Baby Biting While Nursing - Schaumburg,IL

I pinch my daughter's cheek and issue a very, very firm no with some finger shaking. Yes, she does smile when she is doing it which cracks me up and ticks me off at the same time. It does work, the cheek pinch.

Hi,
I know the feeling of wanting to nurse until she is at least a year. Unfortunately, the baby and/or life does not always cooperate. I would suggest pumping and feeding her with a bottle if you want her to keep getting breastmilk. I believe it is highly unlikely that she will stop biting you. She is probably teething already. My first child went straight from breastfed to drinking from sippy cup. NO bottle. So, sometimes, you have to go with the baby.

You did the right thing - just don't smile back! It won't take long for her to get the message that biting = no nursing. If she bites pull her off, say NO BITING, and wait a minute - then offer again. If she bites a second time repeat, but cover yourself up and end the nursing session. Each of my kids spent about 1-2 days experimenting with biting before they stopped. I'm happy to say that after that day, I was never bitten again by either of them and we continued to nurse for ~20 months each.

I have a 6 month old too, and my pediatrician said if he bites to let out my biggest mommy scream. He said it'll scare him, but it should get him to stop. Maybe it would work for you.
P.S. Hasb't worked for me, but then again I haven't really screames either. My little boy smiles at me after biting too, but I've come to watch for the signs that he is about to bite and make sure I release him.

I recall my daughter biting a few times while nursing. I just said a very firm NO Biting! and then let her latch on again. I think it only happened a couple times, and she got the hint right away. I nursed her for 16 months, so it didn't end up being an issue...

Hi S..
My 8 month old son started this about a month ago. I would say "No!" and put him in his crib. A few times he went to sleep, which led me to believe he was doing this when he was tired.
My husband noticed him biting and pulling on the nipple of the bottle when he would feed him, so we would tell him no when he would do that too.
He is now 81/2 months and doesn't do it anymore. I am going to nurse for a year too. Good for you on making it this far!

I believe most babys go through this when they begin to feed. I nursed both my girls for a year and they both went theough this stage. A firm no and taking them away from the breast for a minute or so seemed to work. Unfortunately it did take a few bites and repeated no's to sink in but no more than that. Good Luck!!

i never had any luck with pushing my sons face into me. i had to release his latch while saying no bite, put him down and walk away. typically when he bit it meant he wasn't hungry or was done eating anyways but after about a minute or two i would go back and offer again just to make sure. if he bit again the nursing sessions was done!

This is SOOOO common at this age. This just happened with my 6 month old son and it happened with my daughter at this age as well. A simple, no, that hurts mommy, and pull the child away. The nursing session is over. They will get the idea very quickly. Sometimes at that age, they are more efficient nursers so they are getting bored/playful, so they are just trying something new.

I don't think pushing them closer works - especially if they are done nursing and are just playing around.

Good luck.

Hi S.,

Oh boy, that's painful, isn't it? My son did that too, but he kindly waited until he had teeth...yikes!

My lactation consultant recommended each time he bit, to put him down in his crib or pack and play & walk away for a few minutes. It took a day of consistently doing that before he got the message. If you do it, though, it works. It's essentially telling her that if she bites, mealtime is over for a couple of minutes. She'll probably cry, but after a couple of minutes, you can go back to nursing her and tell her "no biting."

Nip it in the bud now with a consistent approach and she'll get the message. Good luck!

T.

As cruel as it sounds, my friend told me to push your babies face into your breast when they bite. It forces them to release and then you can say - No bite, that hurts. Works for my son (but at 2 years old, he is a big biter)

Pushing baby's face into my breast worked for me, too, along with a "no biting!". When my son got older and was able to get around the breast-smothering, I'd pull him off instead (sometimes you have to put a finger in their mouth to pry them off) and place him on the floor "no biting!". Not the response he wanted. Try not to make your reaction the least bit entertaining.

Oh dear. They don't realize they are hurting, and it's so funny watching Mommy jump. You might ask a lactating consultant what to do. You might want to pump your milk and have a supply on hand. Feed her as usual. When she bites, try not to jump. Say NO, then finish the feeding with a bottle. Pump out when you get a chance. She might not like it, but she'll learn when she bites she'll lose the breast and she'll learn to stop biting eventually. She needs other things to teethe on that are not you.

My son also bit me while he was teething. Try putting the teething paste on about 5-10 minutes before feeding. If they are biting they are not interested in eating at that time. I had some good time and bad. My son one day clamped down and pulled back (yes he drew blood). If she bites, put her down and end the session at that time. Pulling the face in helps, to get them to release but it is not your first instinct. I was able to nurse my son past one year. He is 17 months and still nurses in the morning and he has all his teeth except is 2 year molers which I think are coming in now. If she does it at a certain time of day, try doing a bottle for that feeding.

Good luck

I agree with pushing your daughters face into your breast. This was the only thing that worked for me and I was able to nurse for 14 months.
I would push her into my breast and say no. I had tried letting out a scream but she would laugh at me. My daughter is now 2 and I don't have any issues with her biting.
You may have to try a few different things to see what works for you. Good luck!