Jess has got her 1st tooth- not bitten me yet but any tips?

As this is the longest I have nursed any of my 3, I was just wondering how do you deter little ones from biting you when you breastfeed?


Lou xx

How lovely that you've persevered so long! Well done you! I think lots of mums get a bit worried when the first teeth turn from drool and into real life pearly-whites; and yet, many, many of us carry on feeding through this.

A properly latched on baby can't bite because his tongue is over his teeth. But a baby at the end of a feed who is feeling a bit bored and has shifted his position subtly over the course of time, and is now wondering what these teeth can do.... can, and occassionally will, bite! Ouch!

Weaning babe from the breast seems a bit of an overreaction, to me, as in it's totally disproportionate to baby's experiment. But mums shouldn't be martyrs either....

Paying good attention to latch, keeping baby very close during feeds, watching the baby and if necessary taking baby off breast when he's feeling bored and experimental, and a few sharp "no!"s from mum often resolve the problem.

Melanie

Thanks Melanie!

I had read somewhere that if the baby does decide to bite to take her off so that she'll associate biting me with taking the breast away

when there is a good latch you wont get bit the time you have to look out for is when they pop off the breast - give you a cheeky look and then give you a nip.

i think just saying no, prehapes pulling a sad face and then putting them down lets them know that it is not appreciated