Pinching

[NotQuiteCockney]

DS2, 9 months, has started pinching me really badly while feeding. He always does it with his left hand. He takes a tiny tiny bit of flesh, from the aereola (sp!) and ow ow ow ow!

I'm trying to hold onto that hand while feeding, but as my hands aren't allowed anywhere near my boob or his face while he's eating, it's a bit tricky. Any tips?

[icklelulu]

My DS is 7 months and has started doing this! I either give him a small toy to hold or muslin square and if that doesnt work I just take him off the breast and start again until he relises its not good to pinch!! Good luck

[Ruthiebaby]

Like icklelulu says...try giving him something else to hold onto.
My ds pinches the back of my right arm terribly sometimes....I just go OW OW OW and it tends to distract him and he stops. Unfortunately I may have to do it over and over and over and over....he also scratches my boobs to bits.

Babies eh....you gotta love them !

[TracyK]

you can get breast feeding necklaces for them to play with. there are previous threads on this.

[NotQuiteCockney]

I'll have to give more toys, I guess. It's not so bad when it's his top arm, IYSWIM, it's when it's the bottom one. I mostly feed him lying across my lap, so I can't really reach the bottom hand, much less restrain it ...

I ended up shrieking and putting him down on the floor at one point today, when we were out. He wasn't very pleased, but then, neither was I.

[spidermama]

Ouch! Mine's just started the same practise. I hold his hand and say, 'NO!'. No that he cares. He thinks it's funny! Crap advice really then. Sorry.

[NotQuiteCockney]

Sympathy also helps!

Holding the top hand seems to work fine. It's just that tricky bottom hand ... he was mad for a small plastic ruler for a while there, I could try to put something like that in his hand ... or my phone! He loves my phone ...

I can always treat it like biting, if I have to ... quick put-down and walk away for 15 seconds. It's just so unpleasant, for both of us.

[NotQuiteCockney]

Kama, maybe you could put mittens (socks, whatever) on her hands?

[NotQuiteCockney]

It's funny the stuff they do while feeding ... DS2 does a lot of slapping my boobs. Maybe it helps with letdown?

[spidermama]

I actually have little bruises of various colours (depending on their age) where my 5 month old has pinched then twisted skin! Once I said, 'NO' firmly, he stopped feeding abruptly, the bottom lip went out and .... WAAAAAAAA!
Aw. I felt terrible.