Biting...oh my God the biting.

[NewMom610]

My 7 month old is biting down hard when he latches.  He's got his top and bottom teeth so it hurts. 

He's doing it at the beginning of nursing sessions, so I calmly remove him, put down my shirt, and wait a few minutes to try again.  That worked for about a week, but now he does it every single time. 

Any ideas?  Could he just be adjusting to latching with 4 teeth?  His top two both just came through in the last two weeks.

[PatioGardener]

Are you explaining to him that he is hurting you (the nummies, etc.) and if the nummies are hurt then they can't make milk as well?

Also, when in feed does he bite?

Oh, and I hear you!  We just got through this.

http://www.mothering.com/community/forum/thread/1296119/biting-help

[canadiangranola]

My first bit me on and off for almost a year (sorry! :( )

I finally cried one day b/c he bit me so hard and he never did it again. I think it scared him to see me cry. 

It could be that his teeth feel weird now, he's trying to get used to how they feel in his mouth. 

Here's what we did with kids 2 and 3. Every time they bit I ended the session. Just for a minute, but they quickly figured out that biting = no nursing. Remind him to open really wide BEFORE he latches on, that has really helped with all of mine. If you are kind and consistent, but still firm with the fact that he cannot bite you, that will help. 

You could also try having something on hand ( a teething ring, soft toy?) that he could chew on. Offer that when he bites and tell him he can bite this, but not mama.

Good luck to you, I remember how frustrating it can be.

Anno

[Super~Single~Mama]

Originally Posted by canadiangranola 

My first bit me on and off for almost a year (sorry! :( )

I finally cried one day b/c he bit me so hard and he never did it again. I think it scared him to see me cry. 

It could be that his teeth feel weird now, he's trying to get used to how they feel in his mouth. 

Here's what we did with kids 2 and 3. Every time they bit I ended the session. Just for a minute, but they quickly figured out that biting = no nursing. Remind him to open really wide BEFORE he latches on, that has really helped with all of mine. If you are kind and consistent, but still firm with the fact that he cannot bite you, that will help. 

You could also try having something on hand ( a teething ring, soft toy?) that he could chew on. Offer that when he bites and tell him he can bite this, but not mama.

Good luck to you, I remember how frustrating it can be.

Anno

yup.

With one addition.  When you end the nursing session, really and truly end it.  Go wash dishes.  Go to the bathroom.  Do something else.  Say, "It really hurts mommy when you bite.  When you bite we can't nurse" then walk away (while baby is in a safe place, or take them with you - boobies need to be put away though).  Don't nurse for a good 10minutes (they won't starve, but they may get upset which is OK).  After 10 minutes, if baby still wants to nurse, say, "Ok, we can try again.  No biting"  If baby bites again, stop for longer.

I found that just un-latching didn't work with my ds, but putting my boobs away and going to do dishes worked - cause it helped him make the connection that biting = no boobies.  Just un-latching seemed to turn it into a game for him - he thought it was fun to see how many times he could do it without me getting mad (he's a bit of a teaser).

[littlest birds]

They can't bite when they are properly latched--they have to pull back to bite.  I learned to push the babe back ON the breast firmly to force a latch--if she wasn't interested in real nursing anymore then she would decide to let go after that.  Otherwise it consistently caused her to relatch.

This was an absolute lifesaver and worked great!  I wish I'd known sooner