She won't stop biting me?

Question

Please help! My 6 mo old just figured out (this past weekend) how to bite me while breasfeeding. She has done it several times now. The first time, I screamed just because it shocked me so much (and hurt!). She cried, so I thought that would be the end of that. But she keeps on doing it! La Leche League suggested pulling her in close so that her nose gets covered, but she is too strong and won't let me do that. I have also told her sternly not to do it, and signed the word "hurt" (she is not hard of hearing, I just want her to have another way of communicating so I am teaching her ASL)

I do not know the reason for her doing this - if it is a game, if she does it without realizing, if she is trying to "prime the pump," so to speak.

Please let me know what you think the reason may be, and if there are any suggested solutions.

Serious answers only, please. :)

Answer 1

My 8 month old baby girl does the exact same thing...she even grabs on it with her teeth and pulls it....I've notice that she does this everytime milk doesn't come out....Pulling her in didn't really help either....So now I just pinch her nose... and she lets go....Believe it or not it doesn't hurt as much as the first bite.

Answer 2

Mine did that but not until he was 10 months so it might be a little harder for her do understand that you mean no. If I were you I would pull her away EVERY time she does it and put your hand on her mouth and tell her NO. Hopefully she will get the picture. It might take a while....just be consistent. It might be both-a game and not realizing it-she may be teething and it feels good to her. Maybe when you tell her no and pull her away you can offer her a teething toy or a washcloth (I liked to wet them, put them in a ziploc baggie in the fridge-mine loved that). Just let her know no means no and being consistent is very important. Also maybe you should try a different position-just a thought. Good Luck With That. UPDATE--I just read briesing comment. She has an excellent point. Your daughter could be bored and not that hungry-yeah that's why she is biting. Very good idea to extend feeding times! Now that I think about it, that's what my son would do when he really wasn't that hungry and by 12 months he just stopped feeding all together-weaned himself off.

Answer 3

My daughter did the same thing for a while, and pulling her in close didn't seem to help. I'd quickly stick a finger in the corner of her mouth to break the suction and remove my nipple from harm's way. At the same time, I'd say 'Ow! Don't bite Mommy!". I'd wait for just a moment or two, and then let her nurse again. It took a few repetitions, but she eventually stopped.

Sometimes they do it when teething, and sometimes it's just another way to explore.

Answer 4

I had the same problem with my daughter and after quite some time of figuring things out I figured out that i needed to extend the time between feedings.

I mean, before that I tried taking the "breast" away but it didn't work too well. I tried doing it in a quiet place so she wasn't disturbed. Nothing worked until I extended the time between feedings. I hope this helps!

Answer 5

The few times my son did that to my wife, she immediately stopped the feeding for 10-15 minutes, then gave him a second chance - if he bit again, he got another 10-15 minute "timeout". He picked up very quickly that biting caused the milk to stop.

Answer 6

If you spank her ( not too hard ) and she keeps doing it then you should really start using the pump, then she can bite the tip of the bottle all she wants.

Answer 7

Kellymom.com has good info on this.

When Baby Bites
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/older-baby/biting.html