Having coped with the difficulties at the initial stage of feeding, some mothers soon face the problem again - the baby bites the breast. Why does he do this? Usually babies bite their breasts when their teeth are teething. This is how babies try to relieve itchy gums. From about three months of age, babies begin to play with their mother's breast, developing new skills. Naturally, mothers have a question - how to wean the baby from biting during feeding, while maintaining breastfeeding?
Why does a baby bite a nipple while feeding - reasons
Young babies who have not yet erupted can bite the nipple while feeding, squeezing it with their gums. Psychologists say that kids get to know the world around them, show curiosity. They wonder what happens if they press their mother's breasts well - will they take it away or not? This interest is closely related to the psycho-emotional development of the child.
Babies as young as three months old can bite on the nipple even if they are hungry. This is how they play with the chest. During the game, the kids look at their mother, smile at her, while biting the nipple and moving it from side to side. These actions help the child learn new skills. He masters the movements of the lips and tongue. If your child behaves this way, be sure - he is just having fun. Don't worry if your milk doesn't taste good or isn't enough.
What should mom do to prevent the baby from biting?
You need to show the baby that you do not like this behavior. This can be done by taking off the breast for a short time. In this case, you need to make a stern face and calmly but seriously say: “You can't! Mom is in pain because of the bite, so Dima (Yanya) will no longer receive milk. ” Despite the crumbs' dissatisfaction, try not to breastfeed him for at least 10-15 minutes. Repeat this every time. After a while (two or three times), the child will understand what happens after he bites his mother’s breast: the mother is unhappy, the breast is not available. The toddler is not satisfied with both of these options, so he will try not to bite you again! It happens that the nipple is bitten to blood. In this case, you should not give a sick breast to the baby until the blood coagulates and turns into a scratch (otherwise the baby will swallow your blood, which is not good).
Teeth are coming through
Babies who have teething are in pain. They are constantly chewing on something, trying to get rid of unpleasant sensations. Mom's breasts can be used for these purposes. And the baby's cutting teeth are sharp as knives! And the jaws are so strong! Crumbs are teething, and it goes without saying that the child wants to understand why this something appeared in his mouth. Therefore, the baby bites everything during this period. Only now it doesn't make it easier for mom.
How to proceed?
If the baby has swollen gums, give him a special teether toy before feeding. You can buy it at any pharmacy. Have the baby scratch his gums as much as he needs. Then offer him the breast. It is advisable to interrupt feeding several times so that the baby can use the teether again. When another tooth comes out, lubricate the inflamed gums with a special pain-relieving gel before feeding.
The nose does not breathe
When a baby has a stuffy nose, he experiences discomfort when sucking. At the same time, he can direct his displeasure to the mother's chest, because, being in the mouth, it prevents him from breathing. One way to fix something or show that he is uncomfortable is to bite his mom's nipple.
How can I help my child?
If the baby has a runny nose, before feeding, clean his nasal passages with an aspirator, removing the discharge. Apply it vertically to your chest, in this position it will be easier for the baby to breathe.
Applying incorrectly to your chest
If, while breastfeeding, the mother is distracted by something else - talking on her mobile or watching TV, the baby can slide off the correct grip. In this case, the mother's nipple is no longer deep in the baby's mouth. The baby will definitely let his mother know that it has become uncomfortable for him to eat.
What to do?
You can correct the situation if you constantly monitor how the baby took the breast. That's right, when the baby's lips capture the areola around the nipple, while the tongue lies on the lower jaw, protruding slightly forward.
The baby does not want to eat
If the baby is already full and no longer wants to suckle, he can simply play with it. According to some mothers, their babies begin to bite on the nipple when the milk in their breasts runs out. Sometimes the child does this when he falls asleep or, carried away by something, turns his head to the side.
Also, the baby can bite the breast due to lack of milk, the baby has a desire to experiment with mom's reaction and attract attention, due to the constant use of rubber pacifiers and nipples.
How should mom react when baby bites the breast?
If the baby bit his mother's nipple for the first time, he does not understand what he did. However, mom at this moment feels pain. Her natural reaction is to scream or abruptly pull the nipple out of the child's mouth, she can yell at the child and scold him (this is useless, he is not to blame and did not bite you on purpose). Although it is rather difficult to restrain oneself, such behavior when biting the breast of a child should not be tolerated in any case. Hearing the cry of the mother, the baby can be very frightened, and then abandon the breast altogether. It is also impossible to abruptly remove the nipple from the baby's mouth, such a movement can easily injure the skin even more than with a bite. If the baby squeezed the nipple with his teeth, you need to try to release the breast as soon as possible.
How to release the breast if the baby has bitten it?
- In no case do not pull the nipple out - there is a great risk of damaging the skin even more, especially if the child already has several teeth;
- Press the crumb so that it buries its nose in the chest. In this position, it is difficult for the child to breathe and even bite the breast. To take a breath, he will have to open his mouth. Some mothers prefer to gently pinch their baby's nose to open his mouth and release the nipple. Although to me personally (Razakhatskaya Natalya), the method with the little finger seems less stressful;
- Very carefully insert the little finger into the corner of the child's mouth, slowly spread his jaws. Without removing your finger, free your chest;
- Press lightly with your thumb on the baby's chin. When he opens his mouth, pull out the nipple.
How to stop your baby from biting the breast while feeding
To stop all the baby's attempts to bite while feeding, the mother needs to show him that it is impossible to play with the breast. Try some of the tricks below.
The child is most afraid of being left without his mother's breast. This fact should be used to stop all attempts to bite the nipple while sucking. If the baby has bitten you, take the breast away from him, look sternly into his eyes, calmly say the word “no” or “no”. The child may not understand the lesson the first time, but if this happens again and again, he will remember the actions repeated by the mother - if he bites, he loses his breast.
When the baby, in spite of your “no,” continues to play with the nipple, biting it over and over again, remove the breast from it and place it on the crib. Having lost his chest for a few minutes, the baby will realize that his mother did not like his behavior.
If he asks for a breast again, apply again. If it bites, we put it off, explain it and leave the room. This should also be done calmly, without strong emotions. Thus, we show that we do not want to communicate when the child behaves this way. In a minute we return, calm down, offer a breast. If you start crying a lot, you can immediately go in, pick it up, calm down, but nevertheless do it without feeling guilty, with inner confidence that you are right.
But be prepared for the fact that in a few days the child will want to once again ascertain the seriousness of your intentions. You will have to try to remember and repeat exactly the same reaction, so that the child becomes bored of experimenting in this direction 🙂
For kids from one year old who already realize that they hurt their mother by biting her on the chest, a method based on praise is suitable. After each feeding, which was without bites, show the baby that you are happy - hug, kiss and praise him for good behavior.
Author Elena Dudina –
Often, at the same time as episodes of breast biting, the baby begins to fiddle with the second breast during feeding, as well as pinch the mother, pull her nose, hair and other places where he can reach. These additional movements of the child are unpleasant for the mother, so they can and should be dealt with too. If you do not stop such manifestations in time, you can reach absurd situations. On one of the forums devoted to this issue, I read that some baby ate his breast only if during feeding he was allowed to roll a small car on his mother's body. I can imagine how “comfortable” my mother felt at the same time ... And it’s immediately clear who in this family dictates the rules. Who comes out the winner in a conflict of interests. Who, after all, is the leader of the pack.
In another family I know, a girl used to fall asleep, fiddling with her mother's elbow. Breastfeeding is long over, but the elbow is still there. To fall asleep, a child needs to fiddle with someone's elbow. In my opinion, this is an already formed "bad habit" such as thumb sucking or nail biting. As you know, it is very difficult for children to get rid of these habits, so it is much better to prevent them from occurring.
The reaction to the undesirable actions of the child should not be as emotionally vivid as with the bite (after all, it does not hurt you, so you should not exaggerate). But the method of weaning from these habits is similar: we remove the breasts and explain why. Another way (helped me) is to hold the baby's hand while feeding. Let him play with his fingers quietly, this will help calm down. In any case, do not try to follow the child's lead, after all, you are still controlling him, and not he you.
Watch your baby when you feed him. If he is already full or starting to fall asleep, remove the breast. This will help prevent unnecessary bites. Over time, the baby will understand that this part of the mother's body is not intended for play. Just be patient, you will succeed!
- Fundamental advice to nursing mothers
- TOP 100 Breastfeeding Tips
[sc name = ”rsa”]
