Parents have taken to social media to share their shock that such a simple hack can indicate if your baby is hungry or full… but does it really work?
When your baby is little and they can’t yet communicate their emotions, it can be hard to know when they are tired, hungry or just feeling a little under the weather.
It really is a guessing game most of the time and many new parents find it incredibly stressful.
But what if there was a simple sign that you just needed to look out for that could indicate when your baby is feeling hungry or full?
According to the Instagram account Bourgie Babies, when your baby is hungry they will clench their first and when they are full their hand will be open.
Posting a picture showing the different body language, the account said: ‘Mad I’m only finding this out now my babies are toddlers 😡👀😫 tag someone who needs to know this 😲’.
The picture has over 11,000 likes and lots of parents are tagging their friends in disbelief.
Several others said that they hadn’t considered this before and that they would be paying closer attention to their baby’s hands from now on!
As always there were some critics with one person writing: ‘This ain’t true cuz my daughter used to be stuffed like a turkey and still ball her fist’.
Another said: ‘What’s the science behind this? This is dumb.’
Unfortunately, it seems that although this tip would be a convenient indicator, it’s not full-proof.
Babies have their fists clenched for most of the time during their first six months and this is known as the Palmar grasp.
It’s a primitive reflex that involves the child griping an object or clenching their first with their thumb tucked in. According to the NHS it is the building block on which all other fine motor skills are developed.
Given that most babies will clench their fists pretty consistently until they are six-months-old, this simple hack probably isn’t a good indicator as to whether they are hungry or not.
The only way to do this is to keep offering food and keep a note of how much they’ve had. If you’re breastfeeding it’s probably easier to make a note of how long they were feeding for.
If you’re worried about how much your baby is consuming or need some advice, speak with your health advisor or call the NHS non-emergency phone line on 111.
Do you have any other hacks that could help parents know when their baby is hungry or full? Head over to our Facebook page as we’d love to hear from you…
