Biting

[nhklh]

DS is 11 months old, has 8 teeth and BITES. Hard. It really hurts and he's broken the skin through clothing on both DP and I. I realise it's probably a developmental thing and he'll grow out of it, but I'd really like to encourage him not to do it.

What we have been doing when he bites is saying "no biting, biting hurts" and moving him away from his "target". Often we can catch him about to bite, tell him "no biting" and he will stop before he sinks his teeth in. I used to just ignore the biting, until it got too painful to ignore.

I'm interested in hearing how others have dealt with this, thanks.

[foreverinbluejeans]

Your child is so young that at this age avoiding getting bitten is the best to do. Of course it is important to make sure he isn't around other children or supervise very carefully.

Giving him something to chew on may help. You might also try moist heat and massage of is jaw joint near his ear. I had read when my son was young that this might help and it seemed to. It turned out he had TMJ problems. Chiropractic might be of benefit.

[annettemarie]

A cool teething ring or a wet washcloth (maybe chilled for a little in the fridge) has really helped my little nibblers. When nursing, keep your finger right there ready to pop him off when he gives signs that he's getting restless. I've actually used some grapeseed oil with a little german chamomile and lavender and massaged the spot foreverinbluejeans talks about, and it really helped.

[nhklh]

Thanks girls for your responses. Interesting about the "spot" & the tmj, I took DS for his 1st craniosacral session last week, will have to ask about it all next time.