Baby Parenting Guide

How do you keep your breast feeding baby from biting?

I am a breast feeding Mom of an 8 1/2 month old with two bottom teeth and two top teeth getting ready to come in. He has just recently started biting down and is now leaving me with very sore nipples. I, of course, had the knee-jerk reaction the first time it happened and it really scared him. But it seems that he has forgotten all about that. And, I don't really want to scare him again. Any suggestions?

Public Response to How do you keep your breast feeding baby from biting?

1. 1) At this age, babies like to tug more at your nipple than latch on the appropriate way. Make sure that he is latched on well or as close to breast as you can. 2) At first, I was worried and called my pediatrician and they stated that we were told just say, No, if he bit my nipple. It seemed to work and he was laughing at first BUT then he would catch me off guard and would jump and say OUCH and it just surprised him. I have been saying ouch the whole time now. They do learn eventually but you will still get a bite at the end of your feeding once in a while. Good Luck!
2. The best thing is to make your reaction not too excited or he might do it again just to see your reaction..I breastfed my oldest until he was 11 months and when he bit me I just said an abrupt "NO!" "don't bite mommy,that hurts!" and be short about it..If you need to remove him from your breast and say it then to get his attention. Hope this works:)
3. This hasn't happened to me yet but I'll be in the same boat pretty soon with my daughter. My mom had good advice for me. She said that when baby bites or nibbles to gently break the latch and say 'no biting'. Wait a few seconds and resume feeding. Do this each time it happens and pretty soon the biting will subside. Interrupting the meal makes quite an impression and according to my mom it doesn't take long to break the habit. Good luck!
4. Unlatch him each time he does it. He'll learn that when he does x action he gets y reacation. You can also get nipple shields that are a soft plastic that will help against the teeth. Good luck!
5. For a few weeks my son would bite at the beginning of a nursing session like he was making sure the nipple was there I guess. I would look at him, say "Ouch that hurts mummy" and put him down. I'd wait a minute or more if he was playing and try again. It took a few weeks of painful nipples but he stopped. He has 2 teeth on the top and bottom that are really sharp :s If your son is biting during a nursing session, he's not latched properly and playing. If he's suckling correctly he can't bite. It's a painful stage in his development but it will pass in what feels like forever. It just takes patience. Good luck.
6. When Baby Bites http://www.kellymom.com/bf/older-baby/biting.html * Will I need to wean when baby gets teeth? * Ways to PREVENT biting * What do I do if baby bites me? * Suggestions from other moms * Not really biting, but scraping teeth or indentations * If your baby bites you and causes damage to the nipple * More information
7. They usually bite after they have been on for a while and are getting bored or distracted. You can see them starting to fuss. Take him off and burp and change sides and then after 5 minutes change back again.