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My baby's still hungry after a milk feed

Christa Riekert, Advisory Nutritionist

Lots of mums feel concerned about whether their baby is getting enough milk especially if their baby still appears to be hungry after a feed. Surprisingly the answer may not be to give them more milk. The information below will help you to work out why your baby is still hungry, and our team are on hand to help you if you have any questions.

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Could it be a growth spurt?

How can you tell if you have a hungry baby? Unfortunately there is no hard and fast rule but generally hungry babies tend to cry for a feed more often and will feed longer when you do offer them their milk.


At around six weeks of age, many babies go through a growth spurt which can mean a hungrier baby for a few days. While it might seem like the feeding routine you had worked so hard to establish may have just gone out the window, it's worth bearing in mind that this may occur randomly so you can just increase the frequency or amount of the feed and then allow the pattern to settle back after a few days.


Too early to introduce complementary foods (solids)

Lots of mums wonder whether a hungry baby means that it's time to start introducing solids. However, this should only happen around six months. Your baby's insides are not developmentally ready for complementary foods before four months and introduction to solids prior to this should be avoided. You can be confident that breast milk or infant formula will give your baby all of the energy and nutrients they need.


Some babies aren't as hungry as they seem

Some babies also like to suck for comfort and seem to be demanding milk when actually a cuddle or some other response would work just as well.

 
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