8 Mo. Old Biting After Every Nursing

My son did the same thing. He only did it when he was teething. After the tooth came through, he stopped biting. (Until the next tooth came along.) Telling him no in a stern voice, screaming, taking it away from him did nothing to really change the problem.

I would suggest that you take him off the breast before he gets to the point of chomping down. Gauge the amount of time he normally feeds for, and then remove him a few minutes before - and switch him to the other breast and remove him before empty as well. That way, he'll never completely empty either breast; and if he is doing it as a signal....he won't have the opportunity.

You may also find some suggestions at www.breastfeeding.com

Best,
C.

The most important thing is to not reward him when he does something you don't like. When my one-year old daughter bites, I tell her firmly, "NO!" and then she's all done nursing for a while. She doesn't like it, but she hardly ever bites now.

If he clamps down, a gentle way to get him to release is to hold him to your breast, sort of pushing him in, until he lets go. Then close up shop, walk away for a bit, and he'll get the idea.

Good luck!

I was always told that when they bite don't pull them away abruptly. This gets a response that they think is funny even though it hurts you. It was suggested to me that instead shove their face into your breast until they let go. It will be harder for them to breath and they won't enjoy it, and eventually they should learn that biting isn't fun.

You should try a nipple shield while feeding. I had the same problem and it helped me a lot.

I breastfed my four and they all did that to me at one point or another. I would flick them on the cheek when they bit me. Not too hard but enough to understand that biting is a no-no. I felt bad at the time and it sounds mean but it's not hurting them and it only took once or twice and they never did it again. I wasn't harsh about it but they got the point. Good luck!

My son would do the same thing and it took me a bit to realize it was because he was teething, and whenever he has new teeth coming in he tries almost chewing a bit, but i have taught him no. I started using some homeopathic teething tablets and that helped as well, Highlands was the brand. It is just their itchy gums and it feels better to them. You just have to teach them it's not ok to do it, while also finding another way for them to sooth the issue. Make sure he has something else to much on, whether its a wet rag or a teething toy:)

I totally feel you pain! I went through the same issue, but my son had 8 teeth and I was bleeding and in tears every time it happened. You have to stop it before he gets more teeth in. It was very hard, I would pull him off and say no, but that wasn't enough. So then I would pull him off, lay him on the floor, and leave the room for a few seconds. Babies will realize they do not want that. Its so hard to find the happy medium. Try to do it sternly but lovingly, because one time he went on strike and was starving, but too scared to latch on. It takes so much patience, but I would even call and ask your doctor for advice, because you really need to get it under control fast! Good luck!

*Hugs* mama; I've been there too, my son did the same thing every time new teeth came through, and I tried every 'discipline' tactic (not sure if discipline really applies at that age just can't find a better word) out there, from yelling Ow, putting him down, no more nursing for x minutes, flicking his cheek, etc. None of that made any difference to him - he most certainly wasn't done eating yet,and I think he was biting more out of frustration at the pain then anything else. (nursing creates a sort of inverse pressure on their gums, which has the opposite effect of chewing something, it increases the pain in tender swollen gums.) The one thing that helped for us was to let him chew something cold before nursing, either a teether in the freezer or just put a damp washrag in the freezer, and then let him nurse while his mouth was still a little numb from the cold. It didn't stop it entirely, and that cold little mouth nursing the first couple times is a bit of a shock, but certainly better then the biting.
Another thing you could try - it didn't work for me & my son, but a friend taught her daughter to bite her shirt... so the baby would nurse, pop off, grab mom's shirt and chew on it for a bit, then go back to nursing. My son never quite caught onto that one, but it seemed to work rather well for them, can't hurt to try, right?
Hugs again, hope those teeth come through soon so you can get back to your regular routine!

My son bit me and I thumped his cheek and told him not to bite momma. If that doesn't work then I would give him a swat on the bottom and tell him NO. Don't let him nurse again until he is really hungry again.

My 7 month old was doing the exact same thing. I did two things. First I did the flick of the cheek and loud voice. It got her attention but did not make her stop. I also got this really great teether and she loves it. It helped her bite less. She finally stopped when her top teeth broke through. She still bites occasionally and I quickly stick the teether in her mouth. At the time I seriously considered switching to formula. Now I am glad I did not. It is definitely hard, I would wake up sore in the night for about a week. As with everything else, it is just a phase. I hope this helps. If you want more info on the teether let me know. -M.

I never had too much trouble with this, but I do remember it happening. I think I used to flick my finger on his/her cheek as soon as it happened. I think that stopped it pretty quick. I believe you are right that it has to do with teething and feeling the teeth come in. Also it shows how smart he is with his clear communication! Perhaps if you started him on a sippy cup it may let him chew on the cup part?

Good Luck,
C. Willis
www.workathomeunited.com/arizona

He could very well be teething! I've been reading up on it to prepare myself for when my little one starts teething (I'm nursing, too). I have read multiple sources and I meet regularly with a lactation consultant and they all say it's normal...but not acceptable. From what I've been told it usually happens at the end of the feeding when the baby is done and is just "playing". My lactation consultant said you should look for other signs that the baby is full and try to remove him then. My 3 month old "plays" when he's full by latching and then unlatching over and over and smiling in between...he thinks he's soooo cute :) I'm sure he'll be a biter when the time comes! Anyway, I'm not sure where you live, but there's a mom support group at Banner Gateway Hospital (Higley and US60), it's mostly just a group of moms who get together and have a good time, but the focus is supposed to be support for breastfeeding moms. This week we're supposed to discuss teething! It doesn't matter if you delivered at that hospital or not...you can attend as my personal guest ;) It's totally free and there is a lactation consultant there and an RN, too. I've learned so much info! I hope that you can get him to stop the biting...I can't imagine how much it must hurt! Good luck, A.

Maybe you can avoid his biting by taking him off the breast a minute or two before he might chomp down; saying something to the effect that it's all gone and let's go to the other side. He's gotten most of what he needs in the first few minutes; obviously a very healthy little guy.(You must know the trick of taking him off by sliding your finger in and keeping the jaws apart.)

C. Villa

When this first happened to me I found that it was because my daughter was ready for solid food. She was still hungry after breastfeeding. I fed her solid food 3 times a day plus breastfeeding. That did the trick until once again she started to bite. My friend said that now she needed protein. This has worked up until now. If it is not a food issue and he is just playing then push him into your breast and say no and then release him. All of these things have worked for me at different times. I suggest feed him or if you are already on solid food, feed him something more substantial before you really get sore or he draws blood. That happened to me. Way no fun! Good luck! :)

Unfortunately this is very normal, but doesn't have to be ongoing. You've got some great advise on stopping before he has a chance to give you this signal. My 4 boys did this when they were done, too. I put my thumb in the side where their lips come together and pulled back toward their cheek until they released. This not only gave me relief, but gave enough discomfort that they got the idea to stop. I would just leave my thumb right by their mouth, so that I could catch it right away. Sometimes I could even tell that they were near that point of biting and remove them before it happened. It seems to be the closest to the actual offense so that they understand what not to do. At such a young age, our response needs to be as close to the offense as possible so they get the point. A bit of pain to the mouth gets the message across. Also yelling, or faces of shock can make it seem like play to them, so as little reaction as possible will actually help.
Hope this helps. Hang in there!