My 10 month old daughter has been biting occasionally when she nurses for about a month. I'll just remove her from the breast and wait a couple hours until I let her nurse her again. Now the biting has spread to my arms and legs- pretty much anywhere she can sink her 3 little teeth into. She's probably teething, but throws anything else I give her to chew on and bites me. I have a dozen marks on one arm from just yesterday afternoon. I'd really like to nip this in the bud, but how?
If you have "a dozen marks on one arm from just yesterday afternoon", then that's not "biting occasionally"! It's time to give her something to chew on besides you! How about a teething biscuit? She may not like chewing on toys. There's no taste to them. They are messy, but most babies love them. I always stripped my kids down to just a diaper, let them make their mess, then give them a quick bath afterwards.
I got wonderful advice from a friend who is a child psychologist.
When she bites you, you have to startle her ( to get her to associate biting with an unpleasant experience)
Yelp, (like a puppy would) and scold, "No biting Mommy! That hurts!" and walk away.
She will cry and seem very distraught. After a moment or two, ( not long at all) go back and comfort her, offering a chewable item (like a frozen washcloth) and in a soothing tone repeat "It hurts when you bite. That's not OK" Do this consistently every time, and the behavior should disappear very soon.
Do you see a pattern when she bites? Is she tired, frustrated, fussy, etc? If so, you can anticipate the behavior and head it off...
I had this problem with my daughter too, and by 11 months, she was totally weaned onto a cup. I think that she felt frustrated because she wanted to nurse, but she also wanted to roam, and was dealing with the fact that ... well.. you can't take it with you... So she'd bite while nursing out of frustration for being held "captive", but then bite because she was frustrated that she wasn't nursing!
It gets easier when they begin to talk and you can teach them emotional language so they can express their feelings. Until then, you have to be aware of the non-verbal signals your daughter is putting out, and try to anticipate her moods..
Good luck, and I hope the biting stops soon.
Val
I learned that biting can be "cured" by biting the child. No is often the first word children learn, so when she bites you, tell her NO, then bite her very gently. It's usually enough to get the message across.
Ever hear of momscicles? Get one of those mesh feeders, and pop a cube or two of frozen breastmilk in there. Happy chewy baby, happy mark-free momma. You could also try a washclothed soaked in chamomile tea & then chilled in the fridge. Lots of kids have enjoyed sucking & chewing on those over the years!
Just keep telling your DD no when she bites you and consistently giving her an alternative object to bite.
She probably does not realize that it hurts you. Next time she bites, cry real tears...I know that is sounds funny, but she really does not want to hurt you and if you cry, she will probably get upset. Then you say something simple like "no bite" and touch her teath, and say "biting hurts mommy." It will take a little time, because learning to empathize takes time in children that young, but eventually she will figure it out.
Say "NO" loud and clear. Tell her she hurt you. Say "NO BITE, kiss mommy instead." And keep trying to offer something to ease the teething. Be firm.
A.
Someone had suggested to me that I try frozen mini bagels for my oldest daughter when she first started w/her teething. They really seemed to soothe her teething pain and worked like a charm. It was definitely a little messy, but I'd much rather deal w/a change of clothes then being a pin cushion! Good luck!
My daughter went through this stage and occasionally reverts due to teething. Be firm and consistant, everytime she bites say " No biting" put her down and walk out of the room for a few seconds ( 20 or so). My daughter was biting while nursing and leaving the room was the only thing that corrected the problem. When you come back in you can give her something appropriate to teeth like a cold teething ring. Hopefully she will find this more soothing than your skin!
Good Luck!
My son was also biting at that age. It was a combination of teething & he just really didn't understand that he was hurting me. I found the best thing to do was say firmly "No biting Mommy! Ouch!" If he did it again I would say "No Biting" & put him away from me. Being away from you is almost a punishment for them so he learned if he bit me I wouldn't hold him anymore. I would usually wait a minute or two then pick him back up. Now I am working on not hitting! :-)
