biting when feeding- help!

[flame]

My 8 month only has started biting me at least once a day while feeding and I'm looking for ideas!!  I don't want to stop bfeeding, but he bites so hard I scream and scare him and then we're both crying.

[annamum]

At this age you may want to start introduce some breastfeeding etiquette. When he bites, say firmly something along the lines: "it hurts mommy, we don't bite". I was teaching my dd to be "gentle" while she was playing with her toys and if she had an idea to bite I would say "be gentle".
Now, you may expect him to try again, have your index finger ready, near his lips and insert it immediately to release the latch. Repeat your words about not biting and stop this nursing session.

I know that some babies bite, then mom screams and then a baby starts crying and is upset. This is normal. You may want to talk to him about not biting before a meal and point to your teeth and his teeth to make him understand.

[CaedensMama]

The other suggestion I have had given me (by LaLeche League gal) is to pull the baby towards you when he bites - it is our reaction to push away - but when we pull towards us, it makes them release their bite and supposedly after a couple times they will stop. Never tried it myself, but am told it may help!

[mommytsa]

I did the pulling him in trick with my 6 mo old.  So far, he's only bitten me twice (knock wood).  It took a moment for him to pop off, but I found just gritting my teeth, and pulling him in until he popped off to get a breath, then setting him down saying "no biting" and putting away the boob for 10 min or so really got the point across quickly.  Also, setting him down gave me a chance to walk away for a minute so I could cuss under my breath and grab an ice cube (which while messy, took some of the sting away for a minute).  That way my hurt and upset didn't transfer to him, and he stayed pretty calm and happy.

HTH.

[flame]

thanks sooooo much for all the ideas.  I'll let you know how it goes!