Tugging at Breast - Is This a Game????

when mine did this I gave him something to suck on like a frozen wash cloth or toy to mouth and then waited until next feeding to feed ... if he did it again same thing no matter how much he did not eat ... it took about 3 or 4 times of a not full belly for him to stop "playing" with his food. He is 4 and still tries to "play" with his food at the table and when he does that I remove his plate wrap it up put it in the fridge take him away from the table hand him a toy and tell him he can eat next meal.

he might be teething, but 3 months is a little young. he also might be going through a growth spurt, and is trying to get more milk to let down during feedings. if that is the case, your body will automatically adjust. it could also be that he is distracted, or playing a little game with you. I would 1) not interact with him while he is nursing. stroke him, and touch him, but try not to make too much eye contact or talk to him. 2) nurse him in a quiet area, to minimize distractions. 3) if he continues, take him off the breast, and firmly but gently say something like "it is not play time." do not let him tug at you like that. if you continually close up shop when he starts playing, he will get the picture that he is supposed to nurse, not play.

Oh gosh, I hated this!!

I had to hold his head against my breast so my nipple wouldn't stretch and hurt like the dickens.

If he didn't stop, I stopped nursing, gave him a teething ring or something to play with, then tried nursing again about 15 mins later or so.

Sounds like teething/getting more interest in his world. You can try nursing in a quiet place, or breaking the latch for a moment when he does that. My DD teethed from about 3-6 mo. before she finally got her teeth started.

Sounds like a few things together...

1) Let down isn't as fast
2) Growth spurt and cluster feeding
3) getting distracted
4) teething (which starts 2 months before you actually see teeth)

Remove baby from breast when he does this, get the pump and try to pump a few minutes... then place him back on. Also try to nurse in a quiet and dim lighted area, maybe even lying on your side and napping with baby.

Both of my daughters did this. He's just getting to an age where eating is not the most interesting thing to do. My girls just wanted to see other things while they were nursing. It eventually stopped and neither of my girls were biters. My youngest daughter nursed like an acrobat. She would stand on my lap and nurse and one time actually did a somersault! (I'm not saying that this is normal, because I have never heard or seen any child do that before mine did) But just to let you know that they do start to become interested in the world around them, even when they are hungry.Good luck! :)

All my kids did it. Just thwap his cheek, make eye contact, and firmly (without anger in your voice) say 'no' and take him off the breast. Repeat. It doesn't matter 'why' he does it - you can't talk it out with him. Simply and clearly teach him that it's a no. He'll figure it out quickly.

My DD did the same thing. I started telling her 'no' after the first time, then telling her 'No more if you do it again' after the second time, then taking her off the beast the 3rd time. I know that she probably couldn't comprehend what I was telling her, but she understood the tone of voice I used. It took a few weeks, but eventually she stopped.

My little one did both of these things at this age. I believe the first issue (latching, looking away, latching, looking away) relates to the fact that they are just becoming super interested in the world around them. I called it nursing ADD. I would have to make sure that there were no extraneous sounds -- like people talking in the next room -- and sometimes have to nurse with all the lights off or with a big sweatshirt pulled completely over the baby in order to keep the baby from trying to look around.

My little one also became very drooly around 3 mos and started chewing on hands -- then later on blankets, stuffed animals, anything soft -- but months later has yet to break any teeth. My pediatrician said that teething at 3-4 months is possible, but rare. They're more likely to start at 6-7 months. However, the teeth could be starting to move even if they don't break through for months, although they shouldn't be causing pain until shortly before they show.

My daughter did this too! Hurts sooooooo bad!

She did it while she was teething so when she did that I would give her a pacifer instead of offering the breast again. She was a baby that had a strong need to suck, so I found a lot of times that when I thought she was hungry she just needed her bink!

If you don't use a binky and you know that your munckin isn't hungry maybe try another way to distract him. Sorry I couldn't help more! Good luck :)

Might be teething, which will distract him from feeding.. and he's learning to use his hands... and "it's fun". Just calmly tell him no and take his hand off. Eventually he will stop.

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with the drooling sounds like he is teeting and the pull and sucking action may be providing some sort of comfort to the gums. Try getting a teething toy that you can get cooled and see if that helps him. Also he may just be enjoying his meal slowly. Mine did that too. Keep on breastfeeding it is so helpful to them and its a great bonding experience.

My daughter did this all the time when she needed to pee while nursing. Take him off the breast for a minute or so and tell him it's time to pee and he can go back to nursing when he's done peeing ;) (I usually held my daughter over a potty while doing this and she would go with no problem.) After that she'd nurse with no interruption.

Another possibility is that your let down may have changed, so your LO might not be getting as much as he wants fast enough. Try expressing a bit before you start to nurse and see if that helps. 3 months is prime time for a growth spurt so babes tend to want more NOW ;)

Both of my twins did this, but one more than the other. I couldn't telly why, and it went away after a few weeks. I would tell him, "Ow, that hurts mommy," but sorry, I never found a way to stop it. He just eventually stopped on his own.