Breastfeeding a 15 Month Old

if you don't mind my asking, what is attachment parenting?

C.,

You've received some good advice about taking her off the breast when she bites or grazes her teeth across your nipple. A few additional tips: if you feel she's in pain with her teeth, you might try a natural homeopathic remedy like Hyland's teething tablets throughout the day. A toddler can be taught to open widely again by having her look at you and tell her she needs to open like this, then say "ahh" with a very wide open mouth. You can try this before each nursing and make a game of it; she will likely think it is funny and want to copy you. Go back to having her obtain a good latch with her body facing yours so she takes in a good mouthful of breast. Babies like to experiment with their new teeth and obviously don't really mean to hurt. Paying attention to her nursing as she is near finishing can help prevent that sometimes sleepy biting; take her off gently when she's almost finished, if she tends to bite towards the end of a nursing. I remember my girls biting or dragging their teeth across my nipple when they really didn't want to nurse or were being playful. Keep an eye on her facial expression, too. Babies can get this little glint in their eyes before biting and that's the time to stop the nursing and do something else with her until she really wants to nurse again--sometimes just a few minutes later. For you sore nipples, try saline soaks a few times a day to help heal; 1/4 teas of salt in a cup of warm water and either lean into the cup for several minutes or soak a cloth in the solution and use as a poultice over nipple until cool. Another remedy is soaking in chammomille tea or using the tea bag as a poultice; chammomille has healing properties and many moms I've worked with find this helpful.

B. L, RN, IBCLC

There are groups on attachment parenting online (can't remember the url, but you can google and find the International group which can lead you to local groups) and/or go to Mothering.com for groups. Mothering magazine is a wonderful resource and they have ways to find like minded moms.

hi C., good for you, nursing all this time :) i breastfed both of my kids well into teeth, 18 mos and 15 mos, both times only stopping to get pregnant and because i was pregnant. anyway, though i did get bit a few times, it never lasted. all i did was take them off as soon as they bit me, stick your pinkie finger gently in the corner of her mouth to break the seal. for my son, this was enough to get him to stop. my daughter is a bit more tenacious, with her i would break the seal and take her off, she would cry, and i would keep a hand on her chest to keep her safe and turn my head away from her and let her cry for a few seconds, then try again. she really hated that, ( i find that just turning your head away works for so many things!)...and it took care of the problem really quick, 3 or 4 times at most. also, remember that while they are actively nursing, their tongue is covering their bottom teeth, so they cannot bite. the problem usually happens when they are first latching on or when they are finishing up or falling asleep. stay alert during these times, its much more pleasant to avoid the problem then to take them off. i would gently break the seal and pop her off as you feel her starting to doze. you said she is doing it when she is latching on, too, maybe she is trying to use her teeth to help her get a good latch quicker? if you think this is what she is doing, you might try squishing your nipple a little like a sandwich, and putting more of it into her mouth for her, so she isnt trying to kind of draw it in, if you can picture what i mean. good luck, dont tolerate it and it wont last. take care, D.

If your daughter was nursing properly then her teeth wouldn't be involved. If she is biting you or anything with her teeth she is playing around. Take her off the breast and tell her no biting. Then let her latch on again. Every time she starts "biting" take her off and start over.

Hi C., when my kids first started getting teeth, they would sometimes do the same thing, you just have to stop nursing them for a bit and then let them try again. After a while, your daughter will learn that taht is bad. Also, you can tell her thatit is bad and gives boo boos to you My boy gets very upset when told something hurts someone. children dont want to hurt other people. Especially their parents

By the way, my son is almost 19 months old. He still nurses, on occasion, usually wehn he is really tired or doestn feel well. My daughter stopped around this time, when she was ready. I just wanted to tell you I think what you are doing is great. So many people won't let a child wean himself, due to their paranoia, and the fear of stigmatism. My sister gets on my case about Will nursing occasionally, saying he is "to old" at a year and a half, but she gives her son special formula in a bottle for children over 1. He is two and a half. I say that is very hypocritical. hehe

anyway, just wanted to lend my support.
liz

Hello C.,
Children do that when breastfed past 10 months.
The only trick I know is to tell her NO each time she nibbles your nipple. Since she likes the mom 'n' me time, she'll stop.
Good luck.

Hi,

I am still nursing my 20-month old daughter. Sometimes she would occasionally scrape my nipple with her teeth. To solve that problem I had to change nursing positions and correct her latch. If your daughter is actually biting you, then make sure you hold her very close to your breast and when she isn't sucking to take her off. She cannot bite when she is sucking. Also, if you feel that she's teething just remember to never put orajel (or any numbing medication) on her gums before she nurses because that could cause her to bite unintentionally.

Good luck with your extended nursing.

I breastfed my son until he was 22 months. When she seems to be biting you, unlatch her and let her know that she is hurting you. If you make her aware of the fact that what she does is hurting you, and is unacceptable, it may help correct the behavior.

Good Luck!