In our study we suggest: 1) Non-nutritive nursings (NNNs) may be a part of an honest signalling system, enabling the sow to provide more frequent nutritive nursings (NNs) to those litters that can prove their need through very frequent milk ejection solicitations. 2) It is considered to be feasible due to the accelerating costs attached to the solicitation (NNNs). We predicted: (P1) with an increasing number of all nursings (ALL= NNNs + NNs) the number of NNs should increase with diminishing returns and that (P2) with an increasing number of ALL the proportion of NNNs should increase at an accelerating rate. We confirmed: P1 – NNs increasing with ALL, at a decelerating rate, and P2 – proportion of NNNs increasing with ALL, at an accelerating rate. These results show a steeply accelerating cost of each additional NNs that piglets instigate and that this sets limits to their ability to solicit higher maternal investment through more frequent nursing solicitations.