How do I know when baby needs to eat?

Answer 1

Every 2-3 hours.

Answer 2

When you brought baby home they were supposed to have given you a feeding schedule so call your baby's pediatrician
for it. In the maintime rule of thumb is every three hours,,but you'll
know because when baby wakes try feeding him, and if he's hungry he'll eat, but if breast feeding it may take a little prodding, but you should have been shown that before you brought him home too, but if you are unsure about how to feed your baby ask
for information at your clinic or hospital and don't be shy.
Make a call.
Unlike many think a new mother does NOT have the NATURAL
ability to care for her infant, like everything else it's a learning
process and you should not feel bad, because EVERY new mom
has a certain amount of jitters facing the awesome responsibility
of her precious new born. Also if you're lucky enough to have
family about,don't feel you're inaccurate or that you're a "bad"
mom because you don't how to do a few things, you'll learn quickly as you and your baby form a bond you will THEN be able
to "sense" their wants and needs by the type of cries ther emits
Also once you and baby are used to your schedule, have their bottle ready for their usual waking time and baby won't even have to cry. My last ones(twins) would make a little ahahah sound,
and I knew it was feeding time and their bottles were ready. Congrats and Goodluck!!

Answer 3

Newborns up to about 2 months are probably eating 2 to 4 ounces every 2-3 hours. Older babies might go as long as 4-6 hours on 6 to 8 ounces. I feed my 4-months old daughter every four hours 4 times a day, and she takes 8 ounces at each feeding. (She's a pretty big girl, though.)

As your baby grows and you spend time caring for them, you will learn their hunger cues. Many younger babies will start sucking on their fists when they get hungry, or some will open their mouths and start rooting for a breast or bottle. Once the baby is older and has settled into a regular schedule, you will likely just feed them at around the same time every day without even waiting for their cues, and they will expect it.

Answer 4

Crying is a LATE sign of hunger. Babies give off many other signals before resulting to crying to be fed: smacking the lips, trying to suck on their fingers/fists, rooting on whatever surface touches their cheek, trying to latch onto anything that touches their lips. If you begin a feeding while the baby is still showing these early signs of hunger, the baby is calmer, and more likely to settle in quickly and feed well. If you wait until the baby is crying, they are already frustrated and may not be able to nurse efficiently to get what they need.

Breastfeeding generally works out best when you follow the baby's early hunger cues, and feed when the baby is hungry, regardless of the amount of time passed since the last feed. It changes from feeding to feeding, and digests differently every time. Breastmilk can take as little as 45 min. to digest! In the early weeks, it's not uncommon to have a baby who seems hungry "all the time"; feeding practically every hour on the hour. This type of pattern ensures that mom has an adequate milk supply for *her* specific baby's needs; not all women produce breastmilk at the same rate.

Imagine an arbitrary number/amount-- say, 40 oz. Assume that most breastfeeding mothers will produce 40 oz. of breastmilk in a 24-hr. period. But not all mothers will produce this amount consistently at the same rate-- some women's breasts are better designed for putting out more milk at once, and going longer between feeds before kicking the production into gear again. Other women may have breasts that need frequent stimulation to produce smaller quantities of breastmilk, more frequently than their peers. This may be a combination of both the breasts' abilities and the infants' needs, but it boils down to, everybody's bodies function somewhat differently. Breastfeeding/breastmilk is difficult to quantify, therefore difficult to predict, therefore difficult to schedule. That's why it's so much easier to follow the baby's hunger cues-- s/he will ensure that s/he is getting enough, if fed in this manner.

After the first month or two, generally breastfed babies *will* fall into a feeding pattern of their own, but for the early newborn period, it's common for the timing of hunger/feedings to be fairly sporadic.

With formula feeding, the formula always has the same # of calories, same amount of nutrition, and generally takes the same amount of time to digest-- about 3-4 hrs. So it's fairly easy to get a formula fed baby on a "schedule".

Answer 5

Normally babies need to eat every 2-3 hours. If you are breastfeeding, it may be sooner than that. Breast fed babies digest the milk quicker, so they may be hungry more often. Also, if you baby is fussy, crying and inconsolable, he may be hungry. Check the diaper first. If he just ate, he might want attention, he might want to bond, or just be held. You can also try a pacifier, and no there is nothing wrong with a pacifier in my opinion.

Answer 6

Usually babies will let you know when they want to eat simply by crying. However, if your baby isn't a crier, 2-3 ounces every 2 hours is the standard. If your baby isn't hungry, he or she will not take the bottle, anyway, so there is no harm in trying more frequently.

Answer 7

Go with a schedule--- that way the baby doesn't have to cry to get attention or food. regulate the food to that the baby gets enough--but not to much. That way it doesn't gorge itself and feel compelled to over eat. You teach a child that it can have what ever it wants by crying (food, attention, warmth , comfort, etc.........) it will grow up the same way. Make the child feel secure, warm, attention, etc.... before it gets to that level--so when the baby does cry, you know it for a reason.--------- raised my first child with the crying factor and have a child just like i raised her to be. I did so much better on my last two. They hardly ever cried, was generally happier, and i didn't run into a weight problem like my first. (still have a problem that she relates most of what she is feeling to food-------- because when she cried, we tried to feed her. and she always ate until she was full)

Answer 8

Usually your baby will let you know. If you baby is fussy and you have tried changing him or her, and you have tried a pacifier, try a bottle. Babies need to eat every few hours.

Answer 9

Your baby will let you know by crying for fussing. I've read where they say to try to feed them before they get hungry, but really, what's the point in that? As adults, we shouldn't eat when we aren't hungry, why should babies?

Answer 10

when baby cries, normally its either she is hungry, she is in pain, or wet. so if neither of the 2 and you are aware that about 2 to 3 hours has passed after your last feeding, then its about time to feed her.