Is this the end of breastfeeding?

[lightsandshapes]

Im still feeding DS who is 16 months and he is very attached to it and feeds several times a night. However he now finishes most feeds with a hard bite on my nipple and a grin.... I usually yelp and shake my head as if to say noooooo and he promptly copies and shakes his head too. This bloody hurts. Is this the end of bf? I honestly cant relax feeding him when I know this is coming, and I'm tense all the time feeding him now. He is amused by my reaction, but its so painful I can't not react.....has anybody got past this and continued to feed???

If he does it as he falls a sleep you can learn to slip a finger in an break latch at the right moment.

If he bites at that age as a game you say no that hurts and plonk him in a safe place and ignore him totally for an appropriate length of time.

Appropriate depends in whether he then gets in a tiz or decides just to find something to play with.

Bitting hurts and is not allowed. That is simply non debatable. Also it's not necessary, DD2 could feed with the odd adult tooth without bitting at 8 years old.

OK DD2 liked feeding and worked out biting got her stuck in the floor aged 8 months.

Thanks for that. How long does the phase last? It seems to be going on for ages. I'm afraid it has almost become ingrained now. A kind of ritual. He really kicks off if I pull him away after he has done it.

Hmm I think it's been several weeks already. Perhaps I need to do more ignoring.... He just looks so distraught when I pull him away after this.

Break the latch, say a firm no and put him on the floor or chair away from you, hopefully he'll soon get the message.

Yes, biting here ALWAYS means the end of the feed. DS learned very quickly that it was in his best interests not to bite. DD has just got her first teeth, and bit me today, so that ended the feed. Waiting to see if she tries it again though!

You have to watch him like a hawk and pre-empt. If you can catch the signs he's about to do it then you can take him off. It became a game to DS. He got bored when I wouldn't let him play

If he's consciously doing it at the end of a feed, then taking him off afterwards won't work. He doesn't understand that it's causing you pain and just thinks that your reaction is funny. Pre-empt and take him off just before he does it, he'll soon get bored :)