Help! How Do I Keep My 6Mth Old from Biting Me While I Breastfeed Him??!?!

he's probably also teething, maybe rub his gums with orajel or something to help numb them. Also I agree with the biting back, just not hard. My brother used to do that to mom and one day she bite him, never bite her again. So i also followed my moms advice when my youngest was biting a lot i bite her and she hasn't bite back since. It does work. but my first thought was teething.

hi poeta,

this is totally normal, albeit painful, behavior. although my son (now 19 months, with many teeth, and still nursing) has never really bit me there was a while where before he had teeth where he was biting down with his gums --and that was painful enough. i belong to a breastfeeding support group and this topic came up MANY times. the advice is the same: 1. try not to overreact. if you yell out/ cry in pain that's one thing but try to remember that this is just your little guy relieving the 'itch' he feels in his gums. the no-overreaction bit is important bcs when you turn to your baby and say "no biting" you want to keep it as neutral as possible so baby doesn't get scared (if you sound angry) or so he doesn't think you're playing (and laughs) 2. i used to immediately stop the nursing session with a bite or even a nibble. he got the idea pretty quickly. 3. the other thing i noticed is that my son used to nibble once the 'real' nursing was over and he was just sort of hanging out after his meal, using me as a pacifier. you might want to try taking him off as soon as he's done and give him a teething ring or pacifier to mouth instead.

the phase passes but it may resurface with the coming of other teeth. my little guy likes to bite on my shoulder now that his molars are coming in but he's learned that he can't do that on my nipple. good luck...

K.

Most of the advice that you ave been given by other posters is very good, but I don't agree with the biting back. I don't think that you should ever bite your baby even if it is lightly. There are better ways to get him to stop the behavior.
Teething is the most common cause for biting at that age, but ear infection, cold, and stress can also be a cause. Sometime the baby does it to get your undivided attention.
This was the advice from the La Leche League:
* When your baby is latched on correctly and nursing actively, getting milk from your breast and swallowing, it's physically impossible to bite. This is because your baby needs to stop sucking in order to bite. When latched on properly and nursing, your nipple is far back in your baby's mouth. In order to bite your baby has to adjust his tongue and allow your nipple to slide forward towards his teeth. So, as a first "hint" of when your baby is about to bite, try and watch for a moment--usually after the initial hunger has been satisfied--when your nipple slips forward in your baby's mouth. Often the tension in your baby's jaw will change just before this happens.
* As soon as you notice this change, slip your finger into the corner of your baby's mouth, between his teeth, and let the nipple come out all the while keeping your finger in your baby's mouth to protect your nipple. Pulling your baby straight off is a very natural and almost automatic response, but it may cause soreness on your nipple.
* Baby's position is important, and that means helping your baby stay in a close breastfeeding position, so that he doesn't or can't pull off very easily. If your baby has to strain to latch on, then he will come off and chew the nipple easily. Therefore, another response to biting that some mothers have found useful is to pull baby in closer to the breast, at least momentarily. If your baby begins to position himself away from your nipple, be alert for a possible bite.
* When the cause of the problem is a cold, a more upright position can help your baby to breathe easier. Check with your baby's health care provider for suggestions to relieve stuffiness. Your baby may breastfeed better if you offer the breast while walking.

Good luck and I hope you can breastfeed as long as you want too.
B.

I nursed my son for 14 months. When he bit I took him off and told him calmly "no that hurts mommy". If he bit again I ended the feeding. He only bit me a few times so this is what worked for me. I only had to end a feeding once. I noticed he would tend to bite towards the end of the feeding. So, I learned to read his cues and ended the feeding when he was done. They can't bite and eat at the same time so my LC told me when they bite they are playing and aren't hungry so you shouldn't feel bad about ending the feeding.

Congrats for nursing this long! HTH and you work through this and keep can keep nursing, it's a wonderful gift you are giving your baby!

C.
WAHM to Joe (6) Tyler (4) and Dylan (1)
Want to work at home? Check out http://www.party4fun.myarbonne.com

I know this sounds horrible...But I had the same problem with my daughter. A friend jokingly said, "Bite Her Back." And we laughed it off.
She has a habit of touching my face and putting her fingers in my mouth while I nurse her. So this one time, in the middle of the night, she bit me, and I bit her finger. NOT hard. No marks were left. But just enough to surprise her. She broke her latch with me and looked at me surprised. I said, SEE IT HURTS DOESNT IT. She latched back on and continued nursing.
She hasnt bitten me since....(That was about 2 months ago)

hi poeta, follow the advice that beth gave you from lll, avoiding it is best, if you stay alert you can tell when theyre about to bite and avoid it. unless theyre startled by something, that happened to me a few times, or when i would doze off and loosen my hold, and they would kind of bite to hang on. do what you need to do to stay alert. if he does bite, you can do what i did, it worked very quickly... when he bites in any way, take him off immediately with your pinky finger with a stern NO and an angry face (not yelling) and with your hand on his chest to keep him safe, dramatically turn away and dont look at him for a minute or so, no matter how much they protest. my kids hated that, it actually works for lots of things, until theyre about 2! btw, in my opinion you should never ever bite a child, even joking around. they may not pick it up, but they might, and as we all know kids dont understand limits for a while. and a child that learns that biting is ok is a nightmare around other kids, not only behavior-wise, but for their own health and safety as well as the other kids. as teachers, we used to fight over who would not have to have "the biter" in our class. it involves hiv, hepatitis blood tests, notices home, etc etc... dont start it.
good luck, this will pass quickly, dont let it make you give up nursing if you are not ready to do so. take care, D.

biting is a natural reaction now that he has his teeth and he is too young to understand that the action hurts you. You might want to try bottling your breast milk and finding other ways to spend quality time with your son.

I definitely know how it feels. I've nursed all 4 of my kids, and all 4 of them bit me one time or another. Just hang in there. Use your pinky and break the latch...you probably already do this. It also helps when they chomp harder from you trying to take them off. Basically let him know that you are upset and it hurts. Don't put him back on. Babies are sensitive to their mothers feelings. Give it a few times and he will understand that mommy isn't a teether:)

first, remember you are not a chew toy and this is not acceptable..for obvious reasons. Sometimes we women just deal with it because "they're just a baby." But, if you don't teach him now, he'll keep doing it! So, when he bites you, take the nipple away from him and give him about 5-10 minutes with nothing. Even if he cries, he'll eventually get the hint that if he bites you, he doesn't get what he wants! He'll learn it's wrong! Good luck!

I have a 3 yr old whom I had breastfed and she also used to nip me and at times brought me to tears. And I'm currently nursing an 8 month old who also nipped a few times. Honestly, I think its a phase (as awful as it is), but I would gently, but firmly tap their mouth with my pointer finger, after removing my nipple, and say "no biting, that hurts mommy". Usually it brought on a pout and a few tears, but both my girls stopped the biting after a few times. You just need to be consistant with whatever you choose to do so he realizes this isn't what he is supposed to do. Sometimes I found if I watched closely, I could tell when she was going to bite and I either reminded her "no biting" or I removed her from my breast before she got the opportunity. Babies are smarter than we give them credit for - alittle scolding and taking away the beloved "boob" :) - they get after awhile!! Good Luck - don't give up!!