I've got a biter...

[PatioGardener]

Hi Mamas of Past-Biters,

Please tell me this will pass. 

My ~9 month old has taken to nipping me when the mood strikes him.  I am trying to maintain vigilance, to take him off before he just *has* to nip me, not to let him play at the breast (also brings up the urge to nip) etc.  When he bites I push his face into me and he immediately releases, so I haven't really been hurt by this - yet - but my goodness it is annoying and it makes nursing stressful at times!

Happy "this happened to me and we worked through it" stories would be greatly appreciated.  Please no "she bit off my nipple so we weaned" tales - I can't take them right now.  Thanks!

[Buzzer Beater]

[PatioGardener]

Originally Posted by Buzzer Beater 

thanks!

Anyone have a story to share?

[staceychev]

I'm going through this now, too, with DD2. I'm just doing what I did with DD1: pull off and saying "No bite!" and making strong eye contact. If she does it several times in a row, we're done nursing. If memory serves, it was a very short phase with DD1, and I ended up nursing her until age four. So... hoping it goes as well this time! Good luck!

[lurve]

when DD did this i would push her head into my breast so that she would let go and then i would scream really loud "ouch" and with feeling (it was easy to do!). i would then put her down and walk away and explain "no biting." it took awhile but she is four years old today and doesn't bite anymore and still nurses!

[Super~Single~Mama]

It's a phase and it really does end :)  Whenever my ds bit I would unlatch him (pushing him into my boob didn't work, he was too strong for that) and stop nursing for a good solid 10-15minutes, and I would basically ignore and crying that he did about being hungry during that time - I know its anti-MDC but he thought biting me was funny and I didn't - so he got ignored if he was hungry.  Then, before I would nurse him again I would tell him, If you bite me, there will be no more nursing for an hour.  I know he didn't get it, or understand the time constraint,  but then I would nurse him and if he bit he would get a sippy cup with water.  It ended pretty quick

[PatioGardener]

thanks for the stories!  do you guys remember how long this phase lasted?  i could do with an idea of how long this may last.  my nipples are sore!

thanks!

ps. I'm doing everything by the book - taking him off, saying no biting, putting him down, being careful at the end of a feed etc.  he never nips more than once a feed, and usually only once a day.  but it hurts.  and i tire of it!

nak

[Super~Single~Mama]

Honestly I think it lasted a month or 2.  Then he would very rarely bite, and I would just not nurse him for a while.

Is your baby teething?  That was one of main triggers for my ds, so when it was really awful I would give teething tabs before a nursing session, and that helped some too (he wasn't in pain, so no need to bite maybe?).

[PatioGardener]

Update: Well, it lasted about another 2 weeks and then things got MUCH better. It was a phase - one I expect to return with the new teeth that are about to come in. But I survived it once and have the tools now to get through it again. Thanks to you all for your ideas, stories and most of all sympathy!