She is 7 months old and all she will do is BITE ME! And she thinks its funny...but it HURTS. I tell her 'NO" and stop her from feeding. Then we go back..she still does it! Now I am red and really sore. She will have NOTHING to do with a bottle. Any solutions Moms?
2006-09-05 12:18:57 · 17 answers · asked by DA R 4 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Newborn & Baby
I am a bit reluctant to BITE her back. Also, I find it hard to believe that she understands "control" and does not understand "no." I certain do not think it is a control issue, and telling her NO is more habit than anything else.
2006-09-05 13:51:43 · update #1
Some of these answers are horrible! This is a BABY not a cat or a dog! Not looking for adversion therapy here, just some good suggestions!
2006-09-05 13:54:41 · update #2
First: These people who are saying you should stop breastfeeding are uneducated... You are a great mom to give your baby the best!
Now, onto the problem... I know from experience how painful and annoying that can be. First, as soon as your baby bites down break the suction of the latch by putting a finger in the corner of her mouth. Then be firm in your scolding. It may make her cry and hurt her feelings, but it's your nipple here!
Also, she may be teething and need a cool washcloth to do her biting on.
I also recommend nursing without distractions. My daughter would bite sometimes when she grew excitable about some outside stimulus (ex.: being rubbed by my husband, or another giggling child).
Be sure to watch out for any open sores on your nipples. That can invite infection and mastitis.
For support call on La Leche League (www.lalecheleague.org)
Hang in there!
2006-09-05 12:27:02 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 1⤋
Oh, that hurts! My youngest did that so bad I bled and had a sore. Down below is a great link about breastfeeding a biter. kellymom.com is a great resource. There's no reason to stop breastfeeding.
"Stopping the nursing session is generally the most effective way to teach baby that nursing and biting do not go together. Once baby lets go, remove her from the breast for a bit - it may be a few seconds or a few minutes (this is something where you'll need to gauge your own baby's reaction). If baby is teething (which is often the cause of biting), this is a good time to hand baby something cold to chew on, a teething toy, etc. You might tell baby something along the lines of, "if you want to bite, we're not nursing." If baby really wants to keep nursing, she may get upset when you end the nursing session, at which point you can wait a few moments then give baby another chance to nurse. If baby is not interested in nursing, she might fuss a few seconds but then go on to something else.
"If baby bites, it's not a good idea to scream or yell on purpose as a method to stop biting -- there are better ways to teach baby not to bite. Sometimes, of course, it's impossible not to yell in pain if baby catches you by surprise and/or bites hard. Sometimes yelling does stop baby from biting again; however, some babies think it's so funny that they continue to bite for the reaction, and other babies are so scared that they go on a nursing strike. The chance that this method will stop baby biting is simply not worth the problems it can cause."
2006-09-05 13:32:56 · answer #2 · answered by CCTCC 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Bite a 7 month old baby back?? OMG. i wouldn't recommend that. My son was about that age when he started biting and pulling while I was feeding him. He would not drink a bottle for nothing. It is a lot easier said then done trying to put a baby on a bottle. I started feeding him more baby food and got him to start drinking out of a cup. Around 8 and a half months he ate baby food and solid foods during the day and drinks water, milk and juice from a sippy cup. He got to where he does not even want the breast during the day and prefers his cup and food. He only breastfeeds at night and because he is tired he has not bit me once since then, he is now 10 months old. If your baby does not like the sippy cup try different ones. My son did not like the Gerber one or the Avent ones, the first time we gave him a Playtex one with handles he loved it and drank a full cup. That is the only thing I know of that would help. Good luck.
2006-09-05 12:52:58 · answer #3 · answered by Christinamk227 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
When she bites you, say no, stop feeding her, put her down in a safe spot, and walk away.
If you are having trouble getting her to let go, push her face into your breast. She will open her mouth to breath so you can pull her off quickly.
If she's biting, she's not really hungry or she's finished/full. She's playing. Wait an hour and reoffer the breast if you think she could be hungry.
Target now carries Medela nipple shields if you want to give them a try.
2006-09-05 14:31:29 · answer #4 · answered by C K Platypus 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
try giving her other things to suck on, such as a finger or a toy, or even try giving her the bottle just to play with. Try using different nipples, some bottle nipples are different from others and she maybe really picky on which one she wants.
My husband when he was a baby, refused to take the bottle from his mother, but she was patient and persistent and he finally accepted the bottle. Just be patient, she won't like it (that's a given) but be persistent and I'm sure she'll take the bottle.... Another idea would be just to start her on rice cereal instead of giving her bottles? she's old enough for food now.
2006-09-05 17:18:47 · answer #5 · answered by Jay LG 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Please dont bite her back... buy a medela breast shield, they are five bucks at target with breast feeding supplies or you can find them at any pharmacy, sometimes behind the counter. I love them. It is a very thin silicon like nipple that sits over your nipple and was designed to help babies latch on or for women with flat or inverted nipples, the upside for everyone else is when you initially nurse, you never bleed or suffer from pain and it is easier for you baby to latch on. I used mine with my first baby who got four teeth in her first month and nursed her for 13 months. My other baby is three months and I use it also. Look it up on Medela's web site or google it, I am sure you can find it and try it for as cheep as it is, she'll never be able to bite through it! Good luck.
2006-09-05 15:07:51 · answer #6 · answered by wtrmlnqueen 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I had the same problem with my son. I weaned him and put him on a sippy. I will tell you this. If you want to still breast feed you can pump. It is just she has teeth and learning what they are for. Unforunatly it comes with a price to us. When you breast feed you just can't stop and the milk just go away. You actually have to deplete your milk supply. After not having the breast for three days my son would eat and then when he was done he would bite me and I used this method to deplete my milk production. Instead of feeding him every 4-6 hours I would only feed him to releive the pressure in my breast and that was it.
If you can't get her to stop biting you give her a sippy and wean her, without putting yourself through all the pain and agony that goes with rapid weaning.
Good luck and try giving her things to eat that she can bite. That also helped my son.
2006-09-05 15:51:20 · answer #7 · answered by evrythnnxs 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Keep breastfeeding and try these ideas:
1. Say, "don't bite mommy" in a stern voice. (Whenever I did that my baby would start to cry, but he wouldn't do it again during that feeding.)
2. Try a loud scream once. If the baby thinks it's entertaining, be sure to stop it. (Make sure she doesn't get an entertaining reaction from any of these.)
3. Say, "don't bite mommy" in a stern voice and set her down and walk away from her.
4. Push her face into your breast. that'll make her let go (to get air) and she'll realize an unpleasant thing happens whenever she bites you.
2006-09-05 13:57:04 · answer #8 · answered by applesoup 4 · 4⤊ 1⤋
What you are doing is what is recommended.
The only other thing I could think of is when she bites, stop and give her, her "chew toy", then after a minute or 2 go back to nursing.
2006-09-05 15:16:21 · answer #9 · answered by Marge Simpson 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Keep offering the bottle, stop breastfeeding. This is a control issue at this point. You are giving into HER demand to be able to bite you when you go back to breastfeeding. She refuses the bottle because she knows you will give in. You've already set yourself up for her to take complete control. I suggest you be consistent and either remain breastfeeding and being bitten or you switch to the bottle PERMANENTLY. She doesn't understand "no" she's only 7 months old...what she is understanding is your reaction and that she CAN and IS pushing your buttons and that YOU are a pushover, you are teaching her that she can have her way...just wait for the terrible twos. She's going to have a blast then.
2006-09-05 12:26:04 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 6⤋