Baby with Teeth Biting During Breestfeeding

I had this problem too with my baby at that age. I want to breastfeed until she is 2 yo, but the biting made me really question that. Fortunately she stopped once the teething pain passed. What I did was stop the feeding when she bit down. I also kept my pinkie finger close so that I could slip it in and pry the jaws loose. After a while she got the idea that biting down meant the feeding would be over.

Why stop breastfeeding before twelve months? I guess this breastfeeding nazi says to keep going to the minimum recommended amount! You've made it this far, what's another few months?

Okay, with that aside, I'll give you some real suggestions! : ) One thing is Hyland Teething Tablets. You can find them at health food stores and also, my local target has them in the pharmacy behind the counter. Hyland's are a natural product we've used throughout my son's teething. If you give them before nursing, it might help.

Another word about teething, I got some really good suggestions on how to help teething - other ways and certain foods that can help. I'd try to fix that situation before eliminating breastfeeding. If your daughter is already an avid bf'er who doesn't eat much solids, why would anyone suggest stopping bf'ing???

I do have some suggestions for getting her to eat more solids (especially if you want to get some foods in her that might soothe her gums.) Use fresh food! Don't do the stuff in jars. she might love the taste of real foods. Just steam veggies to the point where they are really soft and puree it. Or use those mesh feeders. Mesh feeders really let the baby feel in control of the eating when they are new to solids, IMO.

Anyway... I hope you are able to get through this. My son has been through hitting/biting phases and it passes. And then it's something different!! I really think once these teeth pop through, it'll be back to normal. And don't wean unless you really want to and you feel your baby is ready to handle it without being stressed out. She's already stressed from her teeth and taking away a source of comfort will only make it worse.

They used to sell something called nipple shields which were like silicone or rubber circles with a hole in it that your nipple poked through. My friends couldn't find them, so she got some large bottle nipples, and cut the ends off. You put it on your breast so that your nipple just sticks out of the hole. Should help protect you from the worst of it.

there is only 1 answer. wein her immediately! you can get an infection in your breasts that will be so painful and then you will not be able to feed her at all. Give her small meals many times a day until she gets the hang of eating. check with your doctor and and see if she can have dairy, meats, etc. If so vanilla yogurt is always good and cooked veggies, small bits of bread, rice and noodles. tthey are too young to reason with and she is only biting because she is teething. nothing you can do.

My Mom recently told me that I was ten months when I bit her. She weaned me successfully after that. Biting you may be your daughter's way of letting you know she no longer wants to nurse.I wouldn't worry too much about her not eating baby food, because if she gets hungry, she will eat.

Hi S.!
We tried two things with our daughter (now 2, nursed until 14mo) and they both worked. #1. I screamed, loud, when she bit down. It scared her, she cried and then didn't bite again for a few weeks. #2. I flicked her mouth, not to hurt, more to just startle her. At 10 mo your daughter is old enough to understand "no!". I flicked my daughter's mouth and told her no, put her down and walked away for a few minutes. She cried and crawled after me, and I picked her up and resumed nursing. She never bit again! Good luck!

I'd say wean her, but she has weaned herself. In my humble opinion, you have done your job of feeding her from the breast. Don't let the breastfeeding nazis make you feel bad. Give her formula until she is one, but don't ruin your relationship with her by allowing her to chew on you until you bleed at 10 month old. I am probably the only one you will hear this from...

I would stop the nursing session and say NO after the biting happened. We would move onto something else and that would make my son sad and hungry I'm sure. Pretty much after 2 times, they understand the the biting stops. They will associate biting with no food and that's incentive enough to stop. If you continue nursing they may think they can bite and still get food. Best of luck!

I went through this same thing with my son, and had the same thoughts about early weaning. I remember having the scabbed and bloody nipples and thinking that it was worse than in the beginning!! It got so bad that every time it was time for him to nurse, I'd cringe.

Firstly, let me tell you that we DID get through it, and he nursed until almost 15 months, once we got past that little hitch.

He was the same age when he did this . . . and he did get the concept that it wasn't acceptable when I would unlatch him and put him down and refuse to nurse him for a few minutes. It took a few days, but he got the idea.

Hang in there!!

Hi S., I didn't have as severe problems with my son biting, but I'll tell you what I did. When he starting biting me during breastfeeding I'd pull the edge of his mouth back and put my finger in his mouth to break the suction. I'd get him off my breast, give him a "no no" look and sternly say, "No biting!" Then I'd put him down, re-fasten my bra, pull my shirt down, and walk away or turn away from him to give the message that nursing was over. And I wouldn't nurse him until his next feeding (but he was also eating some solids so if he cried for food I refused the breastmilk but could give him a snack). After a few repetitions of this, he quit biting.

Also, I should be honest and point out that he didn't entirely stop biting. He'd give it a try once in a while, but I remained firm and consistent. He tries it once in awhile.

I tried yelling in pain and things like that, but he just laughed at me and starting biting more to make me repeat the funny actions. But you can try it and see if it works for your daughter.

I feel so bad for you that your nipples are cracked and bleeding. That's really painful. When my son was born he couldn't latch on correctly and I was bleeding and cracked, too. That was so hard to persist through. Have you tried Lansinoh? Ack, I can't remember what it's called right now...not breast cream... Anyway, it's stuff that you put on your nipples after the baby breastfeeds. It helps some of the misery to fade (not all of it). Also, just so you know, when you bathe or shower, don't let soap get on your nipples because it dries them out and that contributes to the pain.

It's up to you whether or not to stop breastfeeding. IMO, I think once you get past this teething thing, it will go much more smoothly. If possible, find a lactation consultant. They might be able to help you with the latching on so that your daughter can't bite you. Her tongue should be covering her teeth while she's nursing (so she shouldn't be biting). I met with a lactation consultant through WIC when my son was born and he's still breastfeeding at 16 months old. Do let us know how it goes and good luck!!!

Actually at 10 months she CAN understand if you explain. Babies understand a lot more than we give them credit for. Sometimes biting can turn into a habit and they will bite when they're dong nursing b/c they know you'll unlatch them. Rather than unlatching her yourself, try bringing her in closer (basically shove her face into your breast). Her nose will be squished and she won't be able to breathe through it so she'll be forced to unlatch herself. Then you can tell her "NO biting that hurts mummy" and then resume the nursing session. You might need to take it a step further and actually physically remove her from your lap - even if your words are lost on her, that will send a very clear message to her. When she's nursing properly afterwards, tell her how happy you are that she's nursing nicely & not biting you. Good luck -- I've been blessed that none of my three kids has bitten me like that but I've talked to many, many mothers who have and they did overcome it. Biting isn't fun but it's not a reason to wean your baby when she's not ready to stop.

what you should do, if take her off the breast and tell her no, that hurts, she will understand, then try to let her nurse again in a few minutes. before you sit to nurse her, put some oragel on her top jaw which will help her with the pain and when the area is numb she should be less likely to bite down on you. hope this helps.

Dear S.,

What a great mom you are to have nursed your daughter 10 months. Congratulations! Babies who bite need to be helped to learn that biting people is not what one does. I would suggest you take her off the breast when she bites telling her something like, "It hurts mommy when you bite. You may nurse but if you bite I will put you down." Watch for the sparkle in her eye when she is going to bite. Take her off and speak firmly to her. She probably nurses best in the night and when sleepy. This is a short time if you keep working with her. The time you keep her off the breast for biting doesn't need to be long. If she is hungry, she may quit biting. A biter bites others if not worked with. It is very embarressing to have teeth marks on another mom's baby. You are the first to be bitten but not the last so I believe that it is important to use this as a training session to not bite people. Offer her something suitable to bite on. As she cuts teeth, it is soothing to bite. Skin is not a pleasant choice :-) Going to La Leche League in your area puts you in contact with women who have experience.
http://www.llli.org/ Has many suggestions to help nursing moms.
S. lactation consultant www.mybreastfeeding.com

My mother-in-law recommended flicking them on the cheek with a sharp "no, that hurts!" when they bit. Supposedly your expression pain and displeasure is often enough to stop them from repeating.

Good luck!
B.

If she can bite you she is playing not nursing- her tongue should be covering her top teeth while she is nursing. Perhaps she has the need to suck and chew when her teeth hurt, try offering her teething rings and chewy toys when she bites, say no bite it hurts, put her down and offer her an alternative. My son bites when his teeth hurt I think but he is 13 months still nursing with 7 teeth and does not bite while nursing. He likes to bite unsuspecting toes!
Maybe also try giving her more solids during the day- I made most of my food at first because the little guy wasn't crazy about the jar food, you can get canned veggies and mash them if cooking them seems to much- they have so much better flavor than jarred food
Good Luck

i have been having the same problem with my 11 month old. I was so raw that it hurt to nurse and I was so tense everytime I did it couldn't have helped things. I was convinced that I would have to wean, and got no responses to my request so I thought it was a lost cause. It seems there is hope though. My problem began around Thanksgiving, and here are the things I have since come up with.

When she bites I take her off and put her on the floor, I started with a short break if she is upset, on the other hand often when she bit I noticed she would be put down and immediately go to playing. On that note, I started stretching the feedings as much as possible, with food in between. When she nurses she is desparate to nurse and is not just nursing because its there, since those times she seems to be playing and will bite more than other times.

When that seemed to not be working I started isolating her to nurse and laying down in bed with her even if it wasn't nap time, since she doesn't bite as much laying down.

When none of that worked, and I only had to do this for a short time, if she bit I took her off, gave her a bottle and pumped.

The one last thing that I have started doing - (it was actually suggested that since my duahgter is now almsot a year that I start giving her cow's milk out of a cup, but before I transition to that) I have been giving her a 4 ounce bottle of breastmilk or formula before bed and that one extra bottle seems to make it so that she has enough milk and she hasn't bitten me in days.

Hope some of this is useful to you, I was at the end of my rope too, and I had almost made myself crazy worrying that I would have to wean her before she was ready. Now hopefully it can be a less abrupt process.

I know what you mean! My 9 m old son bites too. But dont wean just because of this. You just push her face into your breast to unlatch her and say "NO!" firmly. My son kinda laughs at me someimes but he doesn't do it again for days or weeks. Good Luck!

Hi S. - I'm a little late getting to you, but I suggest you call someone at La Leche. I'm currently nursing my 11 month old who has ALL TWELVE of her teeth (six top, six bottom) and had a similar problem with her at the very beginnning when she first started cutting her teeth. Your local La Leche can give you all kinds of ideas to help. But just know that it does get better and it can be done; I just really wanted to commend you for toughing it out. Good luck!