I try not to surf the web while nursing. But, desperation has led me to scour the Internet for answers to my dilemma. My teething baby won’t stop biting me, and I’m at my wits end!
Nursing has always been something that I look forward to. My daughter and I lasted two years, and Baby O and I plan to meet that same goal. With that said, biting is expected. I remember it happening with Princess. A stern “NO” nipped the problem right in the bud. However, that two letter word hasn’t worked as quickly Baby O.
Almost every nursing session ends with me screaming out in agony, followed by him looking up at me in confusion. When he’s about to chomp down, I unlatch before he attacks my nipple.
According to experts, there are several reasons for biting which include being poorly latched. They say some babies may also do it out of curiosity. I personally feel that the issue with Baby O stems from a couple of things. My nipple soothes his teething gums and he’s also curious to see how I’d react. It’s become a game to him.
I’ve decided to put my foot down. There will be no more biting Mommy. Within the last couple of days, I’ve noticed an improvement. Here’s how I got my teething baby to stop biting me.
1. Teething toys. Throughout the day, I give him BPA-free teething toys to sooth his gums.
2. Teething tablets. There are a few fast dissolving non-numbing pellets like Hyland’s Teething Tablets on the market that are great.
3. Tylenol. If he becomes irritable or develops a fever, a couple drops will do the trick.
4. Say no, then applaud. Before nursing I say, “Don’t bite Mommy.” Then I praise him for a job well done.
I’ve heard of some moms being tempted to wean their baby because of excessive biting. But that’s not an option for me. I’ve been noticing some improvement after following these steps. It’s been a couple of bite-free days, and I’m hoping we’re in the clear.
My son can be a nibbler. There are times when he’s perfectly latched but is still able to scrape his teeth against me and it pinches. So for that I stay completely silent, unlatch him the relatch him until he stops. Talking to him makes him think we’re playing so I really can’t say anything. If he full on bites I have to “get angry”. If I shout “Ow” (side note: really hard to avoid if you’re caught off guard) he thinks it’s hilarious. So I try to keep it together and not shout. I look him straight in the eye and go “No! No bite Mama!” I try to sound clam but stern, if he laughs to see what I’ll do I give him “the look” and he stops. After that if he does it again the nursing session is over, even if he cries. So far it’s worked really well. He’s only full on bit me a handful of times and most of them were because he was falling asleep and getting sloppy. But he hasn’t done it delebratly in weeks. I wouldn’t be surprised if I cured him of it for good.
I concur with Mia. If babe is actively nursing, he can’t bite. I just stopped nursing immediately each time it happened. It took a few days for them to associate the cause and effect of biting and the feeding session stopping.
Just remember a baby cannot bite while actively nursing. We usually see babies biting at the end of a feed or when they get distracted. It sounds like you’re doing a great job! I’m a LC btw so this comes up quite a bit. Keep up the good work! I nursed my peanut for two years also.