(HealthDay News) -- Some new parents have a tough time figuring out when their crying baby is truly hungry.

The Nemours Foundation says these are signs that a baby wants to eat:

• Turning the head from side to side.
• Opening the mouth and sticking out the tongue.
• Putting hands, fingers or a fist in or near the mouth.
• Puckering the lips.
• Turning to the mother's breast.
• Moving the mouth in the direction of something that's touching the cheek (the "rooting" reflex).