Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Infant Appetite: From Cries to Cues and Responsive Feeding

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Handbook of Eating and Drinking

Abstract

Infants are adept at communicating hunger, appetite, and satiation. While one cannot really “know” what infants are attempting to communicate, it can be assumed that crying after some hours of food deprivation relates to hunger, that decreased interest in feeding relates to satiation, and that aversive facial expressions in response to a new food reflect dislike. So at the very least, it can be said that infants express fundamental needs as well as their likes and dislikes of specific foods. For infant communication to be effective, caregivers should be able to understand infant cues, and for this to happen reliably, communication cues should be easily discernible, replicable, and responsive to changes in need state (Hetherington, Physiol Behav 176:117–124, 2017). For example, appetite signals should decline as the meal progresses, and expressions of liking and wanting should depend, in part, on the foods offered. For responsive feeding to take place then, caregivers must be able to recognize and respond to infant appetite cues and so provide appropriate nourishment and care to their infants. In this chapter progression from milk to solid food feeding and the infant’s ability to self-regulate energy intake will be considered. The facial expressions and overt behaviors infants use to communicate with caregivers about their interest and willingness to eat will be characterized. Finally, sensitivity to the ways in which infants communicate hunger, appetite, and satiation will be discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Anderson, A. S., Guthrie, C.-A., Alder, E. M., Forsyth, S., Howie, P. W., & Williams, F. L. R. (2001). Rattling the plate – Reasons and rationales for early weaning. Health Education Research, 16(4), 471–479. https://doi.org/10.1093/her/16.4.471.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Arenz, S., Ruckerl, R., Koletzko, B., & von Kries, R. (2004). Breast-feeding and childhood obesity – A systematic review. International Journal of Obesity, 28(10), 1247–1256.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Barends, C., de Vries, J., Mojet, J., & de Graaf, C. (2013). Effects of repeated exposure to either vegetables or fruits on infant’s vegetable and fruit acceptance at the beginning of weaning. Food Quality and Preference, 29(2), 157–165.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brugaillères, P., Issanchou, S., Nicklaus, S., Chabanet, C., & Schwartz, C. (2019). Caloric compensation in infants: developmental changes around the age of 1 y and associations with anthropometric measurements up to 2 y. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, in press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chambers, L., Hetherington, M., Cooke, L., Coulthard, H., Fewtrell, M., Emmett, P., … & Stanner, S. (2016). Reaching consensus on a ‘vegetables first’ approach to complementary feeding. Nutrition Bulletin, 41(3), 270–276.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davis, C. M. (1928). Self selection of diet by newly weaned infants: An experimental study. American Journal of Diseases of Children, 36(4), 651–679.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davis, C. M. (1939). Results of self-selection of diets by young children. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 41, 257–261.

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • DiSantis, K., Hodges, E. A., Johnson, S. L., & Fisher, J. O. (2011). The role of responsive feeding in overweight during infancy and toddlerhood: A systematic review. International Journal of Obesity, 35, 480–492.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Eshel, N., Daelmans, B., Mello, M. C. D., & Martines, J. (2006). Responsive parenting: interventions and outcomes. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 84, 991–998.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fomon, S. J., Thomas, L. N., Filer, L. J., Jr., Ziegler, E. E., & Leonard, M. T. (1971). Food consumption and growth of normal infants fed milk-based formulas. Acta Paediatrica, 60, 1–36.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gilbert, H. R., & Robb, M. P. (1996). Vocal fundamental frequency characteristics of infant hunger cries: Birth to 12 months. International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology, 34(3), 237–243.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Harris, G. (2008). Development of taste and food preferences in children. Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care, 11(3), 315–319.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hepper, P. G. (1996). Fetal memory: does it exist? What does it do?. Acta Paediatrica, 85, 16–20.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hepper, P. (1988). Adaptive fetal learning: prenatal exposure to garlic affects postnatal preferences. Animal Behaviour, 36(3), 935–936.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hetherington, M. M. (2017). Understanding infant eating behaviour–Lessons learned from observation. Physiology & Behavior, 176, 117–124.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hetherington, M. M., Schwartz, C., Madrelle, J., Croden, F., Nekitsing, C., Vereijken, C. M. J. L., & Weenen, H. (2015). A step-by-step introduction to vegetables at the beginning of complementary feeding. The effects of early and repeated exposure. Appetite, 84, 280–290. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2014.10.014.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hetherington, M. M., Madrelle, J., Nekitsing, C., Barends, C., de Graaf, C., Morgan, S., … Weenen, H. (2016). Developing a novel tool to assess liking and wanting in infants at the time of complementary feeding – The Feeding Infants: Behaviour and Facial Expression Coding System (FIBFECS). Food Quality and Preference, 48, Part A, 238–250. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2015.09.010

  • Hodges, E. A., Hughes, S. O., Hopkinson, J., & Fisher, J. O. (2008). Maternal decisions about the initiation and termination of infant feeding. Appetite, 50(2–3), 333–339. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2007.08.010.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hodges, E. A., Johnson, S. L., Hughes, S. O., Hopkinson, J. M., Butte, N. F., & Fisher, J. O. (2013). Development of the responsiveness to child feeding cues scale. Appetite, 65, 210–219. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2013.02.010.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Hodges, E. A., Wasser, H. M., Colgan, B. K., & Bentley, M. E. (2016). Development of feeding cues during infancy and toddlerhood. The American Journal of Maternal Child Nursing, 41(4), 244–251.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hurley, K., Cross, M., & Hughes, S. (2011). A systematic review of responsive feeding and child obesity in high-income countries. Journal of Nutrition, 141(3), 495–501.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Li, R., Fein, S. B., & Grummer-Strawn, L. M. (2008). Association of breastfeeding intensity and bottle-emptying behaviors at early infancy with infants’ risk for excess weight at late infancy. Pediatrics, 122(Suppl 2), S77–S84. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2008-1315j.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Li, R., Fein, S. B., & Grummer-Strawn, L. M. (2010). Do infants fed from bottles lack self-regulation of milk intake compared with directly breastfed infants? Pediatrics, 125(6), e1386–e1393. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2009-2549.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lumeng, J. C., Ozbeki, T. N., Appugliese, D. P., Kaciroti, N., Corwyn, R. F., & Bradley, R. H. (2012). Observed assertive and intrusive maternal feeding behaviors increase child adiposity. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 95(3), 640–647.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Marlier, L., & Schaal, B. (2005). Human newborns prefer human milk: Conspecific milk odor is attractive without postnatal exposure. Child Development, 76(1), 155–168. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2005.00836.x.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McNally, J., Hugh-Jones, S., Caton, S., Vereijken, C., Weenen, H., & Hetherington, M. (2016). Communicating hunger and satiation in the first 2 years of life: A systematic review. Maternal & Child Nutrition, 12(2), 205–228. https://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.12230.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McNally, J. E., Hugh-Jones, S., Caton, S. J., Weenen, H., Verijken, C., & Hetherington, M. M. (2019). The eyes have it: Infant gaze as an indicator of hunger and satiation. Appetite, 133, 353–361.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nekitsing, C., Madrelle, J., Barends, C., de Graaf, C., Parrott, H., Morgan, S., … Hetherington, M. M. (2016). Application and validation of the Feeding Infants: Behaviour and Facial Expression Coding System (FIBFECS) to assess liking and wanting in infants at the time of complementary feeding. Food Quality and Preference, 48, Part A, 228–237.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nielsen, S. B., Reilly, J. J., Fewtrell, M. S., Eaton, S., Grinham, J., & Wells, J. C. (2011). Adequacy of milk intake during exclusive breastfeeding: a longitudinal study. Pediatrics, 128, e907–e914.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pérez-Escamilla, R., Segura-Pérez, S., & Lott, M. (2017). Feeding guidelines for infants and young toddlers: A responsive parenting approach. Nutrition Today, 52(5), 223–231.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Remy, E., Issanchou, S., Chabanet, C., & Nicklaus, S. (2013). Repeated exposure of infants at complementary feeding to a vegetable purée increases acceptance as effectively as flavor-flavor learning and more effectively than flavor-nutrient learning. The Journal of Nutrition, 143(7), 1194–1200.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rozin, P. (1976). The selection of food by rats, humans and other animals. In J. Rosenblatt, R. A. Hinde, C. Beer, & E. Shaw (Eds.), Advances in the study of behavior (Vol. 6, pp. 21–76). New York: Academic.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shloim, N., Rudolf, M., Feltbower, R., & Hetherington, M. (2014). Adjusting to motherhood. The importance of BMI in predicting maternal well-being, eating behaviour and feeding practice within a cross cultural setting. Appetite, 81, 261–268.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shloim, N., Rudolf, M. C., Feltbower, R. G., Mohebati, L., & Hetherington, M. (2015). Breast is best: Positive mealtime interactions in breastfeeding mothers from Israel and the United Kingdom. Health Psychology Open, 2(1), 205510291557960.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shloim, N., Vereijken, C. M. J. L., Blundell, P., & Hetherington, M. M. (2017). Looking for cues-infant communication of hunger and satiation during milk feeding. Appetite, 108, 74–82.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shloim, N., Shafiq, I., Blundell-Birtill, P., & Hetherington, M. M. (2018). Infant hunger and satiety cues during the first two years of life: Developmental changes of within meal signalling. Appetite, 128, 303–310.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Skinner, J. D., Carruth, B. R., Houck, K., Moran, J., Reed, A., Coletta, F., & Ott, D. (1998). Mealtime communication patterns of infants from 2 to 24 months of age. Journal of Nutrition Education, 30(1), 8–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/S00223182(98)70269-9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Soussignan, R., Schaal, B., Marlier, L., & Jiang, T. (1997). Facial and autonomic responses to biological and artificial olfactory stimuli in human neonates. Physiology & Behavior, 62(4), 745–758. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9384(97)00187-X.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Steiner, J. E. (1977). Facial expressions of the neonate infant indicating the hedonics of food-related chemical stimuli. In Taste and development: The genesis of sweet preference (pp. 173–189). Bethesda: National Institutes of Health.

    Google Scholar 

  • Steiner, J. E., Glaser, D., Hawilo, M. E., & Berridge, K. C. (2001). Comparative expression of hedonic impact: affective reactions to taste by human infants and other primates. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 25(1), 53–74.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Strauss, S. (2006). Clara M. Davis and the wisdom of letting children choose their own diets. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 175(10), 1199. https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.060990.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sullivan, S. A., & Birch, L. L. (1994). Infant dietary experience and acceptance of solid foods. Pediatrics, 93, 271–277.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sumner, G., & Spitz, A. (1994). Caregiver/parent-child interaction teaching manual. Seattle: NCAST Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Timby, N., Domellöf, E., Hernell, O., Lönnerdal, B., & Domellöf, M. (2014). Neurodevelopment, nutrition, and growth until 12 mo of age in infants fed a low-energy, low-protein formula supplemented with bovine milk fat globule membranes: a randomized controlled trial. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 99(4), 860–868.

    Google Scholar 

  • Trevathen, W. R., & Rosenberg, K. R. (2016). Costly and cute: Helpless infants and human evolution. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ventura, A. K., & Golen, R. P. (2015). A pilot study comparing opaque, weighted bottles with conventional, clear bottles for infant feeding. Appetite, 85, 178–184.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ventura, A. K., & Hernandez, A. (2018). Effects of opaque, weighted bottles on maternal sensitivity and infant intake. Maternal & Child Nutrition, e12737. https://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.12737

  • Wells, J. C., Jonsdottir, O. H., Hibberd, P. L., Fewtrell, M. S., Thorsdottir, I., Eaton, S., … & Kleinman, R. E. (2012). Randomized controlled trial of 4 compared with 6 mo of exclusive breastfeeding in Iceland: differences in breast-milk intake by stable-isotope probe. TheAmerican Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 96(1), 73–79. WHO.

    Google Scholar 

  • Worobey, J., Lopez, M. I., & Hoffman, D. J. (2009). Maternal behavior and infant weight gain in the first year. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 41(3), 169–175.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zeskind, P. S., Sale, J., Maio, M. L., Huntington, L., & Weiseman, J. R. (1985). Adult perceptions of pain and hunger cries: A synchrony of arousal. Child Development, 56, 549–554.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Psychology, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK

    Marion M. Hetherington

Authors
  1. Marion M. Hetherington
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marion M. Hetherington .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Scientific Committee, Institut Paul Bocuse, Rockport, MA, USA

    Herbert L. Meiselman

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Hetherington, M.M. (2019). Infant Appetite: From Cries to Cues and Responsive Feeding. In: Meiselman, H. (eds) Handbook of Eating and Drinking. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-75388-1_33-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-75388-1_33-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-75388-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-75388-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation