My son doesn't have teeth but he love to bite down while he eats. What can I do to make him stop biting me?
How old is he?
I would take him off and say no bite ... that is what I did w/my first son. He got mad at being taken off and learned quickly not to clamp down. Don't let him do it b/c it'll only gett worse!
Every time he does it, break the latch with your finger at the side of his mouth and pull him, gently, off the breast. Look in his eyes seriously, and say "no bite", then let him try nursing again. Be very calm, and repeat as necessary. He will learn that biting = no more nursing, and it will probably only take a few times. If he does it again right away, place him on your lap and refuse to nurse him for a few minutes. This does work, you just have to remember to remain calm and be firm, but not angry.
Hi C., It is normal for him to not have teeth yet, but he is biting down because he is cutting teeth and his little gums are starting to hurt. He will usually do this at the end of a feeding after he is full, so all you have to do is put your little finger in the edge of his mouth to break the suction and remove him from the breast. If he wants to eat again, let him, but take him off the breast every time he bites. One day soon there will be a nice shiny little tooth. Give him a teething ring made to go in the freezer first to soothe him and rub the gums with a clean finger. Good luck!
You definitely want to get this under control before he has teeth! When he bites down, break the latch and stop feeding him for a moment. You can say ouch that hurts, or no biting, something to let him know that biting down is not OK. I think all moms get bit once or twice lol, luckily they catch on pretty quick that if they bite they don't get to nurse.
End the feeding, they learn quick, usually just takes once.
You have received some good advice. Stay calm (don't frighten him). Break the latch and say 'No' or 'That's not right' and allow a minute or so of a pause.
I learned, from a lactation consultant, is that to properly nurse your baby pretty much has to have his tongue over his bottom teeth [or gums] (to help the suction or suckling). If you can tell when his tongue has moved back, then cut the nursing short. Often, as a baby falls asleep, he will let his tongue relax and actually stop suckling, but then you move to get up or something and he wakes up enough to close his mouth, which turns into a bite. LOL
I learned to pay careful attention when my son started giving me this mischievous look in his eyes -- saying 'watch out, I'm going to see how high you jump this time...' Ha, I was quick to stop everything and say "mom needs a break, be right back" or something like that.
Good luck!
Ouch! That hurts. My 4 month old bit me while reading this. And he doesn't have teeth yet. When they're this little, I just stop nursing for a bit and try again. When they're older with teeth, I scold and stop, then try again.
Since he has no teeth, I'm guessing he's pretty young.
Make sure his latch is good . . . that there is more
than just the nipple in his mouth.
If he backs off from a good latch, take him off the breast
before he bites down. He doesn't know he's hurting you.
If he does bite down before you realize he's about to,
stop the feeding at that moment.
You can try starting again later on.
AND/OR . . .. CALL LA LECHE LEAGUE.
S.
