Feeding your baby can seem incredibly complicated. There are so many breastfeeding and formula feeding charts out there. For something so basic to sustain life — it can seem impossible to keep track of it all!

Know that the first few weeks at home with your baby will likely be a tired haze. But over time, you’ll learn how to tell when your infant needs to eat, sleep, be changed or cuddled. You’ll learn your baby’s cues and settle into a routine together.

How Do I Know When my Baby Is Hungry?

Contrary to what you may think, crying is actually a late sign of hunger.(1) Other signs, such as licking their lips, sticking their tongue out, rooting, opening their mouth, sucking, putting their hand to their mouth repeatedly, or being fussy will show up first.(2)

So those cute movements your infant is making? Pay close attention to them! They may actually be your baby trying to say — feed me!

Breastfeeding vs. Formula Feeding

You don’t need to have given birth or have ovaries or a uterus to breastfeed.(4) If you want to induce lactation, speak to your healthcare provider or a lactation consultation for information on how to do so. You can look into insurance-covered lactation consultations through The Lactation Network if you’re in the United States.(4)

There are 3 main ways you can feed your child:

Exclusive breastfeeding
Supplemented breastfeeding
Exclusive formula-feeding

Exclusive breastfeeding is not right for everyone. At the end of the day, what matters most is that you’re providing the nourishment your baby needs, however you choose to do so. For more information on safe feeding, visit Fed is Best.

Breastfeeding Benefits

Breastfeeding is generally recommended by pediatricians. Breast milk boosts your baby’s immune system, is easy to digest, and provides the nutrients your child needs to grow.(5) Breast milk helps fight infections because it contains antibodies, proteins, fats, sugars and white blood cells.(5) These all work together to fight infection and nourish your child.(5)

Breastfed babies are less likely to get respiratory infections, gastrointestinal infections up to 12 months, and are slightly less likely to develop SIDS or childhood leukemia.(6)

Exclusive Breastfeeding Isn’t Right for Everyone

Sometimes breastfeeding is not possible or there can be breastfeeding complications.

You may have medical, emotional, or logistical reasons for why breastfeeding isn’t the best choice for you. And you don’t need to explain your choice to anyone.

What’s most important is that your child gets all the nourishment he needs. So supplemental feeding or exclusive formula-feeding may be right for you and your family. And there is no shame in exploring those options!

You have other feeding options:

1. Exclusive formula feeding

This is a great option for parents who can’t or don’t want to breastfeed. Formula is nutritionally complete(27) and nourishing for your child.

2. Supplemented feeding

This entails giving formula in addition to breast milk. Many families choose to do this. Whether because they have low breast milk supply, find breastfeeding distressing, or for convenience when they return to work, etc.(3) There’s no reason to avoid formula supplementation. But there are true consequences of insufficient feeding. Supplementation can be life saving.(6)

3. Pump and feed your breast milk in a bottle

You may not love breastfeeding, and that’s okay. Some women really do, others really… don’t. There’s nothing shameful about feeding your child in a way that keeps you both happy and keeps your child well-fed. This allows you to provide your child with breast milk without having to put them to your breast.

4. Donor breast milk

Many mothers donate their breast milk if they overproduce. To find an accredited milk bank, turn to T he Human Milk Banking Association of North America or the United Kingdom Association of Milk Banking.

Casual breast milk donation and sharing can be unsafe, carry infection, or be contaminated with bacteria due to improper handling and storage.(6) So seeking out a screened, accredited milk bank is safest.

Uh oh, my Baby Is Refusing a Bottle

Bottle refusal can be extremely frustrating for both you and your infant.

Believe it or not, taking a bottle is actually a skill your baby needs to learn.(7) So you may want to try introducing a bottle when your baby isn’t super hungry but is more relaxed and calm.(7)

Introduce a bottle slowly over time to ease the transition, and know that feeding-related problems are fairly common. About 25% of parents report having some sort of struggle with this at some point during their child’s development.(8)

If your baby is refusing a bottle, there are a few things you can do.

1. Rub the bottle nipple gently along the baby’s gums and inner cheek

Let them get used to the texture and feeling without the bottle attached. If they don’t like it, try again later. Once your baby seems comfortable with the nipple in her mouth, rub it gently along her tongue to encourage sucking.(7)

2. Use a slow flow nipple

Breastfed babies are used to working — so to speak — to get their food! You don’t want too much milk coming out of the bottle at once. That can make it difficult for them to keep up!

3. Encourage latching

Tickle your baby’s upper lip with the bottle to encourage latching, rather than just putting the bottle in her mouth.(7) Latching should occur at the nipple’s wide base and not just the tip, just like with breastfeeding.

4. Try feeding in different positions

Support their head and have them semi-upright so they can swallow and breathe comfortably.(8)

5. Have someone other than the breastfeeding caregiver bottle-feed them

The baby can tell if the breastfeeding parent is nearby, and will wonder why the breast isn’t being offered!(7)

Interested in Learning More?

Hopefully this blog post gave you some peace of mind about the different ways you can approach infant feeding. But feeding is such a huge topic, there is so much more to cover! Be sure to check out the Genius Little Minds podcast episode on infant feeding for even more bite-sized information to help you on your parenthood journey. Tune in to learn more about how much your baby should eat, when to start introducing solid foods, cluster feeding, and more!

Equip yourself with knowledge and tools to help your child thrive. Genius Little Minds is a podcast dedicated to demystifying infant and childhood mental health.

In each episode, clinical child psychologist and mother of three children, Dr. Madeleine Vieira, unpacks children’s mental health, equipping listeners with actionable strategies to promote mental health and wellness within the family system.

Subscribe here to the Genius Little Minds podcast so you never miss an episode!

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