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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

stopping breastfeeding

16 replies

scooter777 · 04/11/2005 15:00

Hi to anyone that can help my son is 13 months old and he has just cut tooth number 4. Someone help please I cant get him off the breast and he bites, he will not take a bottle and when i dont give him my breast he screams until he makes him self sick, can someone please help me and give me some advice it is really getting me down thanks................

OP posts:
sweetkitty · 04/11/2005 15:08

Does he take water of juice from a beaker?

I stopped BFing DD at 12 months, I dropped a BF every 3-4 weeks then instead of her last BF at night gave her a beaker of milk instead, first few times she only took a few sips but she got the idea. Then one morning she never got up for her 6am feed and I gave her a beaker of milk at 8am she was happy with this. She loves her beaker of milk in the morning and often brings it up to the kitchen gate for a second helping.

I never got any soreness or tenderness in my boobs either.

Original poster
scooter777 · 04/11/2005 15:14

He wont take any thing from a bottle or beaker it has been going on for 2 to 3 weeks now i have tried every thing i even used some nipple guards but he seemed to no they were there and screemed the place down.

OP posts:
starlover · 04/11/2005 15:21

instead of weaning him off the breast have you tried to stop the biting?
did he do this when he cut his other teeth?

a good way to stop biting is when he does it push his head into your boob... that will make him open his mouth to breathe... keep doing it and he will soon figure out not to bite

Original poster
scooter777 · 04/11/2005 15:26

No he never bit me befor its just since he got the last tooth he has 2 on the bottom and 2 on the top now, and thanks I will try that and see if it works its just I am really sore now and I dont no how long I can Keep it up for.

OP posts:
sweetkitty · 04/11/2005 15:27

If DD bit I would take her off the boob then reattach her if she did it again I would put boob away, she seemed to get it!

Original poster
scooter777 · 04/11/2005 15:33

I have tried putting it away I just get a bad head with the screeming, I have a little girl who is 2 and a half and she came off the boob with out any hassle, I think he just wants to make me hurt for some reason.

OP posts:
starlover · 04/11/2005 15:35

i doubt that very much scooter! some babies just LOVE to breastfeed, especially when they need comfort. he doesn't know he is hurting you

Original poster
scooter777 · 04/11/2005 15:40

I no sorry I should not of said that its just the way he is making me feel, I have to go now he is awake thanks for your advice and if anyone else has any more it would be a great help. THANKS.......

OP posts:
3cherubs · 04/11/2005 16:09

Hi Scooter,

I think you should ask yourself the question as to whether you want to continue breastfeeding and if so how long for. Sure you may get past the biting thing, but sooner or later baby needs to learn to use a cup. To be honest, I think trying to get baby on a bottle now at 13 months is a bit pointless, as then you will have given baby another thing which you will need to try and wean him off of.

I had the same problem when my 9 month old cut her teeth. I then decided it was too painful to continue and got her onto cups. I would basically give her a few sips at each meal. Put some cool boiled water in a beaker and let her play around with it between meals.Have set snack times with milk in the beaker - you can do all this gradually by taking away one feed at a time. Just use the beakers with holes, not the non-spill ones. She also liked the "sports bottle" type things as well! Initially she did not take much liquid, but as time went on it increased and somehow she managed not to get too thirsty!

I tried all sorts of things to stop the biting, but in the end I was a teething ring for her and the time had come to move her onto the next stage by giving her cups. It is a personal decision, but rest assured at 13 months the food intake should be sufficient for her to cut down to some extent on the breastfeeding if you decide to go this route.

starlover · 04/11/2005 16:10

3cherubs a baby will eventually stop wanting the breat by themselves.
it isn't necessary to wean them off of it (unless of course you want to!)

3cherubs · 04/11/2005 16:22

I wanted too... the biting was getting to painful and she was showing no sign of stopping. (I tried all previous suggestions in this thread.)I needed to wean her off slightly more gradually as firstly by boobs needed adjusting and secondly I wanted to make sure she was still getting enough milk. (Rather than cold turkey!)

I would debate the point about babies natrully always weaning themselves off the boob - some babies love feeding and will carry on happily until you wean them off. I have had friends who have fed theirs until 2 years old and have shown no sign of stopping by themselves. Saying that my second child stopped by choice at 9 months. I believe all babies are different...

starlover · 04/11/2005 16:23

what's wrong with feeding at 2 though?

a child WILL stop breastfeeding when they are ready. that may mean they are 3 years old... but all i am sayig is that if you don't want to stop you don't have to... it isn't important to wean them off and force them to use a cup

mojomummy · 04/11/2005 16:43

My Dd went through a biting stage (at similar age). I was distressed about this & didn't want to stop, but didn't want to be stop feeing/be hurt/lose a nipple.

I read that it's impossible to bit & drink. So the moment my dd stop sucking I put my finger between her mouth & my nipple & got out quick. I think this may have happened a couple of times & then she stopped.

I bf her until she was 2 & with alot of sharp teeth in her mouth.

If you imagine it from their point of view - new teeth = try them out !

sharpen your reflex's & give it a try !

3cherubs · 04/11/2005 17:16

Starlover,
I couldn't agree more, of course it is about choice and I fully support that. No problem with breastfeeding as long as you like, but the time does eventually come when a child may need to be encouraged to find another method for getting liquid - at whatever age.

Just thought I would give some support, as the topic for this discussion was "Stopping breastfeeding" so I was under the impression advice was sought for both the biting issue and for giving up the boob...

Original poster
scooter777 · 04/11/2005 17:27

Hi 3cherobs

Thank you for your advice there, everyone is telling me he will come off the breast when he is ready but i can't take the pain no more so i am gonna have to keep trying to get him onto a cup its just hard work cause he is just one of them children that does not want to. I guess if i cant get him off I will have to just stop it altogether if he is thirsty he will have to try the cup.

OP posts:
3cherubs · 04/11/2005 17:37

Best of luck - they all get there eventually!

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