Why does the baby bite the breast and what to do?

A child biting the breast is a common reason for visiting a doctor, which makes many mothers think about stopping breastfeeding. But in fact, the benefits of breast milk are very great, and this problem is not so great as to stop breastfeeding. Therefore, first you need to understand the causes and ways to prevent this problem.

Why does a child bite a breast?

The baby bites the breast when the mother feeds him, during the first teething period. Many mothers think that it is during this period that the time has come to wean the baby from the breast. But this is not entirely true. After all, the benefits of breastfeeding are undeniable, and breastfeeding should be mandatory for a child up to a year, and according to some recommendations, up to two years. Therefore, you cannot immediately wean the child from the breast, but first of all you need to make sure why this is happening.

Why does a baby bite the breast while feeding? The main reason is the appearance of the first milk teeth, which leads to severe itching of the gums during this. This often begins to manifest itself when the baby is six months old, and he wants to scratch the place where his first teeth will appear. If the child eats correctly and effectively, while fully covering the nipple and it is properly positioned in the baby's mouth, then he should not bite the breast. It is physically impossible for a baby to drink milk and bite at the same time, because at this moment the large tongue covers the baby's teeth and does not allow any unnecessary movements of the jaw. Since the baby physically cannot bite during the process of sucking the breast, this happens after he has eaten his fill. This should be taken into account when you begin to wean the child from this bad habit. But it often happens that a child at 7, 8, 9, 10 months bites the breast hard. Why does this happen? Every mother, when raising a child, begins to shape his character from the earliest age. This is what happens in this case. When the child just starts to bite after feeding, then at this moment you need to start weaning him from this. If the mother allows the child to do this, then he will continue to do this until he reaches one year.

Often babies start biting at the end of a feeding when they start to fall asleep. Watch for when the jaw movements slow down and weaken, and then you can stop feeding until your baby falls asleep.

Often, nasal breathing difficulties, a cold or ear infection make feeding difficult and can be a prerequisite for various feeding disorders. Try to keep the baby in a comfortable position and periodically give him time to catch his breath and get some air.

Thus, the main reason why a child starts biting the breast is teething, but this is not a necessity, but rather a bad habit that the baby can be weaned from immediately.

How to wean a child from biting the breast?

Many mothers have faced this problem and continued to give their children the wonderful benefits of breastfeeding for weeks, months and even years after.

All children are different, so you may need several different approaches that will be effective with your baby. What will help wean your baby off breast biting will directly depend on the kind of upbringing you have been forming in him up to this point. After all, your words and appeals to the child must be clear so that he understands the seriousness of your tone.

The baby often bites the breast at the end of the feeding session, which clearly indicates that he has had enough and is simply starting to play with his mother, demanding her attention. Therefore, having noticed this several times in a row, you can take the baby away from the breast as soon as he has had enough and has not yet had time to bite. Another method is to give the baby a special cooling toy before each feeding, which helps with teething. This will reduce swelling and the baby will be able to eat normally.

Read also the article about what to do if your baby is teething.

If a child bites, it is not recommended to scream. Sometimes, of course, it is impossible not to scream from pain. Sometimes screaming clearly tells the child that it is not right to do this, but some children think it is so funny that they do not stop doing it.

Use praise after each successful feeding. Even very young babies can learn to breastfeed well when their mother encourages them.

What to do if a child bites the breast? A very effective remedy is to calmly stop feeding, which will let the child understand that he cannot eat like that.

After a few minutes, you can try feeding again and observe your baby's reaction. If he tries to bite again, you should again let him know that this is not a feeding method. If your baby continues to bite, put him on the floor for a short time right after he bites, as a punishment.

When a child bites very hard and you can't make him let go, you should never pull, as this will increase the pain. At this time, you can put your finger in the child's mouth so that you can take the breast without much pain. If this method does not help, you can easily cover his nose, and he will let go of the breast for normal breathing.

The main thing is to form a concept in the child that he must understand, because it hurts mom. You can't shout or scold him. After all, this is your baby, who will be able to understand everything at any age, only if you explain it to him correctly.

When a baby starts biting the breast during teething, it often causes a lot of unpleasant sensations for the mother. The main reason for this is itching and pain in the gums, which must be taken into account and the child must be given appropriate cooling toys for the gums. You need to wean the child off this habit immediately after it appears, then you will form the concept in the baby that this cannot be done.