10month old is biting - REALLY HARD

[rosyrabbit]

I really want to stop bf now, I am trying to cut down gradually as she bf nearly every hour and has been for a while. There is always reasons for this like teething or a cold.

BF is dd's main comfort and I find it very difficult to refuse as she will not settle untill I give in... Also I am starting to worry that I will not be able to get her to sleep without the breast.

I am thinking of doing sleep training before stopping bf, what are your thoughts on that?

It is very painfull when she bites and stings for ages after.

I just need some encouragement really and tips if anyone has any??

Also good news is she will finally drink juice from a bottle, but not milk, will keep trying though..

Draw her in to your ample bosom next time so her nose is smothered by it and she has to open her mouth to breathe - counterintuitive but it worked both times for me.

Okay, I'm still breastfeeding a toddler so I did go through the bitey thing. Pull her close when it happens, she won't be able to breathe and will let go. But more importantly is she biting because she is not balanced properly. I still feed DD on a cushion because she feels more secure and less likely to hang on the breast.

Kamillosan will help with the soreness afterwards or I put teething gel on DDs gums if she was in a bitey mood and your nips go numb .

DD now sleeps through - it did take a while - took her till 10 months to go more than three hours - but it's purely an age thing, not a boob thing.

You can try the pantley pull off method if she feeds to sleep, slip a finger in to break her hold when she looks sleepy while nursing, she'll complain and go back on and just continue to do it every few minutes, eventually she will give up and go to sleep.

DD now nurses for about five minutes, I take her off and she will happily lie down with a sippy of milk.

BTW try very cold milk rather than warmed. They aren't conned and know it's not boob so make it different. DD also went through a stage when she'd only drink banana milk (lquidised banana in milk) .

Don't sweat it too much though, you've done really well to get this far.

whomovedmychocolate - are you a more sensible version of me?

When I am bf she wriggles all over the place like a little snake so could be that I need to support her more, might help the biting..

When did she start sleeping through? Everyone I know claims their babies slept through from an early age.

Which Pantley book is best for advice on sleeping and bf?

Also she is very clever and really knows it is not the breast.. I will def try the banana milk thing as she will not drink normal milk..