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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

OwOwOW biting

14 replies

beela · 15/03/2011 12:21

My DS has his first tooth. He's had it for about 4 weeks now, but has just started biting me every time we start a feed. After a couple of nibbles, me saying 'no' quite firmly, cheeky grin from him, he settles into a good feed.

I have been working on getting firmer with him and almost made him cry with one 'no' earlier on Sad but it doesn't seem to be working. I have just fed him and he bit so hard that he drew blood! So I stopped for a bit and tried him on the other side, that was fine.

I don't want to stop breastfeeding yet as we had so much trouble to start with getting going, and I really felt that we had both got the hang of it and were starting to relax with it.

He is 5 months old, and is ebf although has just started having the occasional bit of baby rice or pear maybe that has got him confused about how to use his mouth?

What do I do to stop him mangling my nipples??

OP posts:
IAmTheCookieMonster · 15/03/2011 12:26

When my bites I say "bitey, bye bye" and put him down and put my boob away. If he wants more then we start again as if he hadn't bitten. It seems to have worked.

(I get cheeky grins from "No!")

When we went away he was biting me and drawing blood, but as soon as we got home it stopped. He was 10 months so I put him on formula in the day time for 2 days while I healed, but I wouldn't have done that at 5 months.

Could he have another tooth coming through? Could some teething gel help? I know that it can numb your nipple and affect the feed, but thats better than it bleeding!

Nipple shield while you heal?

5DollarShake · 15/03/2011 13:29

Same with us - I would say 'no biting' and take him off, lay him down and wait then try again. He got the message soon enough.

If I just said no and kept him there, I'd get cheeky grins too.

DD is 7 months and has just cut her first tooth, so I am dreading the biting.

Original poster
beela · 15/03/2011 14:43

Thanks ladies for your replies.

I think he has got his second tooth coming through so perhaps that is part of the problem.

I will try taking him away for a few minutes next time it happens, as it seems a bit of a mixed message to say 'no' and then put it back in for it to happen again!

Hopefully it will get better, in the meantime I will dig out the mipple shields...

OP posts:
Original poster
beela · 15/03/2011 14:44

nipple shields, obv.

OP posts:
JessieEssex · 15/03/2011 21:46

Hi - I'm having the same problem - DD aged 7mo has got two bottom teeth and bites me at the end of almost every feed. It's in no way accidental, and she clamps down and then pulls her head back sharply. OWWWWWWWWWW. I say 'no' very firmly and cover up my boob, but she smiles and goes back in for another bite! I'm going to have to actually remove her from me to get the point across I think. At the moment she sees it as a game. I really want to keep on feeding for at least a few more months, but the pain is making me question it for the first time... Good luck beela!

Original poster
beela · 16/03/2011 07:58

I feel the same jessie - the biting is making me consider stopping earlier than originally planned. I am determined to get to at least 6 months though.

I have discovered that not looking at him when he is latching on (as he bites at the start of the feed) seems to make a difference - I think he is looking for a reaction, so if he thinks I am ignoring him perhaps he won't bother. I didn't think he was old enough to be naughty, but perhaps he is.

Their teeth are VERY sharp, aren't they?!

OP posts:
JessieEssex · 18/03/2011 09:42

beela I guess its worse for you to have your DS bite you at the beginning of a feed. At least I can be pretty sure that my DD has had enough and I can stop without depriving her! I spoke to one of our HV's assistants on Weds (as the HV herself is useless) and she said that I should just stop feeding, put the boob away and change activity, trying my hardest not to react in any way. At her age, my DD has no concept of being 'told off', and all she sees is that she gets a reaction when she does a certain thing. So no reaction and no more milk is the way forward... Come to think of it, she didn't bite me yesterday so perhaps it is working! She does love her feeds and so do I (we were snuggled up in bed together this morning for a good 45 mins) so I really hope that we can carry on!

Unrulysun · 18/03/2011 10:45

Dd is ten months and she stopped doing this for a while and has started again - also with the cheeky grin Grin. I'm going to try taking her off completely. Just stopped in to sympathise with the OWOWOW really!

thegauntlet · 18/03/2011 21:12

dd now coming up for 10 months, and i only made it to 8 1/2 months ( i was probably going to stop anyway- ttc etc) but it was the final straw for me when she drew blood. She started off with the little nip at the start and end of a feed around 5 months when the lower 2 incisors came in, then started to bite randomly during the feed too..she got all 4 top and 4 bottom teeth by 7 months, and in the last 6 weeks I couldn't really BF outside the house, or in company as I was often in tears using all sorts of bad language
I have heard that it does pass when they aren't teething, but that can be up to 36 months ( i am a dentist)

domesticungoddess · 19/03/2011 19:09

My 5 month old has just started to bite. It really is sore isn't it. I didn't realise their teeth were that sharp. Kellymom has a good section on what to do. I am going to carry on breast feeding I hope as she is still so little. Good luck also and keep me posted with your progress....

www.kellymom.com/bf/older-baby/biting.html

domesticungoddess · 19/03/2011 19:10

oh the link didn't work properly I will try again...

www.kellymom.com/bf/older-baby/biting.html

Original poster
beela · 20/03/2011 10:35

Thanks for the link, some helpful advice there.

I am going to just feed off one side today to give the injured side a rest. Then if I express off the other side I will build up the stocks in the freezer for DP to feed him when I want a break in the future Grin

The teething is bad at the moment, I think that is what is causing the problem, poor little boy. I will persevere for a while longer and hopefully he will find something more interesting to do than bite me!

No reaction is definitely the most effective so far, although can involve a certain amount of teeth gritting (on my part!).

OP posts:
LoodleDoodle · 20/03/2011 19:06

My DD went through a phase of this at 5 months and again at a year. Dont bother taking them off or telling them off, instead pull them in tight, just for a second, as this means they need to let go to breathe, with no extra ouch to you. A few times of this and my DD soon stopped, and we are happily still BFing at 15 months. Good luck!

Boilable · 20/03/2011 19:17

I'm with Loodle. Your reaction is to pull them off, but if you pull them in and cover the nostril for a second they let go pretty quick.

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