Biting my nipple: gonnae nae dae that!!

[highlander]

Oh, how we admired DS's new front teeth. Cute smile etc etc.

The wee bugger bit me twice today though. Yes, it hurt

I closed up my bra both times and chatted to him for a bit. He yelled then we re-latched.

Is this the right thing to do to deter him from nipping me again? Given that he's only 5mo and I plan to BF until 1 year, I'd like a deterrent plan of action!

[gingerbear]

Ouch, I remember the pain of this vividly!
When DD did this to me, I yelped, told her not to bite cos it hurt mummy, then latched on again. If she did it again I did the same.

Someone told me to stuff more boob in her mouth as then she could suck but not bite - seemed to work.

DD was breastfed for 12 months btw, so we managed without tears eventually.

[pinkwhistle]

Highlander, when dd did this she was a bit older, probably about 7 or 8 months, so not sure my plan of attack will work the same for a 5 month old but it worked like a charm for me!

I was told to try not to yell "ouch" (or similar ) as it makes bub think it's a funny game. Instead, a loud and stern "NO!". Say nothing else, put bub down, and leave the room briefly, without looking at bub or smiling. On return, greet with a warm smile and cuddle and try it again.

Basically this means bub learns that biting is associated with negative things, rather than positive things! I think even at 5 months babies are cluey enough to figure that out. I did this with dd and she never bit me again, even though we bf for 14 months. It might seem harsh but it is effective and means avoiding a battle (and pain!) so worth it IMHO.

[NotQuiteCockney]

highlander, your method should work, as should pinkwhistle's. As she says, I'd be wary of saying ouch or making any interesting noises. I've also heard that giving more breast, as in actually pressing them into the boob for a moment, works. I might have done this one, I don't remember.

I do remember that when DS1 really bit me, at a year, and drew blood, I howled, pulled him off, and swore to stop feeding. Oddly enough, he didn't do it again for the rest of his time breastfeeding (6 more months).

[Pidge]

Highlander - dd got teeth at 5 months too, and bit me a couple of times around that stage. I just said NO pretty loudly and very firmly, took her off the breast and ended the feed. Handed her to someone else if they were around. She really did stop doing it very quickly. And we kept feeding till she was 2, by which point she had a mouthful of teeth.

Good luck!

[Clayhead]

I remember this! Luckily both times they stopped doing it. bf dd for 12 months (she had 12 teeth then, I think), ds for 15 (he had 16 teeth).

I did the same as Pidge and it worked for me.

Good luck

[mears]

How brilliantly you are doing Highlander

When I got bitten I stopped feed and put the boob away. Babes soon got the message. Unfortunately DD bit me again suddenly when she was 15 months old. I yelled out and it gave her such a fright she refused to feed again I tried for 2 weeks to get her to feed again, even waiting till she was half asleep. No go. So when it happend, try not to yell!

[Gwenick]

I did the 'EEEEEEEEEEEEK', yank off breast method - he was obsessed with milk as a baby and didn't like it disappearing - bit me 3 times and never did it again :-)

[highlander]

so far, so good. He's not done it since. The second tooth is fully through now - I think he was just using my boob as a teething ring for a couple of days! God forbid he should deny himself booby!

[highlander]

sweetkitty, funny I was steeling myself for exactly the same comment from my MIL