Before the tears, the quieter signs.
Why catching hunger earlier makes feeds calmer for everyone.
By the time a baby cries, they have usually been signalling hunger for a while. The earlier signs are easy to miss when you are tired - stirring, opening the mouth, turning the head as if searching, bringing hands to mouth, and rooting against your shoulder.
Catching them earlier makes the feed calmer for both of you. A frantic baby is harder to latch and harder to settle on a bottle, and a feed becomes a struggle rather than a moment between you.
A quiet tip
For the next day, watch your baby’s hands. Hands moving toward the mouth is one of the most reliable early hunger cues.