Weening off the breast due to tooth cutting.

MelodieJade - posted on 12/03/2012

i have 1 yr old twins n i breastfeed them both still. when my milk drops n is flowing good they do not bite. seems only time they do is when they fall asleep while eating or when the milk for that time is gone. as long as its flowing they do not bite.

Momof2 - posted on 12/03/2012

i breast fed my oldest for 2 1/2 years until he self weened (when i was pregnant with ds 2). he bit me once and i yelled out ow (you aren't supposed to because it can scare them off of nursing but it was an involuntary reaction). luckily he didn't stop nursing but he also never bit me again...when i got pregnant again and he self weaned i honestly think he stopped because he could tell it was hurting me. i tried not to react but i think he could tell.



I am now breastfeeding my 6 month old and i plan to let him self ween as well. hopefully he wont be a biter either lol.

Arwen - posted on 12/02/2012

My son cut teeth around 5 months most were in by 1 year. He nursed till.13 months. He bit me twice. I detached him each time. Yelped and detached him. He didn't bite again.

User - posted on 12/02/2012

My son is 19 months and still nursing :) I won't lie he was a biter and it did hurt. But you have to teach them manners and they will learn if they bite, no milk. I also learned to give him a teething toy first and if he continued with it, he was wanting something for his gums. If he tossed it, he wanted milk. Also, be sure to watch and unlatch as soon as they are done that way to avoid being bitten out of boredom lol! Good luck!

Amy - posted on 11/29/2012

I nursed all three of my kids till they where 14 months and never had a problem with their teeth. if they bit my I said "no" and took them off the breast for a second. then if they still wanted to nurse I would give it back. they all learned not to bite. it was never a big problem.

Brianna - posted on 01/06/2013

I thought the same. Now I'm nursing a 14 month old with 9 teeth. He has bit me (ranging from very light to painful) more than a few times. However, like others it was normally when he was done eating. Or when daddy made him smile... lol. He almost never bites now.

Heidi - posted on 12/30/2012

It looks like everyone had much better luck with the teeth and breastfeeding. I breastfed my son for 6 months, he was on his 2nd tooth and was biting a lot and wouldn't stop. So i did stop bc i was very much over getting bit. I was very upset, but i wasn't liking getting bit anymore. Especially when he would bite down and pull back. Ouch!! good luck!!

Michelle - posted on 12/26/2012

You don't have quit. I have four. One self weaned at a year, two self weaned at 15 months, and still breastfeeding the 3 month old. Oldest got his first tooth 10 months, next two were between 5 and 6 months. It's not always easy, but once you get past that first tooth it gets better.

Margaret - posted on 12/15/2012

You don't have to!! My son is 11 months I love breastfeeding. We have had some trouble with biting but you and your baby girl will figure it out :). The bond is so special
A lot of babies never bite if it just remove and (I say) no bites. And when he does it right I cheer after making it a big deal he response really well to that.
But don't be worried it will all be fine.

Ania - posted on 12/13/2012

When babies are nursing they don't use teeth How do you think moms nurse 2 year olds with full set of teeth?

Patricia - posted on 12/12/2012

I wouldn't let that stop you. I know the thought of that happening is not pleasant, but she will get the idea- if she bites take her off. She will associate biting with not getting milk.

Laura - posted on 12/12/2012

Please don't stop breastfeeding because of teeth! Your baby needs your milk. All my kids nursed well past 1 year and I simply taught them not to bite. When the biting happens immediately take them off your breast and put them down off your lap. They will get the message loud and clear (my kids usually would cry when I took them off) And, I would usually say "no biting". They get the message. And then in 5 min.s or less you can nurse again. Hope this helps. Teething is definitely NOT a reason to stop nursing...Good luck!!!

Elise - posted on 12/11/2012

No need to wean because of teething! I know it can be scary, and some kids do bite accidentally here and there because they're getting used to having teeth, but it is no reason to wean, especially if you are both enjoying breastfeeding. I have breastfed both my kids into toddlerhood and had no problems because of teeth.



If you can suck through a straw without biting it, your baby can suck milk out of your breast without maiming you, I promise! :-D

Denise - posted on 12/11/2012

Thank you!! That is very encouraging and helpful. Since my post Ava has cut her 2nd tooth..still nursing with no problem yet!!

Christine - posted on 12/11/2012

Don't stop! There is no reason to stop if you are both enjoying the breastfeeding relationship. It is recommended that you breastfeed your baby for at least their first year. If you are worried about biting, not all babies will do that. I have three kids and only one was a biter. They sometimes bite down because it makes their gums feel better, but if you should end up with a biter, what you do when they bite is to say no loudly, stop the feeding and give them a teething ring that they can bite on. Good luck!

Lydia - posted on 12/11/2012

i nursed my daughter until she was 2, no problem with teeth. she bit me a couple times but i would just take her off for a bit, like other moms here said. when latched on properly and sucking technically they can't bite (the tongue covers the bottom front teeth). some toddlers will get a lazy latch and bite, but that's easy to fix, you just need to pay attention that they latch on properly.



my boy is now 4 months, teething also and nursing just fine. i am not worried about teeth. sometimes when he has a wave of pain and really hot gums, he won't feed properly so i take him off and let him suck and chew on my finger instead until he is calm and ready to nurse. he won't take a pacifier or teether, only my finger! i rather let him chew my finger than getting sore nipples and a mess of spilled milk.

Janice - posted on 12/10/2012

My daughter got her 1st tooth at 5 months and had 12 teeth when I we stopped at 17months. No issue breastfeeding a baby with teeth :) My son just turned 1 and he has 6 teeth and just stopped nursing suddenly for reasons unknown. Yes, both babies bit me while teething bit it only lasted a day or 2 and although it really hurt for a moment the pain wasn't ongoing.There is zero reason to wean a baby because they have teeth :) Keep that intimate time for as long as you want!

Heather - posted on 12/09/2012

I nursed my son, teeth and all, till he was 11 months old, he then weaned himself because he was too busy to sit still to nurse. I nursed my daughter, teeth and all, till she was 22 months old. Now I am on baby #3, she's 5 months old. Why stop nursing because of teeth? Not all babies bite, and they will only do it a few times before they realize that you aren't going to nurse them if they keep doing it.

Annie - posted on 12/04/2012

I breastfed my son until he was 21 months, there's no need to stop Breastfeeding as their teeth come in.

Ceri - posted on 12/04/2012

Don't stop, my son also cut a tooth at 4 months and started biting but it only lasts 2 weeks or so whilst they are teething! He gave a good bite at the end of his feed but it soon stopped. he is now 8 months and still feeding him night time and morning feed, I also don't want to stop the connection but might be fully soon :) but given him a great start. He's not been sick once compared to my first born who I stopped feeding at 4 months.

Tabitha - posted on 12/04/2012

I also had success by taking my daughter off the breast. I would sit her on the floor for about a minute before letting her relatch. After 3 or 4 times, she quit biting. This was when she was 4 months and I successfully nursed until I was ready to wean her at about a year.

Dove - posted on 12/02/2012

I breastfed my son til he was 3, so... we worked around teeth. ;)

Beth - posted on 12/02/2012

I didn't wean my son when he cut teeth. He did bite me, twice. I had read somewhere that if they bite, to end the nursing session right then, and feed them again a little while later. My son got the idea right away, but he was 7 months, not 4 months. When babies cut teeth, it's also a sign they're ready for solid foods, so if anything else, you'll be able to nurse less if you're feeding her solid food too.

Karen - posted on 11/29/2012

I'm still currently breastfeeding my 13th month old daughter who as 10 teeth and 11th one coming through now. She's only bitten a few times and worked out pretty quickly that if she bites i take her away and she doesn't get her milk.



Great link Celeste.

Denise - posted on 11/29/2012

This is really helpful and makes me feel a lot better. Thank you for the link! I was hoping to still be able to nurse, and I feel much better about it!

Celeste - posted on 11/29/2012

Deborah, one of my kids never bit me but one of my twins did. It did hurt, but I immediately took him off. It didn't make it unbearable. Plus, once I figured out that he was biting at the end of a feed, and I learned to take him off right after he finished, he didn't bite me anymore. Read the link I posted, it's got some great tips.

Deborah - posted on 11/29/2012

My 5 month old still hasn't erupted a tooth yet, and I have similar concerns. I am hoping to breastfeed until she's at least a year, but I'm worried that it will hurt while breastfeeding since she's gummed my nipple before.



I'm interested to hear other people's experience with this - specifically whether or not it really hurts so bad that breastfeeding is unbearable.

Celeste - posted on 11/29/2012

You don't have to wean because of teething. When babies are actively nursing, teeth don't interfere.



http://kellymom.com/ages/older-infant/bi...