HELP!!! He's Bitting!

Hi -- I have found this works best. Gently pull him away with a firm but very gentle "no". Wait a couple of minutes, then allow him to feed again. Keep repeating this each time he bites. I know the "gentle" part was stressed by a friend of mine, and it worked for me. If I was harsh (due to the pain! lol) then my baby was startled and cried too. WHen I mastered being gentle,it helped. good luck!

I didn't breastfeed but had friends who did. They said that when there babies cut there first tooth it was time to stop breastfeeding. Have you maybe thought of pumping and feeding him with the bottle? He will still get the same nutrition and you less bit marks. Hope this helps Merry Christmas.

Hi! Well my son is 6 1/2 mths and I always wanted to nurse until he was at least 6 mths. But, I continue because it's his comfort when he awakes in the middle of the night, also he does not have teeth yet but, it sure does feel like it. So if you want to continue maybe you should try to toughen your nipples. There are some toughening reings that you can buy

I gave my son a little pinch on the cheeck when he would bite me. Nothing hard but enough to associate biting with a something uncomfortable. It didn't take him long to learn not to do it.

Also, they have these great things called 'nipple shields.' They are a soft plyable silicone I guess that goes over your nipple and the infant can still nurse. One of my nipples had trouble coming out but I could still nurse with that. I used it the whole time I nursed. It was great and it protects you a bit if they bite.

Good luck!
J.

Hi S.! I have a 8 month old who began biting at about the same age as yours. I read several places that you should calmly remove them from the breast and say "no bite". If you scream/yell/respond in an otherwise amusing (to your little one that is!) way, the child will continue to do it for the reaction. Sometimes the child (like mine) will bite as a way to get your attention. My son will bite me when I am talking on the phone, to my husband, or watching tv. Consistancy is key. Every time - firmly and calmly - "no bite" or "no" or whatever, and take them off the breast. Eventually they will learn that if they bite, they don't get to eat. It has worked with my son very well. He will still try it every now and then, but it's rare. A very pleasant change! Good luck...to me breastfeeding has been worth it! Merry Christmas and a bite-free new year!

My son did the same thing at that age. He's now 1 and we're still breastfeeding. It startled him too when I would say no, but he did quit after a couple of days. I really thought I was going to have to quit nursing, but we're still at it. I'm now looking for ideas on how to wean him? LOL

good luck....H.

The advice my mom gave me may not be the easiest but she said it worked for me and my brothers. When your son bites, you need to flick him hear his mouth and pull him off. My mom said it needs to be hard enough so he knows that if he wants to keep eating, he can't bite.

HI S.,
I'M T.,AND LET ME START BY TELLING YOU I ALWAYS TYPE IN ALL CAPS, SO I'M NOT YELLING.I HAVE A NERVE CONDITION AND IT JUST MAKES IT EASIER ON ME.WITH THAT SAID.

WOULD YOU CONSIDER PUMPING AND BOTTLE FEEDING. I MEAN THAT WAY YOUR BUNDLE OF JOY STILL RECEIVES THE BENIFITS OF BREAST MILK AND MOMMY GETS TO KEEP EVERYTHING THAT SHE CAME INTO MOTHERHOOD WITH.LOL!!JUST KIDDING!!I KNOW MY SELF THAT ALOT OF TIMES IT IS ABOUT THE SPECIAL BONDING THOUGH.BUT IN MY CASE I WASN'T ABLE TO BREAST FEED MY OLDEST CHILD WOULDN'T LATCH ON NOT MATTER WHAT WE TRIED SO I PUMPED FOR ABOUT 6 MONTHS SO HE WOULD GET THE BENIFITS OF MY MILK.BUT HE AND I STILL HAD A VERY SPECIAL BOND.I WOULD HOLD HIM CLOSE AND TALK TO HIM AS IF HE WERE A LITTLE MAN WHILE I FEED HIM AND HE AND I ARE STILL CLOSE.GOOD LUCK.HAPPY NEW YEAR!!LOVE & PRAYERS,T.

If he's biting, he's not nursing, so when he does just take the breast away. It takes a little time, but he will associate biting with the boob being taken away. Be consistant.

I agree with the mom who said if he's biting, he's not nursing, so take the breast away. This is about all you can do. I went through this with both my sons. My first bit me exactly once, I yelled so loud out of surprise and pain and he never did it again. My youngest did it several times, and each time I took him off the breast and said OUCH loudly so he would get the idea. The biting soon stopped. Both boys nursed to 18 months with full sets of teeth and no problems after those few bites. Maybe when your son bites, take him off the breast and hand him a teething toy. Also, nurse him only when you know he's really hungry, not just looking for comfort, and he should focus on eating. Good luck!

I agree that your son is too young to understand. Yes, breastmilk is very benefical; and breastfeeding creates such a bond between mother and child. But as I have learned ( I could only nurse for about a month) NOTHING can interfere with a mommy/son bond. There is no other like his mother!!!

your doing exactly what i did and it worked for me keep trying is the best i can say i hope it helps i also set him away from me that might be helpful.

I have never had this problem, since my kids didn't cut teeth until 8-10 months old. However, my friend used to have to use a nipple shield to breastfeed her children. This may help. Otherwise, you might have to resort to pumping all of your milk and feeding it to your baby in a bottle. If you really want him to get the benefits of breastmilk, this may be your only option. Hope this helps and God bless!

i think that what you are doing is fine, if it starles him enough maybe he will stop. i would still stick to my goal of breastfeeding for a year because breastfeeding is the best. have you talked to your pedatricitian??

My son did the same thing. Pick a word. No! Ouch! Owie! He'll eventually figure out what it means. If you can hold out that long. Just whatever word you pick, stick to it. Say the word, then take the breast away if he does it again. Babies are smart, he'll remember after a time or two, "hey if I bite, Mommy won't let me nurse." Good luck! I hope you guys had a great Christmas!

Well, it seems you have found something that is working for you, but I nursed both of my kids til they were 13 and 14 months. My youngest had teeth at 4 months and had all he should have by age 13 months! I would always break the suction w/my finger and firmly tap their lips and say "NO BITE" in a firm and deep, serious voice. Not yelling or high pitch, because they listen better when you deepen your voice...they know you mean what you are saying. when you look them in the eye w/a serious look, that helps too. they would have a heartbroken look on their faces sometimes, but they knew mommy meant business and it really helped! good luck nursing til age 1! I wish you the best!

hi i have a daughter thats a year and when my daughter first got her teeth in she was bitten me as well you can get some ice cream or somwthing cold to give to him to help out and something to help out so you want get bitten again.

Well, you could try the old time method of popping his mouth with your finger when he does it... That may sound cruel, but it will only take a few good flips on the mouth to make him stop. At 5 months, he is old enough to train to not do some things. If that does not work, you could maybe try nipple shields, the plastic may make the bites hurt a little less.

Unfortuneatly the only advice I can give you is the following:
My daughter was really bad at biting my nipples, but I was determined to still give her breastmilk, by the time she was six months she bit me so hard I had to stop and start solely pumping and giving it to her in a bottle. But this way she still got breast milk.
You could also try giving the child some teething medicine first or some tylenol b/f latching him on

Hi S.,

My son is 8 months and has 8 teeth. He also cut his first 2 at 5 months and bit me every chance he got. I reacted as anyone would to pain with a surprised ouch and my son went on a nursing strike for 10 days. It was awful. He associated breast feeding with me scolding him...so be careful. I later learned the next 2 set of teeth were soon behind. I started giving him a little tylenol about an hour before nursing 2xs a day and I think that releaved a little pressure and helped him from biting a bit and if that didn't do it, I took the tylenol to help with pain. It does get better, my little one still surprises me with the occassional nibble, but has stopped for the most part.

Happy holidays to you!

S.

Don't pull off!!! My understanding is that is funny to many of them. Everything I have read has said to actually push them into your breast firmly - smothering them and forcing them to break the latch. Then, in a firm voice say no. Make sure not to use a high pitch as many little one's think - oooo, that was fun, I am going to do that again!

My little one did this once and I used the above tactic. He hasn't done it again. The idea is that you make the biting experience as miserable for them as it is for you so that they don't want it to happen again. Be consistent with it - Good luck!

Also, keep a close eye on him. To move to a biting position, he actually has to shift his jaw. Keep your pinky finger near his mouth and if you see the position shift then break the latch before he has a chance to bite. Some also say that their little ones flash them a little look before going in to bite. Hope that helps!