https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Mon, 26 Oct 2026 18:39:19 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-feeding-cue-that-isnt#post-974615 Tue, 30 Jul 2013 08:16:36 +0000 Adira 974615@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Smurfette: @septemberlove: OMG, Xander does that too! He's even grabbed my glasses and pulled them off while nursing!!! This is why my favorite times to nurse him are late night and early morning when he's SLEEPY!!!! He's so much easier then, haha. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-feeding-cue-that-isnt#post-974593 Tue, 30 Jul 2013 08:10:15 +0000 lomom 974593@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Adira: I try to keep an arm tucked under me but he is a Houdini! I've even swaddled a few times to nurse (though I know it's totally not recommended) and he broke free of that too! I try to reason with him, telling him he can't have boob until he moves his hand. He just grins and sticks his hand back in his mouth! </p> <p>@Smurfette: too funny! LO hasn't found my nose yet but he's pretty into my necklace and my hair! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-feeding-cue-that-isnt#post-974462 Tue, 30 Jul 2013 07:22:19 +0000 Smurfette 974462@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@septemberlove: I always have one hand under her too. Then she usually likes to grab at my mouth over and over. Or even try and stick her fingers up my nose while she eats. Babies are so funny when nursing. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-feeding-cue-that-isnt#post-974449 Tue, 30 Jul 2013 07:17:06 +0000 Adira 974449@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@septemberlove: OMG, baby hands are the WORSE when they get in the way!!! They'll be hungry, but keep shoving their hands in their mouth so you can't get the boob in there! With Xander, I always try to pin one hand UNDER my boob and then I hold the other one, at least until I can get him latched. Although if you still have to hold your LO's head and your boob for latching, it's hard when those hands are in the way!!! I remember there were times when I needed Hubs to hold Xander's hands out of the way so I could get him to latch, haha. Babies are so dumb. :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-feeding-cue-that-isnt#post-974442 Tue, 30 Jul 2013 07:14:47 +0000 lomom 974442@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thanks! I'm glad this is totally normal! When he first started, I thought it was a nursing strike because he wouldn't stay latched but kept sucking on his hands! </p> <p>@Adira: we've been having a bit of a battle trying to get them out of the way for nursing. He will scream through his fists! So frustrating! He's also started kicking me while nursing... He's being rotten! ;) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-feeding-cue-that-isnt#post-974422 Tue, 30 Jul 2013 06:58:54 +0000 Weagle 974422@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Basically everything everyone else said. When they become more aware of their bodies and surroundings, the cues become a little less reliable and predictable. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-feeding-cue-that-isnt#post-974418 Tue, 30 Jul 2013 06:56:39 +0000 aprk 974418@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>A constantly has a hand in his mouth. For us, definitely not a feeding cue. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-feeding-cue-that-isnt#post-974414 Tue, 30 Jul 2013 06:54:52 +0000 Adira 974414@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yep! Totally normal!!! Xander LOVES to suck on his hands. I remember when he first started, he's try to get his whole fist in and make this loud slurping sound!!! Now he's discovered his thumb (he's 5 months) and he LOVES it. He's sucking on it constantly. So much so that sometimes when I'm nursing, he'll try to sneak it in there!!!!</p> <p>I don't know about discouraging it. I tried with Xander, but now I've given up, because he loves his thumb so much, and if it helps him self-soothe, then I don't want to discourage that.</p> <p>Good luck to you! :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-feeding-cue-that-isnt#post-974370 Tue, 30 Jul 2013 05:40:58 +0000 Penny Lane 974370@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yeah, I remember this. It was around the same time that my LO basically lost all hunger cues, and we'd just started feeding on more of a schedule instead :) like @zippylef: we were already in a pretty predictable eating every 3 hours (every 2 in the evenings) routine by then.</p> <p>he grew out of the hand sucking thing eventually, i didn't do anything to stop him, he just stopped himself. don't remember when :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-feeding-cue-that-isnt#post-974361 Tue, 30 Jul 2013 05:26:00 +0000 Smurfette 974361@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>R always sucks on her hands. She won't take a pacifier so just sucks on her fingers. Usually she has three fingers in at a time. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-feeding-cue-that-isnt#post-974337 Tue, 30 Jul 2013 04:14:56 +0000 Pink Champagne 974337@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I remember that... When the hand thing became more about, "Hey, look at these new things at the end of my arms," and less about food. That's when we started to do a rough, every three hours nursing schedule. It wasn't strict but it helped keep us in track for feedings. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-feeding-cue-that-isnt#post-974334 Tue, 30 Jul 2013 04:11:52 +0000 Kemma 974334@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yes! I remember the hand sucking and the confusion it caused :-)</p> <p>I think this is about when I started feeding before and after naps and we started to slowly get on to a bit of a feeding schedule. If your LO naps three times a day then that gives you six feeds plus a morning feed and cluster feeding in the early evening so should give you plenty of nursing sessions. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-feeding-cue-that-isnt#post-974327 Tue, 30 Jul 2013 02:35:00 +0000 loveisstrange 974327@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Hes nearly 4 months, right? I think its aout that age where they really discover their hands and they chew or suck on them all the time. They can also start teething around then, which also can be a reason for lots of hand sucking. </p> <p>They eventually stop doing it. I dont think its really a cause for concern. Its mostly just part of the developmental stage he's going through right now. At that age, we were on a pretty solid every 3-3.5 hour schedule. Still feeding on demand, but she had pretty much started scheduling herself at that point. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-feeding-cue-that-isnt#post-974324 Tue, 30 Jul 2013 02:29:05 +0000 lomom 974324@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Since birth, LO has stuffed his hand in his mouth when he was hungry. It was really obvious and most of the time, we've been able to feed him before he moved to crying/screaming. </p> <p>He's started sucking on his hands frequently. I always offer the breast and he will latch and have a little before popping off and continuing to happily suck on his hands (he is still having several great nursing sessions throughout the day and plenty of wet and dirty diapers).</p> <p>I guess he's just becoming a hand sucker? Anyone else's LO do this? Should I discourage it? I find that, at bedtime, I can get him to take a pacifier but he refuses it during the day in favor of sucking on his hands. </p>