Nursing: My Baby Is Biting Me :(

I would break the latch and tell her no. Then take a short break. At almost 9 mo, she will be alright with an interrupted nursing session. You might also tell her "gentle, gentle" when you go to nurse her. My DD had to be reminded when she got new teeth. It seemed to change her latch a little. It can be changed and she can be taught that biting = no nursing. Also, try nursing her longer when she's sleepy and watch for signs that she's full/goofing around and end the session before she gets bored.

I didn't put DD on the floor, but I did set her on the couch away from me and didn't continue to hold her in a nursing position. I didn't want her to start to think that biting would get her playtime.

It worked out. DD nursed til she was 2.5.

I am having the SAME exact problem with the SAME number of teeth!!

I was also intent on nursing till age 1 - we shall see!

Pamela Raven and Son gave me some great advice as to how to get baby to stop. I can email you the exact info. Basically, you need to go beyond just a stern "No" when baby bites.

First bite - set baby down after saying firmly "no bite!" and leave baby alone on floor for 5 min. (that is how long I can stand)

Next, same words, just leave baby on floor longer.

Eventually, baby is supposed to associate biting with NO! and removal from breast.

PM me if you want Pam;s info - or she may just get on here herself and let you know!

Good luck! I hope we both find a solution!

When your baby bites down pull her into your breast and not away. She'll unlatch quickly when she finds her nose blocked. This will save your breasts from some of the scraping she might be doing when unlatching when you scold her.

I remember how much that hurt.

1st bite... sternly say "No Biting!" and take her off the breast and place her down away from you for 10 minutes.

2nd bite... sternly say "No Biting!" and take her off the breast and place her down away from you for 35 minutes.

3rd bite... sternly say "No Biting!" and take her off the breast and place her down away from you until the next nursing session or she needs to have her diaper changed, etc.

This needs to be consistent, without yelling or any screaming/pain sounds/etc for at least 3 days. Rarely takes longer than that for babies her age. Do not let up and allow her to nurse sooner after a bite... she needs to understand her actions means no nursing - not allowing her right back on - no matter how sorrowful she looks or how much she wants to go right back on - don't.

@ Scarlett - I just saw your post LOL - glad to hear it worked for you!!

I didn't really have biting issues as the teeth came in, but when I first started nursing, it was really sensitive and I used a nipple shield. It won't help her stop biting, but it should give you enough of a layer of protection so you're not in real pain until "no" starts working and she learns how to eat without biting.

I had this problem with my daughter. When she bit me, I squeezed her cheeks together (not enough to hurt) and said, "No biting!" It only took 2 or 3 times for her to get the message, and she was younger than 9 months.

Sounds like me! My almost 9 mo old has made me terribly sore every time she gets a new tooth. In fact, I'm still dealing with bleeding on one side from a crack she gave me. This has been going on for a month now. I've been pumping and giving her a bottle. Now I don't think you'll need to do this for a month, my issue is a little different, but I would say pump for a couple of days until the soreness subsides then go back to nursing and see how it feels. I agree that telling her no when she does it is a good place to start, she'll figure out soon enough that the biting means end of nursing for a time.