7 Month old baby bites when breastfed?

Question

My 7 month old son has his 2 lower front teeth (they're still coming in but they're there) and he bit me yesterday for the fist time while breastfeeding. my nipples started to bleed (he bit them both). i still want to breastfeed him, but the pain was like nothing i've ever felt before. does anyone have any tips on how to keep him from biting so I can continued to breastfeed?

Answer 1

Biting while breastfeeding is actually one of the easiest behaviours to stop because a baby wants to breastfeed more than almost anything else in the world.  Its almost impossible to stop them from biting your arms for example, because you can't immediately take away something they want.

First you need to figure out when the baby is biting.  At the start of feeds because the milk is a bit slow, at the end of feeds because they are done and fooling around, or in the middle because their gums hurt, etc.

Once you figure out the why you can also work on preventing.

However when baby bites do not scream (because this will scare some babies into not nursing or worse amuse the baby and then they bite just to hear you scream).  Unlatch the baby (pulling them into the breast so they can't breathe unless they let go works) and firmly say no.  The second time they bite put them down and do not look at them or otherwise pay attention to them for at least 45 seconds.  Then you can nurse again if you choose, or comfort the baby in other ways.  Definitely the third bite ends nursing for at least 15 minutes (which is forever for a 7 month old)

When Baby Bites

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/older-baby/bi...

Answer 2

it gets better trust me. my son bit me too and doesn't really anymore ( he's 16 months with 8 teeth now). i would simply take him off the breast and tell him no bite. and wait a second before i put him back on. The biggest key is to really pay attention to baby. Most of the time they do it because either they are teething or just playing around and aren't too interested in nursing. most of the time you can tell when they are about to bite. when a baby is actively nursing it is impossible to bite your nipple because their tongue covers their bottom teeth or gums. here is a great website

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/older-baby/bi...

it may take some time but they def do learn and weaning because of a bite would almost be like punishment to them

Answer 3

Sorry, I have no tips on preventing biting while your child teeths during breastfeeding. At the time when I was bit, I stopped breastfeeding and switched him to a bottle due to the pain.

Answer 4

That pretty much when I stopped and introduced the bottle.

Answer 5

When my sons bit me I would frown at them and tell them "no bite". If they did it again I would tell them "no bite" again and take the breast away for a few minutes. They got the drill. Don't give up. If you let them know they can't do it or you won't nurse most babies will stop biting. They don't meant o hurt you obviously, they're just experimenting with their new teeth. Good luck.

Answer 6

Don't give up! The benefits of breastfeeding are so worth it. I nursed two boys until around age two and am nursing my five-month-old daughter now. Biting is a common reason to stop nursing, but usually very premature. In my experience, the biting stage never lasted long.

Here are some ideas to help reduce and eliminate biting. Remember: this may take persistence on your part. Your baby may not stop biting immediately but "this too shall pass."

When your baby is latched on correctly and nursing actively, getting milk from your breast and swallowing, it's physically impossible to bite. This is because your baby needs to stop sucking in order to bite. When latched on properly and nursing, your nipple is far back in your baby's mouth. In order to bite your baby has to adjust his tongue and allow your nipple to slide forward towards his teeth. So, as a first "hint" of when your baby is about to bite, try and watch for a moment--usually after the initial hunger has been satisfied--when your nipple slips forward in your baby's mouth. Often the tension in your baby's jaw will change just before this happens.

As soon as you notice this change, slip your finger into the corner of your baby's mouth, between his teeth, and let the nipple come out all the while keeping your finger in your baby's mouth to protect your nipple. Pulling your baby straight off is a very natural and almost automatic response, but it may cause soreness on your nipple.



Baby's position is important, and that means helping your baby stay in a close breastfeeding position, so that he doesn't or can't pull off very easily. If your baby has to strain to latch on, then he will come off and chew the nipple easily. Therefore, another response to biting that some mothers have found useful is to pull baby in closer to the breast, at least momentarily. If your baby begins to position himself away from your nipple, be alert for a possible bite.

When the cause of the problem is a cold, a more upright position can help your baby to breathe easier. Check with your baby's health care provider for suggestions to relieve stuffiness. Your baby may breastfeed better if you offer the breast while walking.