Relaxing hands
✨ Pushing food away, pushing food out of their mouths with their tongue
✨ Closing their mouth or turning their head when food is offered
✨ Using hand motions or making sounds to let you know they are full
✨ Play with their food
✨ Plus the ultimate random cue that is unique to your little one (they all seem to have one whacky 🥴 one).
A final note, as a society we doubt the wisdom of our 👶 babies because they are so reliant on us, but 👶 babies are magically 🪄 wired little humans and are very intuned with their bodies. They are also yet to cognitively think about societal norms. All they know to 👂 listen to is their body and to communicate to us in their own unique way when they are done.
Because 👶 babies are so wonderful at listening to their body's needs, it is very difficult to overfeed a baby.
👉 Here is a link to a video talking; about fullness and baby cues.
👉 Here is a link to a podcast talking; about responsive feeding, fullness, and baby-led weaning.
👉 Here is a great little document showing all types of cues.
You're doing a 🌈 wonderful ✨ job Mum (Jaimie).
Love Kate 💚