Trying to stop as baby bites so much

[ruby2015]

My LO is 8 months, has lots of teeth and seems to be constantly teething. For the last 6 weeks he has been biting loads- I've tried all the tricks (saying no, putting him down, pressing him into my boob- basically all the suggestions I could find online) and things got better for a while but then the teething started again and he does it constantly. Even when he doesn't mean to bite I get a ring of teeth marks around my nipples, and I'm always worried he's just going to bite down without warning. It's SOOOO painful when he does and he's drawn blood a few times. So I'm keen to stop as I'm fed up of feeling so sore. I'm trying to introduce a formula feed in the morning in a sippy cup (he refuses bottles and won't take expressed milk)- not sure how much he actually gets as lots of it ends up spilling down his front but I'm managing to get him from 7am to 2pm without a breastfeed which I think is progress. He's good with solids so I think I'm managing to keep him well fed with 'real food' too.

I still BF him to sleep- don't know how to tackle changing that. It seems to be the least 'bitey' feed so I don't mind keeping that one going. But I would really like to wean him off completely by the time he's 1 in February. Roughly how long does it take to do this and has anyone had a similar situation?

 

[Luella]

I can't offer any advice but I can sympathise. My little boy is almost 8 months and since he has had teeth has bitten me almost every time he feeds. I find I'm extremely on edge when feeding as I'm waiting for the next bite! I hope you find a solution.

 

[El1en]

My little girl was a bottle refuser. I tried when she was 6m she wouldn't take it so I left it. I knew I could only really bf until 11.5m for work reasons. She often chewed a bit but it didn't really bother me until one day at 11m she bit me so hard and it bled quite badly (in hindsight I believe my supply had dropped causing her a bit of frustration). The next day I was still really sore so I fed her her first feed at 6am and then went cold turkey. She still had food and water but I didn't bf. I tried to give her some cows milk several times but she wasn't interested until 4pm when she drained a bottle. She had one more bottle that day then a bf last thing before bed.

The next day she had bottles bar the 1st and last feeds and the day after she only had the last feed from me.

It wouldn't be recommended to stop as quickly as I did but it worked for me. I got sore nipples for a couple of weeks but no horrible engorement or mastitis (and reason I think my supply was already dropping).

Good luck to you, I totally understand the pain of biting.

 

[Blueclass]

You LO is 5m and has two bottom teeth coming through. She has bitten me a few times and it really hurts. I too find I'm on edge as im waiting for the next one. Im hoping I can make it to 6m but it is agony. I have read that you drop a feed every couple of days or something but if you want to stop faster just express when your uncomfortable but only enough to make you comfortable. Then your supply will reduce. Also look at foods which are meant to dry you up i.e peppermint tea ect.

 

[ruby2015]

Thanks so so much for all the supportive replies- good to know I'm not alone in this. I think I'm definitely going to try to cut all breastfeeds except the evening one- if nothing else it will give my poor nipples some time to repair!!! When he bites he knows what he's doing because he always looks at me and smiles- so annoying! I have worked out though that it mainly happens when he's not actually hungry, so I've stopped offering the breast as a comfort thing as he just bites unless he feels like eating. I must admit I feel a bit disappointed as I really wanted to BF for a whole year but I also wonder if it's all a sign that he's ready to stop. Thanks for the advice on how to stop. Blueclass and Luella good luck with your little biters- I really sympathise with you! And Ellen thank you for sharing your experience- it has given me some focus and confidence

Xxxx

 

[Blueclass]

Also have a look on Kellymom there is some great information on there x

 

[elizabethsingl]

I can't offer advice either, but just wanted to say I"M SO SORRY! IT HURTS SO MUCH!