My 11 month-old granddaughter (with 4 teeth) is repeatedly biting when my daughter nurses her, even though my daughter is very clear that the consequence of biting is that nursing will be done. An additional part of the problem is that the baby seems to be having a growth spurt and is ravenous, compounded by difficulty positioning on the worst side -- even the rubbing of her teeth without biting is creating or keeping the lesions irritated.
Any good ideas would be greatly appreciated!
The outpouring of encouragement and suggestions was terrific and really helped my daughter get a handle on resolving the biting problem. She had also just moved and her nursing book was packed away goodness knows where, so it was really helpful to be reminded of strategies she had forgotten reading about or to learn about new ones. It also made me feel better to facilitate her getting such wonderful support when I'm so far away and can't do anything else to make a difference. You never stop being a mom and worrying about your kid no matter how old your "kid" is, that's for sure! Many thanks to all of you!!
K.
there's a website kellymom.com that should help
my daughter bites me occassionaly but it hasn't been bad-just one she latches on she sometimes bites
she does like to play and when she starts playing and kicking or hitting I stop and put her down(she's 9 months)
I nursed with all 3 of my kids and unfortunately they all bit. The thing that worked best for me was to push their faces against the breast. When they can't breathe they let go and will realize when I bite this is what happens. The lactation consultant at the hospital told me about this, it really worked well for me.
K.,
Have the baby open up her mouth very wide when she latches on. I've been told this is supposed to help. Also your daughter should call or go to a local meeting of La Leche League. www.llli.org These women have seen it all and call give great advice. She will be able to call a leader in her area in between meeting. I would highly recommend talking to them.
L. M
You have gotten some good suggestions. Most nursing moms have to deal with biting issues at one time or another. Some babies/toddlers do it once or twice get the picture that it is not OK and it takes longer for others. It may help to really pay attention to when baby is biting so that you can anticipate it. For example, if it is at the end of a nursing session it will help to pay close attention to when she is no longer actively nursing and to latch her off before she has a chance to bite.
A firm "no" or "that hurts mommy" is a good approach along with taking her off the breast for a moment or until you are ready to try again. You can keep a teething toy next you when nursing to offer something that is ok to bite. Although it may be hard to not jump/screech when bitten try not to react too strongly. This could lead to a nursing strike and be scary for the baby.
The advice about pulling the baby into the breast when they clamp down is great. This has helped many a mother. The baby doesn't like it and quickly releases the grip and pulls away.
Good for your daughter for continueing to nurse. All of the benifits (health, comfort, convience, etc) of breastfeeding are worth getting through these bumps along the way. Both mom and baby will continue to reap these benifits for as long as the nursing relationship lasts.
Oh, and checking out a La Leche League meeting is a great idea. It is really nice to talk to other moms who have been there before and to get support especially when nursing an older baby.
If i remember correctly babies should not be able to bite when nursing becuse they use they tongue and roof of mouth to squeeze breast so check with a lactation consultant and confirm. pulling on the chin helps break the suction. and she should try changing the position. but i strongly recommend that she she speaks to a lactation consultant.but please encourage he to continue breast feed is still best
J. B
I found changing my nursing position helped. My son recently started biting when ever I would nursing him laying down. Once I switched to sitting up for every nursing it was fine. Maybe your daughter could try a different position?
i would say it is time to bottle feed...
I agree with the other post. Change the position. What your daughter is doing is right. I had a LC once tell me that if you gently push the babies face into the breast vs immediately pulling away (dont smother the baby but push their face in enough that they adlust their mouth and teeth). I personally never had to do this b/c the pulling her off worked for me but I know a couple women that had success with pushing them in.
My daughter, also 11 months, has been biting for about 3 months now. At first it may have been a positioning related, now I am positive it's because I reacted poorly initially & she is hoping for a reaction from me. The first few times she did it, I yelled. Not yelled at her, but it so took me by surprise that I yelled "Ow". Now when she does it she giggles.
If it's a new thing for your granddaughter, start with checking for tips on position. I'm a 'veteran' breastfeeder, over 10 years combined nursing time but my daughter has a weak chin and I think that caused her to latch on differently than my others. Tell your daughter not try not to yell or react to it. Pushing the child in toward the breast may help as some have suggested. Having a teeth toy nearby & giving her that when she bites may help. If it's a habit now though, if she's doing it for the reaction, a very quick time out may be in order. I take my daughter off the breast, re- do my shirt & stand up (I nurse in our bed) for about 30 seconds. Also when she doesn't bite me during nursing, I sing or talk to her while stroking her head. She seems to like that enough to not look for the response she gets from biting.
I've dealt with this with two of my three children, and the best solution I've found is to end the nursing session and put the child down when he/she bites. They don't like this, but they quickly learn that biting = no more nursing. And don't worry, when a child is really hungry, they don't bite because they can't bite and suckle at the same time!
Good luck to her! Oh, and if she does get 'really' bitten (this happened to me once with my son) have her ask her doctor to prescribe her some triple nipple ointment--it's the best cure!
She's getting too "old" to be nursed. It sounds like she needs more than what she's getting - compounded with the fact that the mother is "hurting" - time to move her to a sippy cup. I wouldn't even bother with a bottle, unless she uses one at all now.
