Biting! 8 month old - HELP!

[nmelanson]

This is my 2nd son. He's been a biter from the beginning, He also pinches and scratches and is all together rough! i know it's just a sensation thing, but it hurts.He seemed to stopbiting  for a while, but has started again! He is currently teething and also recently got an ear infection, so I'm thinking it might be connected. For a few days I had serious anxiety about nursing because I was unsure as to whether he was going to bite or nurse. I actually expressed one day and refused to nurse for a few hours. I DONT WANT TO LIVE MY LIFE LIKE THIS! I have screeched a couple of times (he has a couple of teeth), and he just thinks it's funny. Now when he bites sometimes he does it slowly and watches for a reaction - it's like a reward. I'm not sure what to do. I've tried putting my breast away, to see if he makes the connection but I'm not sure if he'll understand. I often can't just stop nursing  either becuase he needs it to fall asleep. I feel cornered, tense and anxious.

Any tips?

[NewBeginnings1]

My MIL of 7 bf kids recommends a stern short comment " No Biting ". I'm starting to have the same problem with my DS1. Luckily he only has 2 bottom teeth....for now! I plan to say "no biting" as I use a finger to break the bite. Right now I'm able to immediately resume. I also noticed that he might be biting because the flow has stopped, making him bored and hungry. I tried switching breasts and then he was happy as he ate. He might also benefit from a teether before BF to get all of the biting out of his system. 

[Mama4life14]

That's exactly like my son. He thought it was funny. No matter how stern I would get, he wouldn't stop. So I just started to ignore it. Even if it hurt me, I would just bite my lip and say nothing. No expression and no getting mad, and he would eventually stop and go to sleep.  He doesn't do it anymore. (he's now 16 months old) he understands a bit better that it's not a nice thing to do. He really only did it when he was teething too. I think my son was just bored or I wasn't paying enough attention to him when he was nursing. So I would try singing to him or rubbing his head while he nursed to sleep and he usually wouldn't look for the extra attention. Hope it gets better. Biting hurts!!!     

[moonfirefaery]

My oldest got his first teeth at 3 months old, and I always just took him off the breast for a few moments if he bit--for longer and longer durations. Every couple of months it'd come up again, and I'd handle it the same way. There wasn't really a whole lot of biting. He learned pretty quick not to do that if he wanted his milk!

[megannt]

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/older-baby/nursing-manners.html

Also, if it continues to the point that you can seriously not handle BFing anymore, think about contacting your local LLL leader.I did when my daughter was biting. Thankfully she stopped, but it's nice to talk to a IBLC, someone who really knows their stuff. Then, if need be, you can make an appt. with a IBLC. There are some medical reasons that lead to biting that can be easily fixed.

I know that when they are teething, sometimes they use your nipple as a teether. I would try giving a teether, especially something cold that will numb the gums, right before you BF, if you think your baby is teething.

[PatioGardener]

Mine is 11 months old, and telling him that it hurts me works pretty well. I'm vigilant, and if he does manage to bite I smooth him into me, sharply say NO, take him off and tell him that it hurts when he bites, so we are going to have a break for a minute and he can nurse again when he has stopped biting. I also give him a teething ring for that time so he can bite on something that is not me!

[Quinalla]

I handled it by unlatching, saying no biting mommy firmly, giving a teether and saying she could bite this, a short break, and then trying again if she wanted. If she bit again I would unlatch, say no biting mommy firmly, sit her on the floor for a short bit with a teether and then trying again if she wanted. At that age, ~30 seconds was plenty long IME. She didn't ever try biting a third time in a row, she either settled down to eat or didn't want to eat anymore and would play or whatever. I'm not sure how I would have handled it if she kept trying to bite, but it isn't something I could tolerate, so I wanted to show her firmly and consistently that biting meant no nursing. Giving alternatives that she could bite seemed to really help her. She also has a little ducky blanket which she bites a lot (and sucks on and whatnot too) and she seems to be using that when she needs to bite since it is generally around. I'm sure it won't work for all kids, what does right , but it might help you!