Baby crying for food all the time

Newborn Constantly Hungry and Crying?

Does your baby always act hungry and unsatisfied, even though he just ate? Learn 5 reasons your newborn is constantly hungry and crying.

You knew babies ate often, but this much?

Your baby eats, but then half an hour later, will start screaming and acting hungry, furiously sucking on his hand. Offering the pacifier doesn’t help—he just spits it back out and keeps crying. He might settle down for 10 minutes but starts crying once again.

Feeding seems to be the only thing to get him to stop, but you’re he’ll end up with a stomach ache (causing him to cry even more). You knew you’d be up all night with him, but hearing him scream the whole time is getting frustrating.

You’re left either feeding him to keep him quiet or listening to him cry when you don’t.

Newborn constantly hungry and crying? 5 reasons why:

As new parents, we’ve all been stuck with that predicament: Feed your baby 24/7, or hear him cry the entire time. More than once I’ve wondered, He can’t possibly still be hungry, as I fed my baby yet again, so soon after the last feeding.

He’d act hungry even though he just ate, never satisfied with what he had consumed. He wanted to breastfeed all the time (especially at nighttime), always hungry for his next meal.

Now, I love a baby who wants to eat, but for the exhausted, sleep-deprived mom, it can feel like you’re stuck with your baby all day.

During this newborn period, I was either feeding him or putting him to sleep in my arms, because not doing either would incite even more tears. The short bouts of time he was awake—when he could simply be content—seemed few and far between.

But as I learned more about why babies eat so often, I also discovered several tactics I could try. We can’t expect our newborns to take three square meals a day and follow a strict schedule, but we can certainly observe, adjust, and meet their needs along the way.

Take a look at these five reasons your newborn is constantly hungry and crying (and what to do about each one):

1.

Your baby is overtired

You’d think that when babies are tired, they’d simply fall asleep right on the spot. But I learned that they can feel overtired from being awake too long. Nonstop crying also adds up to even more exhaustion and sleep deprivation.

And since feeding is such a comforting experience, they want to nurse or feed to settle themselves down—even if they had just eaten.

If you suspect that your baby is overtired, help him reset his sleep patterns and catch up on rest. The constant crying is exhausting for him as well, so try to get him to settle down and sleep. For instance, you could:

Bundle him in a swaddle and rock him to sleep
Hold him “skin to skin,” with his skin in direct contact with yours
Put him in the swing for a nap
Go for a car ride or stroller walk if he tends to sleep that way

Free resource: Do you struggle with getting your newborn to sleep? His awake time just might be affecting how well he sleeps or not. Join my newsletter and get One Mistake You’re Making with Your Baby’s Awake Time—at no cost to you. Help him fall asleep with this one simple trick! Grab it below:

2. Your baby isn’t actually eating

Does your baby still act like she’s hungry, even though you fed her 30 minutes ago? Does she begin to root around, or act fussy until the next meal?

But she just ate! you think to yourself.

Or… did she?

If your newborn is constantly hungry and crying for more, it might be because she’s not eating while she nurses.

Now, this might not apply so much if she’s taking the bottle, especially when you can measure how many ounces she consumed. But if she’s breastfeeding, you can’t exactly see how much she drank.

Either way, try to keep her awake while she feeds, bottle or breastfed. This ensures that she’s drinking enough milk and not sucking for comfort. You could…

Burp during baby’s feeding
Switch positions often
Tickle her
Unbutton or remove some clothes
Talk to her

How can you tell if she’s eating (instead of sucking)? Look at her throat. If she were truly swallowing, her throat would also move as the breastmilk or formula makes its way down. And listen for a swallowing sound, another telltale sign that she’s drinking.

Learn how to tell if baby is hungry or wants comfort.

3. Your baby has gas

Another reason causing your baby’s discomfort—and therefore the need to comfort feed—is gas. Infants have immature digestive systems, causing them to trap gas or struggle with pushing food through their bodies.

Even though he may not be hungry, your baby feels comfort with feeding (even when he’s not eating).

Check with your pediatrician to rule out any significant causes of gas. If you suspect that normal gas is the culprit of his constant hunger and cries, help him relieve these discomforts. You can:

Put a warm washcloth on his tummy for a few minutes
Massage his belly gently
Give him gas drops
Burp him often
Feed him after waking up from naps, not before

Learn 14 baby burping tricks that can work.

4. Your baby is overstimulated

At many family parties I’ve attended, it wasn’t unusual to see a baby being passed around from one person to the next. And sometimes, the baby was fussy and crying, overwhelmed with all the new people and sights he was seeing.

We forget how easily stimulated babies can get, and not just at rowdy family parties. You might have run an errand in a loud, new place, or even played with him for long stretches of time.

To keep him from being overstimulated, watch his sleep cues or even the clock so you can put him down for a nap when he’s sleepy. You might want to go into a dark room at the first sign of a yawn or turn white noise on to muffle sudden sounds from outside.

Keep things subdued, from what he sees and hears to where you go to how much you engage with him.

What to do when your baby is feeding every hour (and not sleeping).

5. Your baby is going through a growth spurt

I would dart dagger eyes at anyone who suggested that my baby was hungry. As the only one who could feed him, I resented the idea of constantly nursing him every time he cried.

Later, when I had my twins, I learned that feeding on demand is part of the game, and more importantly, a temporary one. Just because you’re cluster feeding your baby, that doesn’t mean she’ll always have an appetite like that.

Follow her lead, especially if you’ve confirmed that she’s eating during those feedings. They might seem excessive, but this could be her way to increase your breast milk supply to meet her growing needs.

Because, at the end of the day, the reason she could be eating so often is simply that she’s hungry.

Conclusion

It’s never easy dealing with a newborn constantly hungry and crying, especially when you’re not exactly sure why. And with feeding such a comforting experience, signs of hunger aren’t always the most obvious reason. Hopefully, you’ve now seen a few common causes as well as possible solutions to help.

To start, your baby could be overtired, turning to feedings as a way to comfort himself to sleep. Maybe he’s not actually eating, which explains why he’s still hungry even though it seems like he had just eaten. He could also have gas, contributing to even more discomfort as he tries to sleep.

He might be overstimulated by his surroundings, making it harder for him to tune things out and rest. And finally, he could simply be going through a growth spurt, which explains the constant feedings.

No matter the reason, rest assured friend that this isn’t permanent. You’re not always going to be glued to your baby with constant feedings. Yes, he eats often, but soon he can fall into a more predictable pattern of eating—and hopefully in stretches longer than 30 minutes.

Get more tips:

Is Your Baby Nursing for an Hour and Still Hungry?
Newborn Life: Expectation vs Reality
6 Ways to Handle Your Newborn Constantly Feeding
12 Things to Do When Your Newborn Fights Sleep
4 Newborn Sleep Cues to Look For

Don’t forget: Join my newsletter and get One Mistake You’re Making with Your Baby’s Awake Time—at no cost to you:

Baby Nursing for an Hour and Still Hungry?

Is your baby nursing for an hour and still hungry? See what to do when your baby is never satisfied after breastfeeding or nurses constantly.

Your baby never seems satisfied after breastfeeding.

Latching him on is fine, but after nursing for 30 minutes on each side, he’s still crying for more. Despite lengthy feeding patterns, he continues searching for your breast and shoving his fingers in his mouth. You’re worried he’s either not getting enough breastmilk, or if he is, why he’s still crying for more.

It’s frustrating seeing signs of hunger all day, never mind that your nipples are raw and aching from the endless hours of latching him on. You’ve even tried giving him a bottle of pumped milk after a long nursing session, where he’ll easily eat two or three more ounces.

He wants to nurse constantly but falls asleep during a feeding session. When he finally stirs awake, he acts like he’s still hungry after breastfeeding. And when you have other kids to care for, letting him breastfeed this long is all but impossible.

When your baby is nursing for an hour and still hungry

I can relate, mama. As a first-time mom, I assumed breastfeeding would be easy and natural. Instead, I faced blistered and bleeding breasts on top of a baby who wanted to breastfeed constantly. Nursing would take an hour, which made me wonder whether he wasn’t getting enough milk from me.

Once he was finally done, he barely had enough time to be awake before it was time to feed him again. You can imagine why I felt like a milk factory, my baby attached to me 24/7.

I learned that frequent feeding isn’t necessarily a sign that you’re not producing enough milk. Instead, this is your baby’s way of increasing your milk supply—the more you nurse, the more milk you produce.

We also have to remember that newborns have small tummies and that breast milk metabolizes quicker than formula. Those two factors are a recipe for constant nursing, whether in short bursts or, in this case, long sessions.

Still, this doesn’t make hour-long feeding schedule any easier. How do you cope when you feel glued to your baby all the time? The first step is to call your baby’s doctor to check issues with birth weight and stools. Then, take a look at these tips to help you get through this stage. As these parents said about the article:

“Amazing. This helped me so much. Thank you!!!!” -Beatrice

“Thank you so much for this article because I was feeling like a failure.” -Rae

1. Keep your baby awake during feedings

The biggest culprit for hour-long nursing sessions? Your baby is likely dozing off. Sure, it might look like he’s still nursing, especially when you see his lips and mouth move. But he could simply be sucking to comfort or soothe himself to sleep instead of eating.

This is especially tricky with breastfeeding because you can’t see a decrease in milk the way you can with a bottle. And of course, when you take him off the breast, he cries either because he’s still hungry or he needs to suck to fall asleep.

To avoid this situation, make sure that he stays awake during feedings. Change positions or switch from the first breast to the second. Burp him frequently or tickle or talk to him while he eats.

Then, make sure he’s actually eating by listening for a swallowing sound and looking for movement in his throat. Even though his mouth is moving, he may not be swallowing milk.

If he’s nursing for comfort, see if you can slip a pacifier in his mouth. This gives you a break while allowing him to comfort suck to sleep.

Even better: feed him after he wakes up, not to fall asleep. This way, he’s not relying on cluster feeding to fall asleep and is less likely to doze off while eating. Except for the bedtime and middle-of-the-night feeds, nurse him after he wakes up from sleep.

Free resource: Do you struggle with getting him to sleep? His awake time just might be affecting how well he sleeps or not. Join my newsletter and grab your copy of One Mistake You’re Making with Your Baby’s Awake Time—at no cost to you.

Discover one mistake you may be making with his awake time. Don’t make the same mistakes I did—help him fall asleep with this one simple trick! Get it below:

2. Empty each breast before switching

In the early days, I didn’t know that breast milk came in different stages.

The fore milk is the first to come out, which is more watery and easier to suck. The hind milk follows, and this is creamier, whiter, and fattier. You can see the difference between the two if you pump—the first few ounces are lighter and more watery.

Here’s the thing: the hind milk is more likely to fill up your baby, but if you switch too early to the other breast, he doesn’t get as much of it.

Instead, make sure to drain each breast so that he’s drinking from one side completely before switching to the other. This ensures that he’s getting both sides of the breast and that he’s filling up on his calories.

Get more breastfeeding secrets every mom should know.

3. Expel excess gas

I didn’t realize until later that my baby’s shrieks and cries sometimes had more to do with gas than the need to nurse. What I thought were hunger cues were actually signs of discomfort from having gas.

Before assuming your baby wants to feed some more, try and expel excess gas from his body. You might hold him upright to burp, sit him on your lap and lean him over, or hold him on your forearm, tummy side down.

You can also try to squeeze the gas out in farts by laying him down on his back. Then, gently move his right elbow toward his left knee, as if they were about to touch over his body. Repeat the same with the opposite limbs. This elbow-to-knee trick helped my baby fart a lot of gas that wouldn’t come out in burps.

Get more baby burping tricks that can work.

4. Take extra care of your breasts

Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

With constant nursing sessions, your breasts might not be getting a much-needed break. Still, you can squeeze in proper care so that it’s able to heal when your baby’s not nursing.

To start, apply lanolin cream (or breast milk) on your nipples before and after nursing sessions. This can add an extra layer of protection while you nurse and help your nipples heal after.

Then, try to air dry your breasts whenever possible. You might leave them exposed while you burp your baby, for instance, or take a nap without your top.

If going topless isn’t your thing, you can wear breast shells so that your nipples aren’t rubbing against your clothes. This allows them to heal without contact with your clothes while you can still stay covered.

When does breastfeeding stop hurting? Find out here.

Conclusion

Feeling frustrated is normal when your baby is nursing for an hour and still hungry for more. But rest assured mama, this will pass. You’re not doing anything wrong with your routine—nor are you destined for sleepless nights and blistered breasts.

Instead, keep your baby awake during feeds to ensure that he’s actually eating. Empty each breast before switching so that he’s drinking the hind milk as well. See if you can expel gas, which is a common reason newborn babies cry.

And lastly, don’t neglect caring for your breasts, as this can make whatever nursing sessions you have more bearable. Now you can make sure that your baby’s getting the milk he needs from breastfeeding—without taking an hour each time.

Get more tips:

Baby Feeding Every Hour (And Not Sleeping, Either)?
Newborn Life: Expectation vs Reality
Newborn Tips and Tricks New Moms Need to Know
6 Ways to Handle Your Newborn Constantly Feeding
How to Survive the 3 Month Old Sleep Regression

Don’t forget: Join my newsletter and grab your copy of One Mistake You’re Making with Your Baby’s Awake Time—at no cost to you:

The child is often psychotic and capricious

Author: Marfa Goncharova, magazine "My Baby and I"; consultant: Yulia Andronnikova, pediatrician of the highest category, head of the pediatric department of the Center for Traditional Obstetrics and Family Medicine.

The expressed emotional state of the child is a message of discomfort. Leaving these messages unattended means ignoring the needs of the baby, which can be physical and psychological.

Inconsolable crying, screaming, stubbornness and irritation out of the blue - what upsets parents so much and outrages outsiders who have become unwitting witnesses to an unpleasant scene is usually called whims. In fact, if in an adult a completely unreasonable whim can be called a whim, then children's whims, as a rule, have a serious reason.

Yulia Andronnikova: "Children under one year old are not characterized by whims in their everyday sense. If a child suddenly starts behaving in an unusual way for him, this is always a signal for his mother, a message of discomfort. No doctor can say for sure: if a child cries for minutes ten - this is normal, and if longer, then this is a sign of illness. Mom's intuition should work here. After all, already in the first 2-3 months of life, being in close contact with the baby, the mother studies him so well that she knows perfectly well what is typical for her child and what goes beyond normal behavior. 0003

If the baby is crying, the mother calms him down with the usual methods that suit him. Children love to be picked up, maintaining skin-to-skin contact, being rocked, talking in a low, calm voice, and being placed on their chest. Someone stops worrying in a warm bath, and someone better to undress for a while. The set of techniques may vary, but if the baby continues to cry despite the usual stress relief rituals, the mother should watch him more carefully. "

Infectious diseases

Unusually prolonged crying for a child or, conversely, lethargy, refusal to eat in children of any age are often the first sign of the development of an infectious disease. Like it or not, it becomes obvious in just a few hours: the temperature may begin to rise, a cough or runny nose will appear. For babies who still can neither say nor show that they are in pain, loud crying can be a sign of otitis media that has begun. If the ears hurt, there may be no fever or other signs of a cold, it is precisely the abruptly changed behavior that will cause suspicion: the child is inappropriately naughty, shakes his head, sometimes screams sharply, starts crying when the position of the head changes, refuses to eat, because it provokes pain. In such a situation, you should definitely call a doctor.

Meteosensitivity

The peculiarity of the response of the autonomic nervous system to changing environmental conditions is called meteosensitivity. Training the nervous system and blood vessels of the baby will help to cope with meteosensitivity. Thanks to hardening, the adaptive capabilities of the organism will grow, and the reaction to a change in the weather will become less violent or disappear altogether.

For toddlers, outdoor walks in any weather are the best hardening. Not only a change in pressure, rain, a thunderstorm, but also simply cloudy weather or a long absence of the sun in the sky can affect the body. In newborns, sudden changes in the weather are often worrisome. After a few months, the majority of such meteorological dependence disappears, but in children with a weakened autonomic nervous system, it can continue to manifest itself and even intensify against the background of stressful conditions.

Chronic diseases

But what if the baby not only suddenly changed his behavior, but is constantly in a depressed state - he is lethargic, whimpering all the time and practically does not smile? Yulia Andronnikova: “The general well-being of a child is an important indicator of his health. A healthy baby may start to act up in the evening when he is tired, but he should wake up in a good mood - this is a signal to his mother that everything is in order with him.

If the child is naughty every day and is in a bad mood all the time, and you have ruled out the presence of any infections, it is worth bringing this to the attention of your pediatrician. Constant whims, pallor, lethargy, lack of a smile from birth, low weight gain and height are a set of symptoms characteristic of hormonal disorders. The earlier the diagnosis is made, the better, because with the timely initiation of treatment, the disease can be compensated and the life, health and intelligence of the child can be saved. If such diseases are suspected, the pediatrician will refer the child to an endocrinologist.

Approximately the same symptoms can be with anemia or kidney problems. Routine blood and urine tests will help clarify the situation, confirming or dispelling such concerns.”

Overwork

If a child is naughty in the evening, mothers usually explain it like this: “I didn’t sleep well during the day” or “Went to class, he got too excited talking with other children there.” Perhaps here it will be enough to put the daily routine in order, give the baby more opportunities for rest, sleep and walks. If the child is excitable in itself, cannot sit still, control his emotions, and at the same time gets very tired, pedagogical problems are superimposed on physical ones, since parents literally do not keep up with the baby. A competent neurologist will help normalize the regimen and strengthen the nervous system, for example, with the help of massage and hardening techniques. A psychologist will advise parents about the features of proper communication with the child.

Caprice as a message to parents

Caprice is always a child's message about discomfort, which he cannot express in an acceptable form. If the child is naughty all the time, and you have excluded physical causes (malaise, fatigue), it is worth considering what state of mind he is in. Psychologists note that often the child's inappropriate behavior is a reaction to intra-family disharmony. The grandmother is unhappy with the way the young mother is raising the baby, she is constantly indignant and gives unsolicited advice. Or parents begin to quarrel every time the baby needs to be put to bed. Explicit or unspoken claims and conflicts, a tense situation in the family most affect the child. In this case, his “whims” are the materialization of the discontent and irritation surrounding him. And the situation can be corrected only by establishing relationships in the family.

Certain pedagogical disturbances in the family can also easily become a source of whims. If the parents allow the child absolutely everything, and he simply does not understand the word "no", any attempt to prohibit it leads him almost to hysteria. As a rule, parents are afraid of such a reaction and are ready to do anything to avoid its repetition, which means they continue to indulge the baby. And this inevitably deepens discord in the family and makes its members even more irritable. The opposite situation can also involve the whole family in a vicious circle: they behave with the child too strictly and literally stop all attempts to act independently and make decisions. The kid protests, parents become even stricter with him. The same effect occurs if different family members adhere to diametrically opposed parenting styles - for example, mom is very strict with the baby, and dad allows absolutely everything. All these situations are best dealt with by a family psychologist.

Struggle for independence

Parents often mistake the child's desire for independence for whims. From 8–9 months, the baby is already beginning to “test the strength” of the surrounding adults. They give him a toy, he throws it on the floor and immediately demands it back. This can be repeated many times in a row. The child finds out the boundaries of what is permitted, and when communicating with mom, dad or grandmother, the boundaries can be different. At the same time, it is quite easy to distinguish the crying of a real need from a “testing” cry: “checking”, the baby sometimes stops crying, looks around and listens in order to evaluate the effect produced. Such stops are a sign of the need for attention to oneself. This does not mean that in this case it should be ignored, it is better to talk softly with the child, give reasonable arguments, explain your actions, including the necessary refusals or prohibitions. Such verbal contact, if established at birth, makes it easier to distinguish what exactly caused unusual behavior, and to cope with the situation.

At the age of 2–3 years, the time comes when the child literally answers everything: “I myself!”. Moreover, if attempts to do something on their own are not very successful (spilled, raked, broke, fell), the best strategy would be not to scold the baby, but to celebrate his achievements and offer to bring the matter to the end together. Often, the mere fact of recognizing the child's independent attempts to do something is already enough to live in harmony and reduce "whims" to a minimum.

Stubborn facts

Even if the baby likes to cry in principle, certain conditions should alert parents. These are the so-called emergencies.
A child's loud, pronounced cry for two or more hours, in which no ordinary methods of calming help, is a signal to call a doctor. With problems such as intussusception (intestinal volvulus) or appendicitis, a young child may not have any other obvious external signs other than intense continuous crying. Only a doctor can diagnose the problem. It cannot be said that these cases are frequent. If a mother breastfeeds her baby and is well acquainted with the principles of introducing complementary foods, then volvulus, caused by a sharp transition to unfamiliar food in large quantities and at too early an age, does not threaten her child. Appendicitis in babies is also rare, but since the exact causes of this emergency are still unclear, it cannot be discounted.

Helpful Hints:

Any inner feelings of a child (enrolling in a kindergarten or school, troubles in the family) can lead to stress. No need to try to protect the baby from difficult situations, but teach him to overcome difficulties. The kid will endure stress much easier if he knows that at home he will always be understood and supported, that for mom and dad he is the best in the world.

Your love and attention are the best "medicines" for stress. Talk with the baby, give him the opportunity to speak out, find out the reasons for the experiences. Play with him, draw, involve him in sports, but try to protect him from excessive loads.

The article was published in the magazine "My baby and I" (2014) and posted on the website krokha.ru.

8 reasons why a child refuses to eat

Our life is impossible without food. From birth, a child has an instinct for eating. And with age, he does not cease to understand whether he wants to eat or not. Therefore, forcing a child to eat on the part of the parents is wrong. If the child grows and develops normally, then let him eat what he wants and how much he wants. Forcing the baby to eat, you can easily break his natural sense of proportion, and then fight overeating and being overweight. All children are different and it is important to give the child the amount of food that will satisfy his needs. And these needs depend on various factors. If the little one refuses to eat, try to understand the reason for this behavior.

1. The child is not hungry. Even if a long time has passed since the last meal, it is possible that the child is still full. Parents should take into account the calorie content of food and the energy consumption of the child. If the meal was high in calories, but after that the child watched cartoons and did not run in the yard, then he may not want to eat for a long time. Physical activity encourages the body to expend energy and the child will get hungry faster.
2. The child has no daily routine. It is advisable to feed the baby at about the same time. The optimal portion for a child is two of his palms folded together. In addition, it is necessary that the child every day spend time in the fresh air and go to bed on time. If the child has little active pastime, then do not be surprised that he does not eat well.
3. The child is sick. Lack of appetite may be a symptom of some disease. Many children begin to eat badly when they are teething. Often the child refuses food when he has a fever. Before forcing a child to finish eating porridge, make sure that he is healthy.
4. The child "interrupts" the appetite. Sometimes snacking can cause a child to eat poorly at lunch or dinner. Do not give any cookies or sweets if you plan to sit down at the table soon.
5. The child does not like a particular dish. The baby may not refuse food in general, but simply milk porridge or borscht. Everyone has their preferences and kids have them too. Consider your child's preferences when planning menus. Accustom the little one to new tastes gradually, in the same way as complementary foods were introduced. Children are reluctant to perceive new tastes, but if given often and a little bit, they get used to it.
6. The child has psychological problems. Children subtly feel the psychological situation in the family. Refusal to eat may be associated with a desire to attract the attention of parents to their person.
7. The child developed an eating neurosis. If parents force the child to eat regularly, without taking into account his desire, then the baby may develop food neurosis. Such children begin to cry at the sight of a plate, they can run away to another room and become hysterical.
8. All children are different. Do not compare your child with other children. All have their own physical characteristics.