my baby is biting me during nursing...help!

Crystal - posted on 08/02/2009

no doesnt work for me either, my daughter just looks up at me with a huge smile on her face. after paying close attention to when she is going to latch i have found that when she is actually going to nurse she put her tongue over her teeth before closing up, if she doesnt do that i dont let her on. wait a minute or so and try again. It is so hard not to give a reaction, it definatly hurts when it happens!!

Caroline - posted on 08/02/2009

My little guy just started doing the same thing...he's getting 4 top teeth at once, so hopefully he'll stop when they come in!

Michelle--if Andrea's son is doing the same thing mine is, my little guy doesn't bite me while he is actually suckling. He will pull off, then he'll either re-latch properly and continue nursing OR he'll bite me. Both involve the motion of surrounding the nipple, so I don't generally know which one he is about to do until it is too late! Sometimes I can tell..but not always! Not fun! (Hopefully it will be short lived!)

Andrea--I'm in the same boat...I have tried telling my son "no" very firmly (etc), and it's not working! So glad you asked this because I am at a loss for what to do!

Hope - posted on 07/28/2009

I nursed my daughter for 17 months and my son for 9 now and he just started biting...I've found that the best reaction is no reaction. Definitely do not say ow they love that. I just unlatch, set him down next to me and let him cry for a few minutes. The first time he did it, I had to do this approximately every 10 minutes for about 2 hours, but he hasn't done it since....I hope this helps....

Michelle - posted on 07/26/2009

if your latch was tight enough baby wouldn't be capable of biting...i've nursed one 23 months and my second is now 9 months never been biten

Christine - posted on 07/26/2009

at this point the baby is well aware what an appropriate latch is... they choose to bite... it's behavioral...

Michelle - posted on 07/25/2009

your latch is wrong otherwise baby could not bite

Rachel - posted on 07/24/2009

My sister gave me the flicking advice also, but she said to flick there lip when they bite. She has nursed 3 children and said that always worked for her.. my little one has luckily only bitten hard a couple times, hoping it doesn't get worse.

Rebecca - posted on 07/24/2009

I tried flicking my daughters cheek lightly when she bit me and it generally works to startle her and gets her to stop biting for that feeding at least

Christine - posted on 07/23/2009

My daughter has 5 teeth and she likes to bite everything- including me... When she bites, I just unlatch her by scooping my finger in the corner of her mouth, it releases the suction, but if she's biting there's not usually suction. In that case, saying "NO BITING" very sternly (you gotta mean business) will usually startle her enough to release. At that point I replace my nipple with a binky or teething ring that she CAN bite. Wait a little while until she has satisfied her need to bite, and then continue to feed. Sometimes during the time she's spending with the binky or teether I will pump the rest of the way and offer a bottle or sippy cup of breastmilk instead. Hope I've helped...

Minnie - posted on 07/23/2009

You can either unlatch him or try actually pushing him into your breast for a second so that he has to unlatch to breathe- but ONLY a second!



Babies can get distractible and then bit. If he's suckling effectively he's NOT going to be able to bite you. Be proactive and unlatch him before he bites when you notice signs of him about to. It may take a bit- but that's what training is, lots and lots of repetition.



Make sure his latch is good- his tongue should be over his bottom teeth- they should not be hitting your breast.



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