She won't stop biting me

[mama*pisces]

I at my wit's END with this. It's been happening every day for at least the past month. My little girl is two weeks shy of one and I have now nicknamed her "pirahnna". I don't know what to do! I've tried setting her down immediately afterwards,with a firm: "NO bite" She just looks at me, with those big innocent brown eyes. And setting her down is what she wants most of the time, I think, so the point is missed. She KNOWS the sign for all done, b/c she does it most of the time when she's done eating. I thought I had found the solution with giving her a chilled teething ring, and reminding her "No bite" before the nursing session -- she had actually began to stop nursing and nibble on the teething ring when she needed to. But just now she was holding it in her hand and bit me soooo hard, and not just bit, but clamped down and pulled away with my nipple still in her mouth. I can't take much more of this!!! Right now she is so tired and needs a nap, butIam going on a bit of nursing strike because I really feel like I might flip out if she bites me again.

Also, I know one method is to push her head gently into my breast as she's biting. I have not been able to do this so far, as it goes directly against my instinct to get her AWAYYYY from my breast as fast as possible. I suppose I should really try my best to remember to do that, since nothing else is working consistently. Ugh.

Please help....

[MayasMama88]

I've heard that children often bite when they are done breastfeeding (at the end of a nursing session), or when they simply don't want to breastfeed at that moment. Do you think she could just not want to nurse? Is she possibly weaning herself?

[wookie]

i`ve so been there in the last few weeks. my nipples were raw and bleeding at one point and my son is 15mo! our problem wasn`t biting but refusing to `let go. he used to chomp down and then pull away just like yours which led to bloodcurdling pain. anyway, bringing him in close didn`t help me but what did was to pinch his nose closed for a second. to breathe he opened his mouth and i was home free! maybe worth a try for you.

[mama*pisces]

Thanks for the reply, mayasmama - if that were the case though, I think she would have gone to sleep without a problem while I was walking her around in the Ergo, but she kept reaching in my shirt trying to nurse(I tried giving her a pacifier to help her sleep, but she mostly just plays with those, doesn't really keep them in her mouth). I finally gave in because she seemed exhausted, and she went to sleep pretty quickly, without biting. She is definitely a comfort nurser, but seems to be at a very busy stage with trying to learn how to walk and exploring her surroundings ...so it could be that she is just getting her fill very quickly and wants to move onto other things. Right now I am mostly doing "Don't offer, don't refuse" -- I have no real intentions of weaning, though trust me, it IS tempting at this point! I'm just going to let her nurse only when SHE tells me she wants to nurse. I did refuse earlier because I was fed up and in pain, but did give in like I said. Sigh...I nursed my ds for two years and ten months and he did go through a biting stage, but the chilled teething ring before hand and setting him down with a firm: "No bite" always seemed to work. He did bite, but it was short-lived. This seems like it may never end....

[mama*pisces]

Originally Posted by wookie

i`ve so been there in the last few weeks. my nipples were raw and bleeding at one point and my son is 15mo! our problem wasn`t biting but refusing to `let go. he used to chomp down and then pull away just like yours which led to bloodcurdling pain. anyway, bringing him in close didn`t help me but what did was to pinch his nose closed for a second. to breathe he opened his mouth and i was home free! maybe worth a try for you.

Hmm...that seems like it would be more effective! Now, I only need to remember to do that instead of screaming in pain...

[larzanna]

Well, what worked for me and my DS (and ya this is probably not gentle) Was i SCREAMED BLOODY MURDER and FORCEFULLY put him on the floor, facing AWAY from me. Got up walked/stopped off and acted REALLY MAD. (like really, i scared him silly)

He never bit me again.

I did go after like a minute and got him comforted him and explaned that we DO NOT bite mommy and then i did nurse him.

Just my 2 cents.

[mama*pisces]

Thanks for your input...I really don't want to scare her like that on purpose though...I feel bad enough about the times I've spoken sternly to her and got no reaction out of her.

I'm focusing on the squeezing her nostrils shut for a second idea...I think I can handle that. The pushing her face into my breast idea seems, wrong to me on an instinctual level, I think because that's closing off both her nose and her mouth which shuts off all her incoming oxygen. It's only for a second, but still. I actually tried the nose thing today and it worked. So...we'll see how it goes...thank you so much for your input, mamas! If anyone has any other experiences or advice to add, please feel free.

[mommy22boys]

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[mama*pisces]

Just want to update here - the storm seems to have passed. She hasn't bitten me in a good three days, after over a month of biting me SEVERAL times a day. I did the closing her nostrils thing once or twice, I think she bit me once after that and hasn't done it since. THANK YOU, Wookie!

[roses25]

I hope the biting continues to stay away from you. My 14 month old bites me quite a bit and I haven't come up with a solution. I feel that he does it when his teeth are bothering him. Pulling him in tight against my breast doesn't work ....he thinks it's funny. Saying ouch and putting him down makes him cry, but I don't feel like it works either for long term. For me trying to ignore it works the best otherwise he laughs and thinks it's a game. My son will also bite my leg, my clothes, etc. when his teeth are bothering him.

Carolyn