My Baby Has Started Biting

As soon as he bite tell him No firmly then put him down, or take him away from the situation where he is biting

Try telling him no and then put a dab of vinegar in his mouth. After a couple doses of vinegar he should quit bitng

I'm not too sure about the biting back. Seems to me it might model just the behavior that you want to stop. With our 4 kids (all of whom nursed & all of whom bit me at some time), a very firm "NO! That REALLY hurts!" a couple of times seemed to be enough for them to get the message. If they were nursing when they bit, I immediately removed them from the breast & the session was over. A few times after I did this, I remember one of my kids starting to clamp down, but then she stopped, looked at me, & continued nursing. Obviously, she'd gotten the message!

My daughter started biting when she was about ten months old. I remember getting bit on the nipple and as you know, it is a pain no one could ever forget! I think you've just got to respond gently stating, "no biting", and put him down when he bites. Ask the daycare to make sure there is a plan for when he bites (or tries to bite) others. I suggest redirecting him when he bites. He is too young for a time out or punishment. Hopefully they can accomodate you, and just don't forget that this behavior doesn't last long. He will grow out of it. P.s. my daughter stopped nursing at 11 months and biting me (and then laughing!) was her gentle(?) way of telling me she had had enough of breastfeeding. Also, your baby is most definitely teething and I want to suggest something that I didn't have figured out until baby #2: do not put the Orajel on his teeth right before you nurse him. You will get bitten! Babies are too young to know their own jaw strength when their gums/teeth are numb, so you will get bitten!

I'm sure he's just teething and needs to "chew." Have you tried teething toys? A cold wet washcloth is good to chew on. I guess all you can say is "No biting!" and give him something else to chew on. I'm sure it didn't feel good while nursing! If you stop feeding him when that happens, hopefully he'll get the message. Good luck.

It's normal. I've only had one biter, and he could be pretty vicious, but didn't seem to mean to hurt - he just liked to bite! A firm "no" and a one-finger tap on the cheek got the message across. I followed up with "be gentle" or "be nice" and a kiss. Eventually he figured out the difference between a kiss and a bite. While we were training him, we also kept vigilant for the signs that he might try to bite, like an open mouth and a lunge for a leg or arm!

SAHM of seven

Hi L.,

In regards to the biting, continue to tell him no firmly and perhaps try a playing a game that will divert his attention and recieve a positive reinforcement from.

So often at this age the reaction or attention from the action will initiate lets try that again behaviour. Be sure too he is rested and not frustrated by things that would also encourage the behaviour

Hope that helps!

Steph

My son started biting at 10 mo. as well. I used to laugh out of nervousness because he would bite my leg or nipple. Sometimes it would hurt and I would say ow! Then I read not to yelp out because the baby will try to do it again to hear you react to it. I noticed when I laughed out of nervousness he would smile and then I new that was only encouraging it. He has stopped biting for the most part and he just turned 11 mo. As for the boob biting, I just take it away when he bit and I noticed that he would only bite near the end of his session because he was about done nursing and getting bored.

This did not work for my son as he likes hot foods but I was told to give him hot sauce or something that really tastes bad when he bites. So if it continues maybe try something like that. Know that it is partually a phase and may happen. Kids that age use things like that to comunicate that they are frustrated about something as they can not talk.

Please, don't bite him back!!! He can't tell you how bad his gums are hurting from teething! I also have a 10 month old. He also did the open mouth kiss that ended with a nibble. He is simply teething and this is his way of telling you his gums hurt. He has the urge to bite to get the teeth through... As soon as this happens I tell him "ouch, no bite" and stop nursing or sit him on my lap and repeat "ouch, no bite". Then get the tylenol and teething tablets. I also give him his teething ring or something else to bite on. He is almost 11 months now is suffering swollen gums from his top teeth coming through. Just hang in there.

I'm with Laura K on this one, though I don't think it makes us "mean moms". When my oldest son and youngest daughters bit, I tried just about everything before finally biting them back.

That stopped them from biting. I think perhaps young children don't realize that what they're doing hurts, and by showing them it does they figure it out and stop doing it.

Of course you shouldn't bite too hard, just enough to surprise/show them it isn't a pleasant experience.

Strange but simple ~ bite him back. Of course, don't puncture his skin... but he doesn't understand "ouch" yet. At this age, children cannot possibly understand in words what is happening in another person's body.

When you bite him back, he will understand how much biting hurts. Then you can say, "No biting." You will only have to do this once or twice and he will stop for good.

I know it sounds mean, but it isn't. You are teaching him EMPATHY, which we are not necessarily born with (especially boys).

Definitely if he bites you while nursing, the feeding is just plain over! He has to learn that this is not acceptable as a game or anything else. My kids each went through this very briefly, and I believe in giving them honest and realistic reactions. I think it was my daughter who startled me with it and my "Ouch!" was loud enough to scare her. Of course I had to comfort her after that, but made it very clear that her biting hurt me. Not sure if it was her or my youngest who saw tears come to my eyes and never did it again.

I do think at this age it very likely is his way of expressing strong affection, so you probably need to show him a better way. Say "No biting! Hug," and give him a good strong one. You will probably be pretty leary of letting him kiss you for a while, and that's fine until you trust he's learned. I don't believe you "should react" any way that's not natural - how else is he going to learn the real consequences of his actions?

editing to add a response to the "bite him back" people: If at this age he just doesn't understand that it hurts you, how is he likely to understand why you are biting him? At least try first to get him to trust you when you say it hurts.

I'm not condemning people who use this as a last resort; I'm sure there are children out there who really won't learn it any other way. But in my experience, ten-month-olds generally don't fall into that category.

L.,

All four of my kids did this when teething. They are too young to sit down and talk about your feelings. It doesn't matter if you give positive or negative attention, to a 10 month old - it is attention.

When you see it coming, head him off. Turn him around. Don't give him the opportunity. Don't react or pretend to notice. If he bites while nursing, the meal ends. Don't talk about it or react, just end the meal.

Give them a heads up at day care as well. Just say, "I think he is teething and has started using people as chew toys. Would you keep an eye on him around the other babies?"

You can also give your son things that are okay to sink his gums into until the teething passes. Kids prefer different things; you can try washcloths, soft or hard teething toys, frozen peas, etc. Don't be surprized if this comes back with every tooth until all 20 are in.

Good luck,
S.

This is very simple and straight from the physicians: say "no biting" firmly and put him down and walk away from him. If you are consistent, he will learn and stop.

I have not had this happen yet - my daughter is just 8 weeks old. But my midwife had talked about it when I asked her about teething. She said if they bite you or clamp down on your nipple or do anything that hurts with their mouth to put your finger on their mouth and say very firmly "NO" just like with a puppy. This helps them associate that they have done something with their mouth that you did not like. Hope this helps.

It is definitley teething. my 13 month old is doing the same thing. She is getting her molars now. I tell her no and say that is not nice and that hurts people. I give her a teething ring or a toy to chew on and she usually stops biting my husband and I. I also give her teething tabs. They are sold at Walgreens and Walmart. That helps take the pressure off them. Also she bit me a lot too while nursing and as hard as it was I stopped because she made me bleed. I nursed until 9 months.

My 14 month old was a biter for a very short time. The funny thing is that he only ever bit my husband! He would tell him no very sternly, tap his mouth with his finger saying no bite and put him down or stop playing with him and turn his attention to something else. He mostly did it when he was getting a new tooth.

I'm afraid I'm a mean mom my oldest son was a biter. One day as a last resort when nothing else worked, I bit him back. Just hard enough to show him it hurts, He never did it again!

our now 4 year old son went through a VERY brief biting phase. we just stopped whatever play or activity was happening, gave him a firm "we do NOT bite XYZ (mommy, daddy, etc.)". if we were holding him, he got put down, etc. when he was younger, after we told him no to biting people, we get him a chewy thingy that he could bite on - like a teething ring or something similar. with our son it passed pretty quickly once he figured out it wasn't a game & he got put down, feeding stopped, etc.

good luck!
J.
mom to chase (4) and paige (due 6.2.08)