teething and BFing

lizzylizaerd

My son is 6 months old and I can feel his first tooth, but it hasn't quite broken through yet. I am breastfeeding him, and I'm a little worried about getting bit.  He already clamps down pretty hard from time to time. Any suggestions on how to teach him not to bite me while he's eating?

smlowe9311

I've heard on my BMB that if/when they do bite you jump as an automatic reaction and that teaches the baby not to do it. I'm a FTM so no firsthand experience. Sorry!

jaydamuhindra

I'm worried about this too. My LO has no signs of teeth yet but has started biting down on my nipple occasionally. It really hurts so I can't imagine what's going to happen when there are teeth present.

SidraJedi

When Dd first bit me, I had heard not to react and to unlatch and put her down for 30 seconds. I did this a lot and it seemed to work and then it didn't.

I went on the BF board and someone told me to scream the next time she did it. This really upset her, she was pretty tired at the rime and she kept re latching and biting me and i'd yelp and she'd cry harder. i finally had to stop trying to feed her, calm her down enough to stop crying first and the relatch and continue feeding. After that day she did it once or twice (I yelped then too, but it didn't send her into hysterics again b/c she was more awake) and she has never done it since. It's been months and she's gone through some bad days/nights of teething (lurking from the 9-12mo board BTW)

My advice is to react normally but maybe slightly exaggerated. The LOs seem to figure put that you are hurt (or at least that they don't like to hear you cry out) and they avoid hurting you again.

HTH

jschmidt6

Mine is 5 months with 2 bottom teeth that just came in. I can't feel them when he breast feeds because his tongue covers them. As far as biting, I haven't experienced it, he doesn't bite his bottles so I figure he won't bite me.