3 month old biting down on breast

L

LeahH

Registered User
Hi, my 3 month old boy has taken to biting down hard on my nipple and then dragging his head to one side - he has no teeth, but he's effectively tearing at my nipple which is excruciatingly painful!

I thought the biting issue only came up when they had teeth, is this normal and how can I dissuade him from doing it? I normally say ouch loudly, then 'no' and remove my nipple from his mouth when he does it

Any suggestions gratefully accepted!
 
Dear LeahH,

One trick to try when your baby bites is to pull the baby towards you and block his nose. This makes him open his mouth in order to breathe and your nipple can get out without the extra damage of the baby twisting on the nipple. The baby doesn't like the smothering sensation and if you can get the baby to associate the biting down with the smother then he will be less likely to do it in the future.

When a baby bites it is usually at the end of a feed. So another idea is to stop the feed and put the baby down. Babies like attention so putting the baby down and not giving him attention for a couple of minutes can show the baby that you are upset about the biting. Don't worry about him not getting enough milk at that feed - he can make up for it with the next feed.

Hope these ideas help - a biting baby can give you worse sore nipple than in the early days. So if you still have lansinoh cream use it to help the healing.

Best wishes,
SARAH
 
My son tried that trick after he got his first teeth.
I can second the other suggestion- stop the meal immediately, put him in his crib and leave the room. Worked after just a few times. (you do have to be stoic and ignore the furious yelling- but it's worth it to avoid teeth marks!)
Don't give up! : )
 
Hi LeahH,

Maybe he is already starting to teeth? One trick after you take him off is to give him something to chew on. Either a chew toy or something cold like a frozen washcloth. This may help him relieve the itchiness of his gums.

Hope its getting better!
 
Thanks, holding his nose works to stop him and I am trying to put him straight into his room when he does it to illustrate the consequences! I will check to see if he does have teeth coming. Now I think about it, his sister cut her first tooth at 4 months so it could be sore for him.

Thanks everyone
 
Just because your son is biting doesn't mean you need to stop nursing. Just remove him from the breast for a minute and firmly say, " no biting or just no" each time he bites keep doing it and eventually he will figure it out and stop.
 
Hi,

I don't know my method was good or not, but it worked to my baby boy.

When the first time, he bite me, I hit his mouth and say "No biting". He was little shock but he then never do it again.

BTW, can anyone help me? I am now breastfeeding my second baby and wonder if I can donate the excessed milk to any charity.

Thanks.
 
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