Another Biter!

[MrsTittleMouse]

DD is almost 7 months and has just cut her first two teeth. When she just had boney little gums she would sometimes bite, and I would yell out and pull her off. But it didn't stop her. Now she has taken to not only biting me with her teeth, but also holding my nipple with them. I say "no" and stop feeding, but then she throws a tantrum because she's hungry. I've been really consistent about pulling her off the nipple if she bites, but she hasn't learned at all.
If this carries on, I'll have to stop BFing, which is a bit annoying as I'm too lazy to make up bottles. I'm down to 1 nipple already today and the other isn't looking too good.

I found shouting very loud the minute they did it was enough to nip the habit in the bird.

Ooh poor you! It's a nasty shock when they start doing this, isn't it? Mine did it every time he got a new tooth for the first few teeth he got - like he had to try them out!

I found that by keeping a close eye on the shape of his mouth I could tell when he was going to do it. At this point I'd put my finger into the corner of his mouth to break the latch, pull him away and put him somewhere safely away from me while saying 'No' very firmly and, though he might cry, I wouldn't look at him. I'd leave it for a bit then give him another go. If he did it again, repeat performance until he got the message that he wasn't going to get any milk unless he fed properly.

It's hard to do but the not looking at him seemed to be the most effective thing. I think it's quite shocking because normally they're so much the focus of your attention.

Anyway, hope that helps and that you get through it.