As soon as your baby is born, they have ways of telling you what they need. Every baby will have their own little personality and ways of communicating, but there are some common cues that most babies will share. Vhi Registered Midwife, Anne Delany, explains the various cues your baby will use from 0-6 weeks to tell you when they’re hungry, sleepy, or want some soothing.

Knowing your baby’s feeding cues and signs of hunger

A baby’s last step in letting you know they’re hungry is crying! But before getting to that stage, your baby might:

• Clench their fists or move them toward their mouth
• Suck their fingers or fists
• Make mouth movements
• Start opening or fluttering their eyes
• Turn their head toward you or start ‘searching’ with their mouth

Your baby might have their own specific cues too, and you’ll learn to recognise these quite quickly! If your baby isn’t feeding well, make sure the nipple or teat has good contact with the roof of their mouth ─ this stimulates the sucking reflex. If you’re breastfeeding, try and reposition your baby for a deeper latch. If bottle feeding, aim the teat towards the roof of your baby's mouth.

Top tip: Almost all newborn babies fuss for a period in the evenings. Your baby might be very unsettled for a couple of hours or more each evening, but this doesn’t mean anything is wrong or that they’re hungry. If you find your baby's behaviour difficult or worrying, it’s good to connect with your Public Health Nurse (PHN) or GP for reassurance.  

Sleeping cues

For the first couple of months of life, everything your baby does makes them tired. Even 15 minutes of engaging with you, simply by looking up at your face as you talk to them, is very tiring for a newborn baby. It’s no wonder they need to sleep so often each day! Babies will usually feed before they sleep ─ it soothes them into sleep. They’ll also be nice and relaxed in your arms, which is a sign they’re about to nod off.

Other sleep cues include:

• Looking blankly into space
• Yawning and stretching
• Rubbing their eyes or pulling on their ears
• Arching their backs (this can indicate other things, like your baby feeling overstimulated, so context is important).

In the first weeks of life, babies will have variable sleep lengths. A pattern will begin to emerge after a while. You might worry your baby isn’t sleeping for long enough each time, but short sleeps can be totally normal. I’ll commonly hear parents wonder why their baby won’t settle once they put them down in the cot ─ this is often because they’ve had a full sleep cycle in your arms or in their seat.

Top tip: Don’t try to keep your baby awake during the day in the hopes of having them sleep better at night. This is stressful for little ones and makes them overtired and fussy instead.

Cues that your baby is overtired

Overtiredness happens when babies stay awake past their sleep window, and they become difficult to settle. Your newborn baby will probably be tired if they’ve been awake for more than an hour. If your baby is overtired, they might get squirmy, fussy, and disengage from any kind of interaction. If this happens, create a calm, quiet environment for them and try giving them a feed. If they’re still fussy, try some skin-to-skin contact as you walk slowly around the room. Babies love rhythmic movements! This should help them relax into a well-needed sleep.

Signs your baby has wind

Generally, your baby will stop feeding and get squirmy when they have wind. When this happens, put them up on your shoulder and try winding them. Keep in mind that some babies get rid of their wind into their nappy, so burping doesn’t always indicate they’ve passed wind. Leg-cycling, gently massaging your baby’s tummy with your thumb, and tummy-time can all help your baby get rid of wind.

Top tip: Between week 2 and 3, babies learn to pass bowel movements. So, you can expect lots of grunting, red faces, frowning and straining! What’s important is that their stools are soft and easy to pass. If you’re concerned that your baby is distressed or unsettled, seek guidance from your PHN or GP.

Baby noises and behaviours that aren’t cause for concern

New parents can get worried about all sorts of sounds and movements their baby makes ─ which is completely understandable! But it’s completely normal to hear a range of sounds from your newborn as they grow! This includes:

• Hiccups. They’re normal and common for young babies.
• Sneezing. Newborns sneeze regularly because they can’t blow their noses! It’s their body’s way of removing irritants.
• Gurgles or squealing sounds when sleeping. These are caused by their developing digestive and respiratory systems.
• Jerking movements while awake or asleep. Babies have natural reflexes that will respond to sounds or movements in the environments around them.

Any time you aren’t sure about something, always reach out to your healthcare provider or midwife support for peace of mind.