Breastfeeding a Baby with TEETH.

My baby got his teeth really early. The first one popped through when he was only 6 months. I stopped him fromj biting by taking him off my breast when he did so and then I would lay him down in his bed, bouncy seat, etc... He actually caught on quite quickly that he was not allowed to bite or else he wouldn't be fed. It sounds cruel but it worked and it only took maybe 3 times to get him to stop, which was rather important because he bit me so hard he drew blood!

All of the comments about removing the nipple from your baby's mouth and a firm voicing of No, Not Nice or what ever words you choose are the best way to discourage biting. It may only take once or twice, or may take longer. Just know that your baby will eventually stop. Continue with nursing. La Leche League is a great source for support and guidance. Nursing your baby as long as you can will only provide benefits to you and your son.

As for healing your nipples, let them be exposed to the air. If with a busy 2 yr old you don't have time to sit exposed and unbothered, do it before you go to bed for 20 min or so. Plain old petroleum jelly works just as good as any "made for the breast" product during the time when your nipple isn't exposed to the air.

Some great links were already posted so I'll just give some encouragement :-) It does pass, both my kids went through that phase of "Look mommy, teeth!". They really have no idea they can hurt you with them. He should learn how to nurse with his teeth soon. Even with a full mouth of teeth you shouldn't be able to feel them. Does he just have that one tooth? That can make it worse because his latch is uneven. Once the other tooth comes it he'll figure it out pretty quickly.
When my kids bit I would very seriously say No and if they did it again I would unlatch them for about 10 seconds. If they kept doing it then I figured they weren't that hungry (maybe just wanted to play) so we would so something else and try again later. For now let your nipples get plenty of air and use lanolin cream. It's hard but it's such a short phase, you've got plenty of happy nursing days ahead of you :-)

You may need to adjust the way you're holding him while he nurses. As to helping heal - not sure if the lanolin will actually speed up healing but I know it made me feel better.

The only thing that helped with teaching my little guys not to bite is this. When they bit me I would immediatley pull them off the breast and tell them no sternly. Then go back to nursing. If they did it again I ended the nursing session. Usual would give it a shot 10 - 15 min later and if they were still biting I would repeat. They eventually get the hint and nurse with out biting. But boy - those first bites are STARTLING!!!!

Hi Lisa!

My name is A. and I am a mother of three kids ages 11, 10 and 7. I remember breastfeeding them and being worried about the teeth, but we never made it that far. I heard that you are supposed to sternly tell them no and unlatch them. Check with La Leche League for more suggestions.

As for the bite marks, I have had a lot of luck with Arbonne's skin conditioning oil. I use it on everything from burns to bug bites. It is botanically based, absorbs into the skin and doesn't contain any animal products or chemical dyes and fragrances. It won't hurt for your baby to ingest it. If you would like to try some, let me know. I am an Arbonne consultant and could order it for you or at least get you some more information.

Good Luck!
A. M.

Here's a link with some great suggestions:

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/older-baby/biting.html#scraping

When my son first got his upper teeth, I felt sore for awhile, but we did get the hang of it and I went back to pain-free nursing. Hang in there, it gets better :)

As far as the biting, if you have an open wound, be sure to use soap and water on it daily. Lanolin can also be helpful. http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mom/nipplehealing.html

I would also encourage you to attend a La Leche League meeting. It is a great place to get suggestions and meet other like-minded moms.
http://www.llli.org/Web/Michigan.html

Hi Lisa!
I remember those days. My daughter breastfed until she was 15 months, and had a mouthfull of teeth very early so this sounds familiar.
First off, if/when he bites, immediately say either "NO!" or "Ouch!" in a firm voice and remove him from your breast. This may startle him. He may even cry. That's okay. He just needs to learn that if he bites, the good thing, your breast, goes away. I think it took twice, and then my daughter never did it again. She liked breast feeding way too much to risk losing it. And they can control it, so they just have to learn.
As far as those teeth just pressing in... try slightly different angles. Shift him on your breast a bit - raise him up a bit higher, or lower him a bit. It really is do able with teeth, but you have to hang in there and make adjustments and teach him that biting is an absolute no-no.
Good luck!

Hey Lisa,

Wow I'm surpised you are not just pumping your milk and feeding it via a bottle.

I also hoped to breastfeed for a long time. But, both my sons got teeth at four months and bit me and broke my skin. At that point, it was a WAKEUP call for me to start pumping and eventually ween them from my breast.

Good Luck!!

Hi Lisa,

I am afraid there is not much you can do to aviod the biting. My son was 8 months when he got his bottom teeth in and I dealt with the biting for another month until one time he bit so hard it had me in tears and I jumped and scared him. I decided to start to ween him. It was very hard because he was exclusivly breastfed, but after that last bite I just couldn't do it anymore. My nipples were so sore and I was so afraid to put him to my breast again. I wanted to nurse for a year too. Lanolin did help heal my sore breasts, but because I wean him so fast I did get engorged a bit. I wore a tight workout top to help. Some women had said after a while their baby stopped the biting. Maybe yours will too. I just want to say GOOD FOR YOU for nursing this long!! Especially through this tough winter!!! I really repect women who nurse their babies. It is sooo very good for them. Good Luck with the biting.. it might stop..if it doesn't and you do decide to wean..remember to do it real slow so you won't get engorged and so it will be easier on baby too. Best wishes!!! ~Marci

If you're feeling his tooth in a way that's uncomfortable, he's probably gumming a little bit cause it's a new feeling. And if he bites, it's also because it's hard to resist when you have mouth pain. So in both cases you need to make it clear to him that it hurts you and he's not allowed to do it. When he bites, instead of pulling away, which hurts a lot, push his head toward your breast. It will cause his mouth to open so you can free your nipple. Then immediately put him down and say "No bite!! that hurts mommy!" Then continue and repeat this until he gets it. If he thinks it's funny, and keeps doing it, then give him a break for a little bit and resume later. This should work, maybe not right away, but it will if you stick it out. I did this with my daughter and we were able to continue for a long time. She had a full head of teeth by the time she weaned! Hang in there, I know it's not easy sometimes, but it's worth the frustration and a few little nibbles.

I have nursed both my youngest until they were 22 months old, and my son just weaned, he has a full set of teeth in fact we just went to the dentist for him. I used Lanosil a 100% Lnolin based product that helped soothed chapping and chaffing. I also realized that time for nursing shortened as they got teeth because they desired to chomp and chew on food so nursing was less. The first time I was bit by each of them was virtually the last (my son tested it more)but I disciplined it in my own way, quickly. They learned right away that it was NOT okay to bite me, and I never had a problem after that. I have been bit once by each girl and thrice by my son, in 22 months of nursing.
La Leche Leauge and/or a lactation nurse at your local hospital can give you good advice too.