Time to Eat

If your newborn could talk:Crying is the best way I have to communicate right now. That's why I use it so often. I might be wet, or need a cuddle, or I might be hungry; and at the rate I'm growing, "hungry" is a safe bet. If you think I'm hungry, touch my cheek gently and I'll turn my head automatically, and begin to suck. Sometimes I need practice sucking. And when I cry from hunger and you come with food, I learn that I'm a good communicator and that I can make things happen! It feels especially good when you cuddle me, look into my eyes and talk softly to me as I eat. I love to be close to you. Right now, I want what I want when I want it. Soon I'll learn to wait a minute or two, but I'll only be able to do that if I know I can trust you to care for me.
What your newborn is learning:Satisfying your baby's hunger helps him feel calm. This enables him to focus briefly on his most important business--learning about the world around him--by looking at your face, listening to your voice, experiencing the sensation of being rocked. When you talk quietly with him and gently stroke his head as he eats, he knows he is loved and worthy of being well cared for. He begins to understand that he can trust and depend on you. This lesson in trust will become the foundation for healthy relationships throughout his life.When he sees that his efforts to communicate are successful, you are helping to build his language skills; he cries because he's hungry, you come, you feed him and he feels better. This encourages him to communicate more, first through gestures and vocalizations, and later through words. It is also helping him understand cause and effect (I cry, mom or dad comes) which will help him make sense of the sometimes overwhelming, always amazing world that surrounds him.
What you can do:
Talk with him in a soothing voice while you feed him. Gently stroke his hair and body to let him experience the soothing power of touch.