How to Tell If Baby Is Hungry or Wants Comfort (2024)

Wondering if your newborn really wants to eat or is comfort sucking? Learn how to tell if a baby is hungry or wants comfort instead.

If babies suck to both eat and seek comfort, how can you tell which is which?

For any mom who feels tethered to her baby 24/7, this question has likely popped into your head. You’ve fed him, but he screams if you put him down. But once you pick him up, he starts rooting again as if he hadn’t just eaten.You feel like all you do all day is nurse or hold him to sleep—anything else and he’s screaming and crying.

How can you tell if he’s still hungry or just wants something to suck on?

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How to tell if your baby is hungry or wants comfort

I hear you, friend. As a first-time mom, I had no idea whether my baby was hungry or seeking comfort when he nursed. But after researching and observing his patterns, I discovered that there is a way to tell the difference.

Take a look at these tips and suggestions from what I learned during the newborn stage. Hopefully, you can also get a better sense of what to do when you find yourself wondering this question as well. As one parent said about the article:

“This was written for me, thank you!” -Charlotte

1. Check how your baby is sucking

How can you tell if your baby is waking from hunger or habit? Check how he’s sucking.

If he latches on well and takes long, drawn-out pulls, then he’s likely hungry and eating. But if his sucking motion is short and shallow, then he’s probably sucking for comfort.

You can also check whether he’s swallowing the milk. Listen for a swallowing sound, and see if his throat moves with each gulp. If you it moves, then he’s swallowing milk, but if it stays still, then he’s only moving his mouth to comfort suck.

Is your baby twisting and pulling while breastfeeding? Learn what to do here.

2. Your baby fights the pacifier

Once breastfeeding has been established, a pacifier is a fantastic alternative to comfort sucking. I’d offer them to my babies to calm them down or help them sleep longer.

So, when you notice that your baby fights the pacifier—outright spits it out and everything—more than likely, he’s hungry. This is especially true if he normally takes to the pacifier, but sometimes wants nothing to do with it. He wants food at that moment, not comfort.

3. Your baby is showing hunger signs

Pay attention to your baby’s cues that he might be hungry for milk, such as:

Turning his head toward the breast
Sucking on his hands
Smacking his lips
Rooting
Sticking his tongue out

4. Your baby sleeps in long stretches

Does your baby sleeps for long stretches? You can imagine that he’d want to eat all the other times when he’s awake. After all, if he went five hours without eating, he’s probably going to be hungry when he’s awake.

Long stretches happen during the day and night. Maybe he takes a long midday nap, which means he wakes up hungry in the middle of the night. Or vice versa: he sleeps pretty well at night, leading to frequent feedings during the day.

Even if he eats often, he trulycan be hungry all those times because he goes long stretches without eating.

Learn how to get your baby to sleep longer stretches at night.

Best practices for frequent feedings

Even if you can tell your baby’s cries for hunger and comfort, what can you do to make these frequent feedings a little bit easier? Take a look at these best practices and reminders:

1. Keep your baby awake while feeding

Nothing’s worse than hearing your baby cry for another feeding when you’djust fed him not too long ago. Yet here he is again, crying for more.

One possible reason is that he reallyis hungry. How? He wasn’t actually eating while he was feeding. Instead, he was in a sleepy state, drowsily sucking before falling asleep.

The best way to make sure that he’s taking in the milk is to keep him awake while you feed. Yep, even if he’s so sleepy—wake him up if need be. For instance, you can:

2. Feed on demand

You’d just fed your baby less than an hour ago, and here he is again, awake and ready to eat. Is it normal for him to feed so often?

The resounding answer from doctors and parents is: yes, frequent feedings are completely normal in this stage.

For one thing, your baby’s stomach is so tiny at birth that he can’t exactly load up on milk to tide him over for a long stretch. Breastmilk also digests quicker than formula, which leads to frequent feedings. He could also be going through a growth spurt that requires plenty of calories.

And even if he ate even 10 minutes ago, he could still be fussing for more. Think about a toddler who says he wants more crackers even though he’d just finished a whole bowl of them. A toddler can tell you that he wants more food with words—a baby does the same with crying.

So, don’t feel like you’re doing anything “wrong” if you feed often. You’re simply responding to your baby’s needs.

3. Know that your baby is probably hungry than not

“Babies almost always cry because they’re hungry,” our pediatrician reassured us. Yes, they might cry because they’re bored, uncomfortable, or feel hot or cold. But the biggest reason they cry is usually to eat.

This helped me mentally whenever my babies would cry and I’d once again have to feed them even if they’d just eaten. Rather than guessing whether they were hungry or not, I assumed that they were and fed them. Only when they were showing signs that they weren’t actually hungry did I try other options.

4. See the positive side of frequent feedings

For any mom glued to her baby, frequent feedings can feel like a heavy burden to bear. But rather than trying to change the circ*mstances, what if you changed your perception of them?

Accept that your baby feeds frequently at this stage in his life. Then, think about the benefits of nursing often. For instance, you can…

bond with him
build your milk supply
know that he’s gaining weight
rest and relax
read a book or watch a movie

Even in the darkest moments, you can still rest assured that this is a temporary stage in your life. Yes, weeks and months can feel like eons, but they’re still a pretty short season when you compare it to the rest of his childhood.

By changing the stories you tell yourself, you can release the anger and resentment and replace them with acceptance and even joy.

Conclusion

One of the biggest burdens we place on ourselves is feeling pressured to “know” our babies. We’re supposed to figure out their newborn sleep cues and differentiate between their cries. And of course, we’re supposed to know when they’re hungry or not.

So, when we find ourselves stumped, we feel guilty for not living up to our expectations.

Rest assured that you’re not doing anything wrong for feeding your baby often, or for wondering whether he’s even hungry or not. Hopefully, you’ve learned a few tricks to see whether he’s eating out of hunger or for comfort, as well as what to do to make these challenging times easier.

You’ve got this, mama—even if you sometimes (okay, all the time) feel tethered to your baby 24/7.

Get more tips:

5 Reasons Your Baby Keeps Unlatching (But Is Still Hungry)
Newborn Constantly Hungry? Here Are 5 Reasons Why
Is Your Baby Nursing for an Hour and STILL Hungry?
Newborn Feeding Every 2 Hours? Top Solutions That Can Help
How to Create a Newborn Schedule

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As an experienced parent and enthusiast in the field of newborn care, I understand the challenges that come with deciphering a baby's cues, especially when it comes to distinguishing between hunger and comfort. Having navigated through the newborn stage myself and extensively researched the topic, I can confidently provide insights and evidence-based information to help parents tackle this common dilemma.

Let's break down the key concepts addressed in the provided article:

Checking how your baby is sucking:
- Long, drawn-out pulls suggest hunger, while short and shallow sucking motions indicate comfort.
- Swallowing sounds and throat movement during sucking can be indicators of milk consumption.
Baby fights the pacifier:
- A pacifier is a useful tool for comfort, but if the baby rejects it, it might signal hunger.
Baby showing hunger signs:
- Cues such as turning head toward the breast, sucking on hands, smacking lips, rooting, and sticking out the tongue may indicate hunger.
Baby sleeping in long stretches:
- Long stretches of sleep might imply hunger during waking hours, emphasizing the importance of frequent feedings.
Best practices for frequent feedings:
- Keeping the baby awake during feeding to ensure they consume an adequate amount of milk.
- Feeding on demand is normal, considering a newborn's tiny stomach and the quick digestion of breast milk.
- Recognizing that crying is often a signal of hunger in babies.
- Embracing the positive aspects of frequent feedings, such as bonding, milk supply, and relaxation.
Conclusion:
- Acknowledges the pressure parents feel to understand their babies and differentiate between their needs.
- Assures parents that feeding their baby often is not a mistake and provides strategies to distinguish between hunger and comfort.
- Encourages a positive perspective on frequent feedings, emphasizing the temporary nature of this stage in a child's life.

By combining personal experience with researched knowledge, I aim to empower parents with practical tips and a deeper understanding of their newborn's behavior. The information presented in the article reflects a balanced approach, acknowledging the challenges while offering reassurance and actionable advice to navigate the complexities of caring for a newborn.