Breastfeeding and New Teeth

My mom told me when I was a baby I bit her 1 time. She changed the tone of her woice and said, "no". That was it for me. Now, when my son bit me while feeding, I did the same thing. A big firm NO. I removed him from my breast. That was the end of it. I think you shouldn't make a bg deal of it and say too much. Well, good luck!

Hello C.!
About your situation, My mom told me that I'd bite her breasts when I was about 11-12 mos old, my sister was a newborn and I guess I was pretty jealous baby so she'd nurse me too until I started biting!! Then she just had to quit nursing me cold turkey, she said I liked using a straw in a cup, I know there are some sippy cups with straws, maybe that will work for you. Or maybe even a bottle, just for a month or two during the transition, that way she can still be close to you too!!!

I wish I could help you more, Good Luck!!
A.

Hi,
I understand this situation as well. My son began biting off and on when his teeth started coming in. I too would take him off the breast for a few moments saying "ouch, lease no bite Momma's boo". "Boo" is what he calls the breast. He is now 34 months and still nursing. He does not consciously bite me anymore, but does occassionally in his sleep, if he falls asleep on the breast. He also only nurses at night now and occassionally when he feels needy or needs comforting. She is old enough to know what "ouch" is and if you are consistent she will get it. Good Luck!!

C.

C.,

I actually have a scar from when my son aquired his front teech --- major ouch! and I almost gave up on Breast feeding because it hurt and did not heal well. Thanks to some wise advice my son stopped biting and we still continue the "nursing bond" -- he's three and only nurses at night and nap time.
So you might try just gently pushing her head into your breast when she bites -- she won't be able to breathe through her nose and will "pop" off to breathe through her mouth. At 11 months it's rarely purposeful, it just happens to feel good and "biting"/chewing/nawing are all part of teething --- just preferably not on your breast.

She will only be small and "need" you for a little while --- So try yo enjoy your nursing time with her as she associates BF with love, comfort and great mommy time!

S.

This is going to sound backwards, but what worked for me instead of pulling him off, which would hurt worse and scare him. Instead, I pushed his face more INTO my breast. That cut off his breath, so he had to let go on his own. It really worked and was less traumatic. The only difficulty is getting past the instict to scream OOOUUUCHH!

My son did the same thing to me. I would immediatly stop nursing him and say no biting. He would cry for a few minutes and I would tell him that biting is hurtful and if he wants to nurse he can't bite mommy. (Yes I explained everything to him at that age I think they understand a lot more than we give them credit for). After a few time of this he eventually got the picture that if he bit he didn't get food. As for the weaning process that is hard. I tried at 12 months and it seemed so traumatic to him that I let him nurse a little longer. He finally was weaned at 18 months. It was easier for him b/c he was ready and I was way more than ready by that point. You just have to do what feels right for you and your daughter. Nobady knows her better than you and you will be the best judge of when she is ready or not.
Hope this helps.
D.

Hi C.,
Both of my girls bit early on, before teeth and then when the teeth started coming in. In each case, I screamed "Ow!" and said "No, no biting mommy". It stopped after a few days. My second child is a little less easygoing than my first and she still puts her teeth to my breast once in a blue moon. All it takes is "No ma'am!" and she doesn't follow through. She's 15 months and still nursing twice a day, morning and bedtime. I'm about ready to stop but I want her to nurse as long as she wants to (up to a point). If you're comfortable with it and she still wants to nurse, don't put yourselves through the pain that weaning can be if you don't really want to. On the other hand, if you're just completely done with nursing, start taking away a feed at a time. I agree with the other mother who told you that doing nothing and putting the child to bed results in less drama. Both of my girls go down with no fuss at all and we don't jump through hoops to get them there. We give them a hug, tell them we love them and "night, night" and lay them down. Take a look at Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. You can get it at the library. You'll know if it's something you're comfortable with and if you're not, just do what works for you and your child. Good luck!

Hi.

I will pass on my mom's advice. She breastfed my younger sister and shen she started biting my mom, Mom went to the pediatritian. The doctor told her that the next time it happened to make a loud noise (no problem there) and unlatch my sister and put her on the floor. She was told to ignore her for about a minute or so (not leaving the chair, just sitting there). She did it and it worked! My sister figured out very quickly that it is NOT a desireable thing to bite Mommy!

I tried it and it worked like a charm. Both times! I screamed "OW!" and unlatched and quickly put the baby down on the floor. My girls cried and cried and when I picked them back up I comforted them and we tried again. A couple of times my firstborn looked at me and started to clamp down but when I (in a very low and stern tone) said "uh, huh, don't do it" she got the message and stopped.

Good luck with this. It's a natural part of it. Just think of mamma lion with her cubs. When they go to far she lets them know without really hurting them!

This is a subject that I unfortunately know alot about. =( An unfortunate side effect of nursing an older baby. My daughter is 13 months still nurses twice a day and I've had my share of bites. What worked with her was once she bit down I would say OUCH kinda loud and startle her then remove her from the breast for a minute or two saying no bite. This worked for her but she is really easy going. My son was much more tough to break and I actually ended up weaning him at 7 months because he broke through the skin and I had two tiny tooth scabs. As for why she is biting, it might be because the milk isn't coming out fast enough for her and she uses this to get the milk flowing. You might want to try relaxing and get the milk flowing before you let her nurse. Also try nursing in a quiet room where she will not be distracted and take her off as soon as she is done. Best of luck!

Erin

I nursed both of my kids til 10-11 months. They bit. I would let out a scream, because it does really hurt. They were each startled, but it worked. It happened every day for about 2 weeks or so, maybe, but then it was over. They stopped biting. My son had teeth when he was 5 months. If you really do want to wean her, do it. She will be okay one way or the other. You are the mom. Make a decision. She won't remember. Does she need to nurse during the night? She is 11 months old and should be sleeping through the night. My SIL found that when she quit nursing her youngest at 11 months she started sleeping through the night (had never slept through the night before that.) Cuddle with her in the evening before getting ready for bed and maybe she will be okay with the no nursing thing. I found that putting my son, 16 months, to sleep with nothing, no rocking, no singing, no anything, has been a good rountine. He doesn't whine for something he doesn't get! I hope I don't sound harsh, but if we continue to coddle our kids they expect it!

I have read many parenting magazines and books which recommend a certain course of action in this situation. They recommend that you very calmly say "no" and remove the baby from your breast. Being harsh often scares a baby, and you shouldn't make them scared. Eventually, they will understand the connection between biting and the breast being taken away from them. Since my son has not gotten any teeth yet, I have not tried this approach, but I feel that this might be a good way to go.