How to deal with teeth?

[halana75]

My baby girl is almost one year old and she has never taken a bottle. When her bottom teeth came in, it wasn't too hard to deal with as she almost immediately began to cover them with her tongue. However, last week her two top teeth appeared and now its sometimes painful to nurse. I have been trying for months to get her used to using a cup...but all she does is dump it and splash around the liquid on her highchair tray, lol.
So how do people deal with both top and bottom teeth while nursing? Is there anything I can do to minimize the biting or scraping of the teeth?

[threekidsandasheltie]

you can take her off your breast anytime she bites, tell her no and sit her down on the floor she should soon get the idea that bitting leads to no boobie. I do know that when dd was getting her teeth that for a few weeks my nipples would be tender but that went away.


sorry for any typos, I am typing on a laptop in the dark, lol

[Jazmyn]

I always take her off, say no... then show pain/hurt.... and explain why. Of course my way doesnt work very well. She will now do it when she isnt hungry at the end of nursing and then LAUGH! /sighs

Of course, if she falls asleep and I do to she may accidently bite which is a BAD way to wake up P

[jaw1574]

I am having the same issue as well, and not sure what to do! Of course I cannot tell if it is ALL DS teeth or my sensitivity during this time !

[KatieLou]

We just had a major nursing strike due to biting. I found that pushing DS into my breast when he bit, as apossed to trying to get him to let go, worked wonders. He hated being pushed in and was forced to let go.

His top teeth are on the way, and frankly, I am terrified!

[still_me]

I found with both of my boys stopping when they bit me was the best way to go. It only happened a few times before they both realized that the food went away. I also used teething tablets. You can get them at Drug Mart or Wal Mart. I would give them a couple of the tablets before I nursed so I wouldn't be used as a teething toy. Good luck. Once they get past the biting IMO having teeth won't change your breastfeeding experience.

[sarah82]

the first time my daughter bit me i dont know who was more suprised. i jumped and so did she. i used to take her off the breast if she bit. she soon got fed up

[LianeV]

Biting mom while baby nurses is often one of the first lessons about how baby can hurt others. So, definitely react with surprise and obvious displeasure and put baby down for a little bit. There is an occasional baby who will be reluctant to nurse again (nursing strike) because it scared him/her, but that's not very frequent. Many will cry because they understand right away that mommy is upset and when mommy's upset, baby's upset.
When a baby is a repeat or frequent biter, mom has to watch for the signs that they're gonna bite and be prepared. For one thing, they can't bite if they're sucking. So, mom should try to keep her hand nearby and when you feel them let go of suction, slip your finger in from the side of their mouth and between their teeth/gums. This defensive mode usually works well for the baby that is biting because they're bored and think it's funny.
About the soreness from the teeth just being there -- sometimes it's good to change positioning. Nurse more lying down or vice versa. You don't have to do it all the time, just enough to change around the area the teeth are touching the areola/nipple. Also, as babies get bigger and more self-sufficient, our positioning gets worse and worse. Especially during this time, try not to let baby pull and stretch excessively on the area. Snuggle up a little closer.
Hope this helps.
Happy Nursing!

[momoffaith]

DD has only bitten me a couple of times... she must love her booby because the first time I think she was experimenting and bit me twice and both times I said NO firmly and took her off for 30 seconds. It was a month later before she bit me again and I think it was to get my attention because I was watching TV and talking on the phone. Anyway I repeated the NO and took her off and covered it up for 1 minute. She hasn't bitten me again. I believe consistency is the key. DD has 8 teeth so i consider myself lucky to be limited to these incidences, like I said she must love the booby and NOT like being told NO.

[mamapowell]

I can usually tell by the look in my sons eyes if he is done nursing and getting ready to play and bite I remove him right when i see that sly look on his face it doesnt happen too often i just remove him

[alejorge]

mybaby doesn't have teeth yet thank god.........but he has bitten me a couple of times which hurts no matter if they have teeth or not. So I asked my LC what to do when they bite. She told me to pull their head towards my breast as in turn it will get him to let go. I guess it is some sort of reflex. She told me never to scream when they do bite for as some of the moms said it can cause a nursing strike. He did it a couple times and so far not anymore so I guess it works. I hope all gets better for you. Good Luck

[Jacksmommy]

Scraping at first is normal and will stop when she gets used to those new teeth. I give teething tablets when baby is cutting teeth to minimize the desire to bite. My child is 3 and still nursing. Teeth really aren't a problem.