Maybe stopping breastfeeding, biting - help with routine!

[usagimoon]

Hi all! My baby girl has turned one in the last few weeks for context.
I have always nursed to sleep, never failed, until the past month, she bites me before or after a feed, I think due to teething, then gets really fractious and won't settle. I'm on edge as I'm getting really sore. I've been very upset about it all, sobbing whilst trying to get her to sleep, she gets really over tired, and I feel so sad that our breastfeeding may be coming to an end. She's not asking for it much in the day either :( however she does wake a few times in the night still, a bit less than before but still 2-4 times, I feed her and she goes back to sleep... rarely bites in the night.
I don't think I can take this biting much more :(
So I need a routine I think so she can settle. I think the days of her boobing and sleeping on me on the sofa are over!
Currently lying on the bed with her, she had a feee but bit me, so I stopped the feed, she got upset, I laid her on the bed and she slowly just sort of went to sleep, but I think because she was so tired!!!
Any suggestions for weaning, comforting routine etc? Thank you so much, I feel very emotional about all this :(

I think you’re right, sounds like she needs a new routine for bedtime. I’ve recently gone through a similar transition with our 1-year old (not the biting particularly but struggling to settle by breastfeeding) and we found that having her Daddy do bedtime was a good way to disassociate breastfeeding and sleeping. She does cry a bit for me at first, but my husband can get her to sleep with stories/rocking etc. She still currently wakes in the night for feeds, but I feel out evening routine has improved.

Did the same transition to Daddy bedtimes with her older brother too.

I had a baby that only slept if he was BF to sleep and at 9 months I couldn’t cope with it anymore - we also had a lot more sleep related problems than kist this so we used a Sleep Consultant to help us.

She said that breaking the “feed to sleep” pattern was viral.

Thank you, I could definitely give that a go. It just seems like such a huge change and I feel sad about it! I also think she just goes beyond tired which is why she gets so wired! I can't bare to hear her cry either, boob usually settles this, and when it doesn't it's so frustrating! :(

Sorry, it posted way too early.

She said that breaking the “feed to sleep” pattern was vital and she completely changed our routine.

She said that at nighttime I could breast feed him in his room but I must have the curtains open and all the lights on so the environment wasn’t conducive to sleep.

Then when I felt he was getting drowsy I would put him in his sleeping bag and I had to read 3 stories to him, and the third story must be the same every night in order to build an association that one particular book was linked to bedtime. This book also had to be read to him before nap times in order to reinforce that concept.

Once I’d finished reading the books I could then close the curtains and switch off the light and then put him down in his cot.

We did the controlled crying method of leaving gaps of 2, 4 and 8 minutes and although the first few nights were hard, by about Day 4 he was going straight to sleep.

We were told to deal with any night wakings in exactly same manner, using the 2, 4, 8 minute technique and not breast feeding him back to sleep which is what I had always previously done.

Aa before the first few days were difficult but by Days 5-6 he was going straight to sleep when put in his cot and sleeping through the night. He also didn’t require feeding prior to daytime naps either whereas previously he had.

It was a bit of a tough week but once we’d broken the “feed to sleep” habit everyone’s lives were a lot easier and happier.

My DD went through a really bad biting phase afew months back at around 17/18 months, it was worse than her older sister who only bit a handful of times, and I worried it would never end and how could I carry on feeding if she kept it up, but then suddenly it stopped as soon as it had started. I Think it was definitely teething related.So not trying to pressure you but if you feel you can and are keen to carry on breastfeeding, you might want to just ride it out for abit longer and see if your little one stops too.
That welda (sp?) Nipple balm helps.Also, I used to stop feeding my DD when she bit, told her 'ow that biting hurt mummy, deedee (her word for feeding) will have to to away now.She didn't like it and i usually fed her again after a brief pause as she maybe was too little to purposefully control her behaviours, but maybe she realised why I had stopped and that it was due to the biting.But she was obviously older than your DD so more able to understand words and respond to boundaries i guess.Good luck!

I'm in the same boat with my just turned one year old. I don't think it means you need to give up breastfeeding but maybe move the evening feed earlier and don't rely on it getting her to sleep. It seems like they grow out of that a bit at this point. Somebody else putting them to bed is definitely a good option.

Thanks everyone, all really helpful suggestions! I don't feel ready to give up breastfeeding, the biting is just awful and I've tried all the tricks and she won't do it for a week but then it'll start again (I guess when a new tooth is arriving!) and my nipples are in bits! Got silver cups and lots of lanolin. Luckily as she isn't feeding as much they do get more of a break than when she first started doing it!
I just love the cuddles before bed! Shall see how I go... feeling a bit less emotional about it than last night!

I could have written your post my 11 month older users me as a teether she constantly bites not help by low supply so she gets frustrated. I feel sad but think I will have to switch to exclusively pumping.

Hugs :( it's so frustrating isn't it? Funnily enough I've just bought a pump today to give it a go

My son used to bite, when he did it I gently flicked his cheek. Took him off the boob put him down for 5 mins. Then tried again. After a few goes of this, he doesn't bite anymore.

At 19mo we are still grappling with feeding to sleep and feeding to get her back down and I am so over it. I cannot do anything in the evening because it has to be me who does her bedtime.