# Biting - sign of desire to wean?



## RubyOrganique (Aug 23, 2007)

My 8 mo old DD is nursing a LOT lately - like every chance I give her or every 1 1/2 - 2 hours. She has 7 teeth and bites me almost every time she's finished. My nipples are so sore it is making nursing increasingly difficult, especially given my anxiety about when I'll be bitten next. The worst part is that after she chomps and sees me wince or cry, she gets a grin on her face...

That said, we're contemplating bottle feeding for a few days until I can heal a bit.

But I'm wondering, since she has so many teeth, has started just a little bit of solid food each day, could this aggressive behavior be a sign that she's ready to wean? Our plan was to nurse MUCH longer, although I'm challenged at the moment with the pain, I don't want to stop nursing this early.

Any advice from those who've experienced something similar?


----------



## kiara7 (Feb 14, 2008)

Absolutely not! As a rule of thumb, babies under 12 mos. do not self-wean.

Here's info on biting, hopefully it will help:

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


----------



## mrsfrenchy (Apr 14, 2008)

I think it's probably just a sign that she's done with the breast for that feeding and is just playing on it instead. Try to watch for signs that she's about to bite and take her off.

My DD gets a big grin on her face when she bites me too. I don't know what it is. but it seems that even if I don't react, she's still grinning and giving me this devilish look. lol


----------



## TinyMama (Sep 4, 2007)

I would bet she's having teething pain.









Try watching like a hawk when she nears the end of a nursing session. Then, really quickly, put your finger in the corner of her mouth and pop her off before she bites. If you anticipate and stop the biting every time for a few days, she may forget about the nursing/biting association. Also, when you pop her off, you could immediately offer something acceptable to bite on--my DD liked wet washcloths the best.

Good luck!

ETA: The grinning/laughing when you experience pain, IMO, is the same reflex as when a LO laughs when scolded--it's just another way humans express anxiety/fear/sadness. It's related to crying, but as adults we assign a "good" value to laughing and "bad" to crying.


----------



## karika (Nov 4, 2005)

yes i think all nursing mothers feel their babies teeth at times. it is normal. no, it has nothing to do with weaning. the baby is simply exploring everything sensory. i agree all children are looking for a reaction. to try to remain neutral and remove the child from breast is best. after a few times of being removed, the child will stop the behavior. i got this remedy for biting from a breastfeeding site. when baby bites, pull their face into your breast so that their nose is blocked. they will let go to breathe through their mouth. then just put them down. they will make the connection that biting = end of nursing session and results in being put back on floor. to heal your nipples faster, use lanisoh. it is not harmful for a baby to ingest. keep in mind that if you offer a bottle, baby may not come back to breast


----------



## Sagesgirl (Nov 22, 2001)

As the others have said, biting and weaning have _nothing_ to do with one another. All three of my kids have used me as a chewy toy at one point in time or another. It's just one of those things.


----------



## ElliesMomma (Sep 21, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *RubyOrganique* 
She has 7 teeth and bites me almost every time she's finished.

Any advice from those who've experienced something similar?

yes my advice is to stop nursing her as soon as she bites. tell her, "no biting please. it hurts mom." then be sure to offer it again a little while later when she's hungry again or ready to nurse again.

preverbal, biting seems to be the way that the child conveys "all done."

you can tell her, "when you are done, just stop nursing. there is no need to bite!"


----------



## GearGirl (Mar 16, 2005)

Both of my boys have done the bite thing, and my oldest loved the thrill of my response and laughed. Try not to get overly excited, just stop nursing and tell your baby no, or ouch, that hurts mamma. It is 100% not a sign of wanting to wean, it is just a stage.


----------



## RubyOrganique (Aug 23, 2007)

It seems as though the biting occurs when I am not 100% focused on her. So I have made adjustments and that is better. She must have another tooth coming in though because she constantly wants to nurse. I ended up with a clogged duct yesterday which was just what I needed! It's better today thankfully and I seem to be getting a handle on when she starts to play, nip and pinch.

Thanks for your help. I guess this, like so many things, is dynamic. Nursing when she's a year old will probably be very different from now.


----------



## nycmom18 (Dec 9, 2008)

yeah, my ds did that around the same time-although i really tried not to let him know it hurt, as my aunt warned me about the "grin"! our ds thinks anything where we get hurt is funny! anyway, i think it's the teeth or not really hungry, just playing around. maybe try holding her off for a bit so that she is actually hungry when the next feeding comes around.

fyi-my ds, now 10 months old is constantly biting my shoulder/top of arm. i have bruises to prove! it realllllyyyyyy hurts, but like you said before, i think he does it when im not paying attention-like when im checking my email while standing up









hope it gets better for you...


----------



## Tizzy (Mar 16, 2007)

DS2 went through this phase and it was PAINFUL! I was so close to wanting to wean because he was even drawing blood.
Now in the last week or so, he's been able to convey that he's done in other ways. I started encouraging him to sign because he has been catching onto other signs so he'll wave his little hand around trying to sign all-done and then he'll roll away off my lap or away from me in bed.

When he was biting, I tried giving him two chances but that just wasn't working.
So after the first bite, I'd set him down and walk away. He didn't seem to care at all so obviously he was finished.
The novelty wore off too.


----------



## momma-molly (Mar 31, 2009)

I bet she has some more teeth coming in!

My daughter went through that for a couple weeks right around 8 months and it was really, really frustrating. I just would say "No!" firmly and sit her down on the ground...this usually resulted in her screaming and crying, but you just have to be consisent.

This too shall pass!

Molly

http://momma-molly.blogspot.com


----------

