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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

When will the biting stop or is this the end of BF???

29 replies

lovely74 · 31/08/2010 11:15

Hi,
my DS is just over 10 months and has been biting me during feeds for about 4 weeks now. He's getting his top teeth so he is teething at the moment, which I know makes the situation worse, but I'm coming to the end of my tether!
I've read the threads on here and Kellymom with advice on how to stop it. When he bites I take him off and say "no that hurts!" and refuse to put him back on for at least a minute. I've also hugged him into me so he lets go, but he doesn't tend to hold on when he does it, just nips towards then end of a feed.
At the moment he has a long feed first thing in the morning, another before his morning nap, one mid afternoon and one early evening. He also "snacks" during the day when he just comes over and has a little blast so to speak. He drinks hardly any water (I'm also working on this) so BM is his main source of liquid. He's doing well with his solids so I don't think his milk needs dropping just yet. He has a FF at bedtime.

If we have a bad day now with biting I find I am tense during each feed, ready to put him off at a moments notice, it's horrible. Thankfully he generally sleeps through the night but a few nights ago when he needed settling (when generally he'd be offered the breast) I had to get DH to give him the bottle as I couldn't face being bitten again.

My DH (not very clued up) thinks this is natures way of telling me to stop. But I don;t want to, I really don;t. I want to feed for as long as I can as it is the most logical and healthy thing for him.
But I can't cope with getting bitten any longer, it's horrible. AND I upset him when I stop him feeding and say "no" firmly.

What do I do????????

OP posts:
ProfessorLaytonIsMyLoveSlave · 31/08/2010 11:21

I found with DS (DD never really tried biting) that I would feel him shift his latch a little before he'd bite. The key seemed to be to recognise that shift and take him off right away before he got a chance to bite. Like yours, biting was generally towards the end of a feed when he wasn't hungry any more and was just looking for something interesting to do -- the trouble there is that if you just take him off after biting then he starts to use the biting to communicate "right, I'm done now" which is the last thing you want, so you preferably want to identify the pre-biting cues that tip you off before he's necessarily aware himself that he's going to bite.

ShrimpOnTheBarbie · 31/08/2010 11:37

My 10 month old is also teething and biting like a maniac. I am her preferred teether! I have tried all the things you've tried and was complaining about it to a new friend of mine the other day and she suggested that I hold her nose for a second when she bites down. I was initially a bit dubious but she ensured me that as I was holding her and in control it wasn't like I was going to be doing anything other than make her open her mouth.

After a couple more really bad bites, I tried it and two quick little nose holds and she seems over the biting!

Not sure if it's for you, but it does work!

(For what it's worth, the taking off for a minute worked with my eldest).

saucetastic · 31/08/2010 12:16

many moons ago was recommended this breastfeeding site by a mumsnetter, and glad to do the same

kellymom on biting

saucetastic · 31/08/2010 12:22

my ds used to bite for England when he was teething.

Eventually he understood after using a firm 'no' and temporarily ending the feed. It wasn't fun, but it did eventually end and we were able to continue to bf for many months afterwards.

ProfessorLaytonIsMyLoveSlave · 31/08/2010 12:29

OP says that she's already read and followed kellymom's advice, though.

Original poster
lovely74 · 31/08/2010 12:30

Thanks, I've looked at Kellymom and the advice is what I've already been doing. I'll just have to carry on with the firm "no" but it's becoming really realy hard to take now. feeling scared of the potential bite at each feed is awful and I have that I'm noew thinking this may be the end. I don;t want to stop, but then it's not fun for either of us at the moment.
Hopefully teething will be over soon.......!

OP posts:
tortoiseonthehalfshell · 31/08/2010 12:34

It does stop! Every time mine was teething we'd go through this, and it was horrible, but just when I thought I was at my limit, it'd stop.

I can tell you that the last time she bit was around 12 months, but it wsan't continous leading up to that, every time it was a brief phase. I fed her till 15 months.

ProfessorLaytonIsMyLoveSlave · 31/08/2010 12:39

I do think that if he's biting specifically at the end of a feed, and not in the middle, then it's important to identify that he's gearing up to bite before he does it . Otherwise "no" and stopping feeding is giving hime exactly what he wants and may be reinforcing the biting rather than discouraging it.

If you really can't pick up any cues that he may be going to bite, I would be tempted to try limiting the length of his major feeds for a while. You know how long he generally feeds for, so trim a couple of minutes off that and actually stop the feed yourself. That might help to break the "biting = end of feed" association so that after a week or so he doesn't do it any more. But it's a bit hit-and-miss and also confusing for the child so if you can identify cues that would be better.

Original poster
lovely74 · 31/08/2010 12:45

I think I feed him more than I really need to as he doesn't drink water at the moment. The biting happens more when he has his "snacky" feeds where he crawls over and pulls at my top. He'll then have a reallt really short feed and nip at the end. It's not as bad (though does happen) when he has his longer feeds (first thing, before naps etc). Could this be a good time to stop feeding on demand or is that a bad thing to do?
If I just give him the longer feeds it's easier to identify the cues that he's finished before he nips.

OP posts:
ProfessorLaytonIsMyLoveSlave · 31/08/2010 12:58

If you're at the point where you are considering stopping altogether, then I probably would stop feeding on demand and just stick to the longer feeds.

jemjabella · 31/08/2010 15:39

We have this problem on and off - when a new tooth is coming in. In our case I've had to curb the comfort sucking because it's always during that (and not actual feeding) that it happens. It does get better, honest.

Original poster
lovely74 · 31/08/2010 20:28

If I stop feeding on demand do I need to supplement with something else ie formula? How do I know he's getting enough nutrition / liquid? This is what worries me! I'm BLW so his food intake really varies, most days he's pretty good but today for example not too much solid food has gone in as he's a little bit off colour.

OP posts:
Ineedsomesleep · 31/08/2010 22:12

Haven't read the whold thread so sorry if I'm repeating.

I had a similar problem with DS. Phoned a bfing counsellor and she asked me to try to feed lying down as this can work. I fed him a few times lying down and then we resumed normal service without the biting.

Original poster
lovely74 · 31/08/2010 22:46

We do the first feed of the day as DH brings him into bed, but he still nips!

OP posts:
Original poster
lovely74 · 31/08/2010 22:47

Sorry I meant we do the first feed lying down.

OP posts:
JaynieB · 31/08/2010 22:51

My DD bit a few times when cutting teeth but she did stop, and we continued bf until she was about 2.5yrs old. The biting only co-incided with teeth cutting, once she had a full set of gnashers she never once bit or nipped.

Original poster
lovely74 · 31/08/2010 22:56

But does this mean it will happen everytime a tooth comes through as he has an awful lot left to come.....!

OP posts:
JaynieB · 31/08/2010 22:59

Not necessarily, I just re-read my post and I've not explained myself well! In my experience DD got more used to the sensation and I think some hurt more than others. She only bit me when cutting the top ones at the front.

Contra · 31/08/2010 23:04

Oh, you have my sympathy. I think you just have to carry on with what you're doing. But it's miserable, isn't it? Not to mention bloody painful.

A word of caution (I hope this isn't horribly unhelpful): I went overboard with my objections, which led to a nursing strike that went on for a full week ('broken' only by the coincidence of DD geting an ear infection).

I became really quite irritated one evening after DD had (seemingly) bitten me all bloody day long. She was doing it to get a reaction, I think; she would look me straight in the eye and THEN bite me. Anyway, I (stupidly) started to take it personally and all but shouted at her.

She was utterly distraught (I am so ashamed of all this Sad) and cried hysterically, then and every time I tried to put her to my breast.

She did come back to it within a week(without the biting, actually), but i thought it was all over. And as soon as I thought that, the biting seemed a minor inconvenience.

Contra · 31/08/2010 23:05

And what Jaynie says: DD's biting phase was around the 15 month mark, when she was cutting her top front teeth.

I can still remember the pain, though! Top sharp little tooth meets bottom sharp little tooth ... waaaaaaaaah!!

Original poster
lovely74 · 31/08/2010 23:08

Jaynie it's the top front ones that are coming through now so maybe that is the problem.
Contra I'm worried about that too. When they do it all day you really can;t help but take it personally! That's why he was given a bottle at night last week as I just couldn't take it on the chin in the dark when knackered!

OP posts:
Contra · 01/09/2010 11:12

I would really try to get through the next couple of weeks, then see if it continues. Once the teeth are both out, he might stop. I hope so :) x

loganberry12 · 01/09/2010 11:17

my baby is 1 year old now and still bites occasionally when bf, when she does she loudly says owch and no no before i can say anything , lol so she nos its naughty

CatherineWaage · 01/09/2010 14:21

Hello, my baby is 8 months and has not exactly started biting, but has a strong hold on my breast so leaves teeth marks. he has 2 top teeth and 2 bottom teeth and possibly others coming at the sides on the top. I have one nipple that he cut so that is painful when he latches on. I have been trying to take him off, say NO and put him back on, or then pull his lower jaw down to encourage him to ease off a bit but he still seems to hold on tight!
Any advice?

CatherineWaage · 01/09/2010 19:38

I've just tried the holding the baby's nose during feeding and this has worked so he loosened his grip, i think it will take a bit more work, but thanks for the tips here

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