Biting When Nursing

Hi H.

I am a mother of 4 beautiful children. I have nursed all of them. I had a bitter as well. I just let him know that it hurt and I would take him off the breast and make a loud noise of course because it hurts so bad. A thump on the cheek is a good idea it gets his attention to stop doing that or you will not get any food. It sounds cruel but this does work be consistent. Good luck

H. J,

You can get nipple guards to place over your nipples. I had to use these and it helps. You moisten them and place them on your nipples and it protects with the biting. They are washable and reusable. You should be able to find them at your local pharmacy. They look like bottle nipples, but are larger and somewhat thicker. GOOD LUCK!

C. K

I can SO RELATE! My daughter did the same thing at 7 1/2 months. This is what I did. She bites, I yell NO really loud, pull her off the breast and put her on the floor where she can't reach me, only see me. She would cry, I felt horrible but knew this would work. Three days of this she finally stopped biting. ALso when before I would latch her on, I would tell her, "if you bite me, you will stop eating" They understand more than we realize. She has not biten me since!

Does he bite in the beginning of the nursing session or just whenever? You said he gets instant gratification from the bottle, so maybe if you try pumping just a bit to get the flow going before putting him to the breast he will get a similar flow.

My daughter was never a biter so I wish I could help you more. She didnt even get teeth until 11 months so she had nothing to bite with lol.

I know this sounds harsh but I've heard it works. I was always told when they bite to stop nursing, sit them down and walk away for a few minutes. That way they realize if they bite, dinner walks away. If you're brave enough to try this, good luck.

I have a biter also! Try pulling him into your breast, nose and all just long enough to let him know that it is not okay for him to bite you. Two or three times of this and he should stop. I know it's hard to think of this while he is biting you so just be ready for it and when he bites, pull him in and hold him there just long enough. Hope this works for you. Believe me, I know how painful it is! Good luck!
T.

have you tried thumping him on the chin? it has to hurt a little, so it is hard to do to a baby, and you might feel bad, but that is the only way i got my son to stop biting me. it really only took a few times of me flicking him pretty hard (made him cry!) and then i would cry from the guilt, but i wanted to keep nursing. i was ready to stop the following week if he didn't stop biting. i would also sharply say NO! or OW! (that didn't take alot of effort!) and he quickly associated his biting down with the loud noise and pain on his chin that followed. he was such a voracious eater (and 10 yrs later, nothing's changed!) that i think he just wanted to "eat" and not drink. i started feeding him more baby foods also and that seemed to help some, but not like the flicking pain.

i hate to tell someone to hurt their baby purposely but it is pretty much that or quit the nursing...

best of luck to you!
A.

I read this in a parenting book and then it worked for me. I pulled her close to me where her nose was smushed. I spoke sternly and said NO! After a couple of times this shook her up and they didn't do it anymore.

Good luck!

I nursed for almost 2 years. I ended up bottle feeding in day and nursing only at night by the end of it all. I am also a working mom so that made a difference.

Is he teething? Hyland's teething tablets are WONDERFUL. There are homeopathic remedies and my family has used homeopathy now for 4 generations and there is not side effects.

and a nice thing about them is that you can give it every few minutes if the symptoms come back. (up to 10xs a day)

And I would also agree on the thumping on the cheek or chin.

H.

H. go to
http://www.lllusa.org/
La Leche League, they helped me a lot.I am sure they will help you too.This is free advice on the phone or you can meet them. Also at the Health Department there are Breastfeeding consultants that are wonderful too.Again all this help is free.What do you have to lose? Give a try and save your nursing time. You don`t have to suffer like that.Best of luck!!!

this is a good resource
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/older-baby/biting.html#whattodo

Hedi! Good morning! I am sorry to hear of your problem. I had the same problem w/my daughter. She never stopped bitting, so I stopped breastfeeding almost immediately and pumped some. She was fine. She is now a healthy 8 yr old. I think it would be best to stop breast feeding. Still pump if you want, but save yourself.

You can buy breast/nipple shields that may help. It may be a little more cumbersome, but at least you won't be in pain. Maybe once the teething has ceased he will stop biting on his own.

Forgive me for being so blunt...but why would you let your baby boy continue to bite you to the point of blood, and say that it's too soon to stop? I promise he will be okay if you pump, or switch to formula. You will not lose that bond with him if you quit. You're his mommy and will always be his mommy whether you bottle feed or nurse. I feel your pain and just was wondering...why?

I understand your pain completely! I nursed my oldest for a year and he was a biter. Typically the biting means he is wanting to eat, if it is not because he is bored and wanting to play. Feed him baby food first, then after he is done eating, let him nurse. This worked for me with both of my boys when they would bite. He doesn't understand that anyone else can feel pain, he is just having the urge to bite, so let him... but on food, not you! You still get plenty of nursing time because after he eats he will be thirsty. Good luck!

I dont know if this would work but you may want to try and use a nipple sheild. It wasn't designed for this but it may serve as a layer or "protection" between you and your baby. I have absolutley no advice on how to get him to stop. My oldest son did this when he was about 7 or 8 months as well but finally I had to stop nursing him because he would cut me and then the cuts would puss green oozy stuff. And as soon as they would start to scab to heal it was time to feed again and they were ripped back open again. After a month or so of trying to pump and even that hurt I finally quit. But I never thought to try the nipple shield....Good luck!!!