If he bites, disconnect and say a consistent phrase like, "no bite!" And wait a minute or so before feeding him again.

He'll get it. It may take a few times, but he'll get make the connection that you can't bite Mommy.

I tried the screaming method and my son laughed at me and bit me again. : )

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Oh, and that opera singer.

Wow.

I'm speechless.

A beautiful picture of a beautiful boy and such inspiring websites to explore.

That Miranda July link is amazing.

Ditto for the Dahl.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

:o)

Yep, they'll for sure bite you again just for a reaction. And again and again. It's all about reactions from here on out my friend...good, bad or otherwise.

Great shot with the green peas. What a fab color they are!

Ben is so adorable!

Just realized I offered no advice:
1) Don't smile or laugh at all (after wincing/yelping in pain of course) no matter how cute they are - they will keep doing it and then you're doomed!
2) The best thing I found was to immediately pull them close such that their nostrils are covered by your boob....then they have to open their mouth/unlock their bite to breath and they won't try again. Firmly saying "no biting," taking them off, and stopping nursing for a minute works too. It's just a habit you don't want them to learn so you have to be firm and consistent.

The hardest is when they fall asleep nursing and bite as they are pulling away...can't teach against that!

I can attest to the fact, after having three kids (currently ages 5, 3.5, and 1), that the way they react to YOUR reaction when they bite you is an insight into their personality and mind and a preview of things to come. For example when my oldest was a baby and bit me while nursing for the first time, I yelped loudly (natural reaction) and she got scared and sad and cried - she is currently very sensitive and hates making people upset. My next daughter laughed...she is very rebellious but fun-loving...and my youngest one, a boy, was scared at first and then thought it was funny. Still figuring him out :)

I loved watching that dirtbag Simon Cowell get that "oh s**t" look on his face...

oh my god. That video of Paul Potts made me cry. Thank you for passing along uplifting media.

My mom bit back

i read someone else wrote this but i second or third it. pull him toward your breast so he gets a negative connotation when he bites you. it is hard to do because it fights your instinct but it worked with my two.

Thanks for posting that Dahl interview. What great advice! And what a great voice to tell it in, too.

Paul Potts has me weeping helplessly at my desk!! Thanks Andrea...I have been visiting your site often and appreciate all that you offer the blogosphere...

Oh, Andrea - Paul Potts rocks! Thanks so much for that link, in particular (I needed a good happy cry! :), and for all the others, too - wonderfully thought-provoking, all!

PS: I love Ben's little green smile and twinkly eyes - that kid has good sparkle!

S

My two children reacted to my screams differently. My son never bit me again and continued to nurse. My daughter quit nursing cold turkey after the bite/scream. Bad for me not to be able to reduce the amount of milk gradually. Bad for her because the first day she ended up in the ER due to dehydration (both children refused supplemental bottles from the get-go -- hated the rubber nipple). She went straight from nursing to a sippie cup. She's now a healthy 14-year-old!

But it's really hard NOT to scream. Those little sharp teeth hurt!

Thanks so much for sharing these sites, and that adorable photo.

i was needing some new inspiration and you provided it here, a gift! Thank you.

xoxo

Thanks so much for sharing these sites, and that adorable photo.

i was needing some new inspiration and you provided it here, a gift! Thank you.

xoxo

Oh, I can't wait to see him eat spaghetti -- or his first birthday cake!

When my son bit me the first time, I overreacted. (But it hurt!) Then he went on a nursing strike for two days -- two very weepy days for both of us. I tried the firmly-saying-no approach with my daughter and turning away from her, but that didn't work. Then another mom from La Leche told me to say no, cover my breast, and give her a teething toy instead. It took two or three times, but it finally worked. Ah, I love all my mom friends...

thanks for the daily dose of inspiration, mama!
Ian has his first bottom tooth in (it came in 2 weeks ago)
and has yet to bite me. I heard from my LLL leader not to yell but to pull them off and firmly say no and wait a few minutes before allowing them to nurse again. Ian went on a nursing strike 2 weeks ago before his tooth came in, and I read on various sites that some babies will go on nursing strikes when yelled at if they bite mama. But then again, I'm sure I will curse to high heaven when it happens to me. Gah!

Your baby is beautiful!
All three of mine bit, and all 3 would giggle when I would yelp out!

I brought a You are Beautiful sticker with me to Malawi (Africa)...looking for a place to put it:)

It was neat to read about it on your blog, which I have been reading for a couple of years, after hearing about You are Beautiful while living in Chicago for a year.

If you want to have my copy of “A Question of Balance: Artists and Writers on Motherhood” let me know and I will send it to you. I read it after my first was born (ugh, he just turned nine last month). I liked it.
Don’t stress about the biting. Some do, some don’t. If they think it is funny that is when you are in trouble. Since you never get mean with wee ones it does get their attention when they get a crazed reaction from you (it doesn’t need to be loud, but good luck not yelling out because it doesn’t feel good). My first tried it once (only once) and my youngest is 21 months with 12 teeth that he has had before turning one, and we are doing fine (he tested me a few times).
Enjoying watching the wee one grow. You look great too!

Wacky! I blogged a Miranda July link just yesterday! And thank you big time for the Paul Potts link~ just amazing, and so totally inspiring.

Hey A-

I've been nursing D now almost 14 months and have only been bitten a handful of times. Once he bites me and I say (or scream) "no" or "ouch," D lets go immediately. I then cover myself up and tell him that we Do Not Bite Mama. Then I wait a few mins and start again. His desire to nurse far outweighs his desire to try out his new teeth, so (knock on wood) this is very rarely an issue.

Ben is just adorable- love seeing his smiling face! :)

it's so fun to watch him grow!

some of mine did bite. you just smoosh their little faces in toward the breast until they pull back for air. i guess it is an implied threat, but those teeth HURT. a big reaction can sometimes backfire b/c some babies seem to think it is cool, and want to see it AGAIN.

Oh, Girl! Tender momma flesh is right! Baby boy (6 teeth) bit me twice on the same side, same spot afew days later, giving me a nice gash! I cussed both times...LOUD! He laughed hte first time. The second time, he cried! Then he went on a 6 day nursing strike. We just got back on track so things are good, but I have been told by other experienced mommies to give a firm, "NO" or "OUCH" and some even say to give them a pinch on the chin. I didn't have time to think of all that!!

i've watched Paul the opera singer so many times it just amazes me that I cry EVERY time!!! there are several more of his performances online and did end up winning the competition. yay for the underdog!

while my instinct with the biting was to launch him across the room, I decided the most comfy idea I read about was to close up shop right then- look him in the eye and tell him "no biting mommy, it hurts" and then distracted him to something else for a few moments.

It gave me time to let the pain go away and once he calmed down from screaming (cos he was still hungry) we tried again and I would gently remind him to not bite mommy.

It only took one full day to go through this routine and he never bit again (I nursed for 11 months and he got his teeth super early).

Good luck!

I cried at the opera singer, too! I wanted to tuck him under my wing.

My experience: if... no, when he bites you, push him into your breast. It's counter-intuitive, but he'll release much faster than if you pull him away. And it's MUCH less painful.

Thanks for the peas picture. Ben just gets more and more charming.

That Dove video is awesome. My daughter (13) forwarded it to a bunch of her friends.

Cute baby too.

That Dove video is awesome. My daughter (13) forwarded it to a bunch of her friends.

Cute baby too.

i cried happy tears at two things:
the opera singer...*sigh*
and how beautiful Ben is.

i cracked up at that dry-erase website. ; )

thank you for this gift.

love!

the cutest photo ever!
thanks for the tasty links.
xoxo
w
ps - satch laughed the first time he bit me, but it was a nervous laugh. then he stuck his finger in his mouth and tested his teeth. he never bit me again...on purpose that is...and he has a full set of choppers now.

Don't worry about the teeth! When they nurse, they actually lay their tongue OVER their bottom teeth to suck. You will stay safe & protected! Check it out next time...

Check out "Big Purple Mommy: nurturing our creative work, our children, and ourselves" by Coleen Hubbard
I think you'll like it :c)

Check out "Big Purple Mommy: nurturing our creative work, our children, and ourselves" by Coleen Hubbard
I think you'll like it :c)

Oh my gosh! Now I'm crying at my desk at work (yep, happy tears). That was just beautiful. Thank you for posting it!