How to Keep Breast Feeding During Teething

Any mother who has breastfed her child while it is teething can tell you it's not always a lot of fun. The baby sometimes treats a nipple like a teething ring, which means sharp bites and unpleasant surprises. Despite that, many experts recommend that you keep breast feeding during teething: it often comforts the child while continuing to provide him with the health and nutrition of his mother's milk.

Instructions

1

Provide the baby with your undivided attention during breast feeding. She can't bite and keep drinking at the same time and if you watch her closely, you can tell when she's getting ready to nip you.

2

Give the baby a teething ring or a teething blanket to chew on before you start breast feeding him. That gives him time to "chew himself out" and he will be less likely to bite while you are nursing.

3

Recognize any patterns in the baby's biting while you are breast feeding. If it consistently comes early during each nursing, she may be trying to stimulate lactation, and if it consistently comes late, she may be trying to tell you that she's finished. Either way, you can adjust your breast feeding (either by stimulating lactation or ending the nursing earlier) to address her unspoken concerns.

4

Teach your baby not to bite. When he nips you, gently pull him away from the breast, then wait a few minutes before beginning to nurse him again. He will learn that biting means a loss of milk and eventually stop doing it in the future.

5

Refrain from laughing or making a joke out of the biting. Some babies will treat it as a game or a way to get their mother's attention. While you shouldn't ever get angry or raise your voice, don't smile when your baby bites: you want her to know that it is serious.

6

Ask your child why he keeps biting you (this normally works with older children who are in the latter stages of breast feeding). Rather than getting upset, simply ask him if there is something wrong--if he is jealous of a new sibling, perhaps, or worried that you aren't paying attention to him. Oftentimes, simply airing the child's concern is enough to get him to stop biting.