My 3 month old just started biting down while nursing which took me completely by surprise! My firstborn did the same thing at 7 months which prompted me to wean him. I would rather not wean so early this time and was wondering if anyone had any ideas on how to get her to stop. Also, it seems too early for teething so does anyone have any ideas as to why she would suddenly start doing this?
Thanks to everyone for your support and advice. I tried the technique of stopping the nursing for a minute and telling her "No Biting". After a couple of days it seemed to work. At least she hasn't done it for a while. I appreciate all of your words of encouragment!
What you can do when your baby bites is to pull her in to your breast. What this does is makes her open her mouth. 3 months is young for teething so I'm not sure why she's doing it. My son was like a pirhana some times. The pulling the baby in helped with him. Here's some info from kellymom: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/older-baby/biting.html
Good luck!
Hi Wanda, I went through the same thing as you. I had to stop nursing my son when he was 9 months old because he bit me. My daughter is now 5 months old and she has already 3 teethes!!! She bites me sometimes, but I am trying to keep nursing until I can. I know I am not helping you too much, but I just want to let you know that you are not alone! Good luck.
Ouch is right! My 17 month old is still nursing and has been a biter in the past; usually it's involuntary and happens as she drifts off to sleep. I've learned to keep my finger close to my nipple and break the suction as quickly as possible. However, when she was younger and did it while awake I'd take her off and tell her sternly "that hurts mommy! No no!"
Good luck to you. Stick it out if you can, but there are plenty of healthy, smart formula fed babies who are proof that it really is okay. :)
Since teethign begins long before a tooth erupts, that is certainly a possibility. Many moms report great results with Hylands teethign tablets-they have a calming effect. A Motrin product shoudl not be given to an infant under 6 months and your doctor can give you the dosage for tylenol.
Regardless of the cause, there is no need for you to endure pain during breastfeeding, but it also isn't a reason to wean so early.
When your baby clamps down, respond witha geniune "Ouch, that hurts mommy." Remove her from the breast. (release the suction by inserting a finger in the side of her mouth) Say somethign simple like "don't bite, nurse nicely" and latch her on again. Some babies get it immediatley and some need a few more reminders.
This technique is much like dog training. When teachign a dog to sit, you say the command "sit" and nudge him down. WHen he gets up again, you repoeat the command and nudge him down again until he gets it.
Happy nursing!!
My DD(7) did this at the same time, too. She was teething, and her bottom two teeth came in very quickly. I had to break her quickly, so as much as it hurt me to do so, every time she did it, I took her off the breast, thumped her mouth, and sternly said "NO!" She had to wait about a minute before I'd let her back on (usually to the other side if the bit one hurt too much). I stayed on advil/tylenol for a few days for soreness, and she settled down, and learned to teethe on other things (paci, teether, clean wet washcloths, etc.) I'm not a lactation consultant, but I've nursed 3 to around the 2 year mark (youngest still going at 22 mos), and I'll send you a PM with my number so you can call if you need additional support! :)
Good Luck!!
I didn't have that experience but a friend of mine did and she just pulled out of her mouth every time she started biting and that helped. When it didn't help she (this sounds mean but ....) spatted her leg the second she bit down again in the same feeding. My first son got teeth at 3 months but I had already stopped bfing for other reasons by then.
Good luck!
