What is all this talk about trusting my child’s cues?

1. Trust Your Baby’s Cues

Babies are born with the ability to self-regulate hunger and fullness. When we respond to their cues rather than external measures (like finishing a bottle, a short breast-feed or eating a certain amount), we support healthy eating patterns lifelong. Research demonstrates that early responsive feeding interventions help increase mothers’ motivation to breastfeed and build self-confidence in understanding babies “yes” and “no” communication (Zhao et al., 2024).

2. Division of Responsibility (Ellen Satter)

Parents decide WHAT foods are offered, WHEN meals occur, and WHERE eating happens. Children decide WHETHER to eat and HOW MUCH to eat. This framework reduces mealtime stress and power struggles. Responsive feeding involves reciprocal nurturing feeding practices between the caregiver and the child, that encourages the child to develop a healthy relationship with food and mealtimes (Pérez-Escamilla et al., 2021).