Are you a new mom and your baby is biting while breastfeeding? As a breastfeeding mother, have you heard that a teething baby can bite while breastfeeding and are you worried that this might happen to you too?
Have you ever experienced how painful it can be when a baby bites your nipple?
Or are you wondering why your baby seems to bite the breast right from the start of breastfeeding, even though he or she doesn’t have any teeth yet?
What might be the reasons why a baby might bite when put to the breast , and can you prevent or counteract this? Should you stop breastfeeding if your baby bites while breastfeeding?
In this article you will find answers to these questions.
My baby bites while breastfeeding – The baby’s strong jaw muscles
Your baby’s milk tooth crowns are formed during pregnancy, and some babies are actually born with an erupted tooth called a witch tooth.
The ridges for the 20 milk teeth begin to form as early as the 8th week of pregnancy, but for most children the first teeth break through the gums around the sixth month of life.
It is the lower teeth that appear first in the milk dentition.
Anyone who has ever been bitten by a child knows exactly how strong the jaw is.
It is particularly unpleasant for breastfeeding mothers when the baby or toddler chews on the nipple or mammilla during breastfeeding.
Baby bites with jaw while breastfeeding – Even if a baby doesn’t have any teeth yet, it can be very painful and leave marks if it bites while breastfeeding.
If the first teeth are also involved, the nipples can be injured.
Breastfeeding should be a pleasant experience for both the child and the mother. It usually takes some time to establish a harmonious breastfeeding relationship .
Many women suffer from insecurities and worries during this time and it often happens that a mother thinks she does not have enough milk .
Others experience that their child bites during breastfeeding.
This can not only lead to breast infections, but also to anxiety in the affected mother.
Biting is not usually a common behavior among babies and children who are breastfeeding.
Nevertheless, some people experience phases in which they bite their nipples either once or several times.
My baby bites while breastfeeding – The many reasons behind it
Strictly speaking, infants can’t bite, but they clench their jaws. In most cases, this is due to poor breastfeeding management and awkward breastfeeding positions.
In a breastfeeding position where the baby is not well supported and has difficulty grasping the breast, it does not drink effectively and, as a result, clenches its jaw.
This problem can often be resolved by working on correct latching and better breastfeeding positions.
The mother should also feel good and safe and be able to relax, which is the case, for example, when breastfeeding while leaning back or when breastfeeding deeply.
During laid-back nursing, the mother is in a comfortable, half-sitting and half-lying position, is well supported so that she does not have to hold herself up and can relax, and also has her hands free to help the baby rest on her body.
With deep or asymmetrical latching, the baby lies belly to belly with the mother and is placed chin first on the breast, so that it covers more of the lower part of the areola with its wide open mouth.
When the nipple points upwards towards the baby’s palate, it can be optimally positioned in his mouth.
However, sometimes there are organic reasons why a baby bites while breastfeeding, including a shortened frenulum, jaw asymmetry, torticollis, a broken collarbone, or birth trauma.
In any case, a pediatrician should be consulted. Breastfeeding counselors , physiotherapists, and osteopaths can also provide support in such cases.
Some newborns also have a so-called spasmodic biting reflex, which causes them to clench their jaws whenever there is something in their mouth.
The reason for this is the baby’s immaturity after a difficult birth, which grows out after a few weeks.
Since babies with a spasmodic biting reflex often bend over, the so-called football position is a good breastfeeding position in such cases. It is also called back or sideways.
This is called the lateral position, where the baby is placed sideways under the mother’s arm. Because the mother holds the baby’s head, she can latch it onto her breast.
Additionally, the mother can hold the baby’s lower jaw down with her thumb and a finger to help with pain-free breastfeeding. A massage or a warm bath before breastfeeding can also help the baby relax.
The mother can also temporarily give him expressed milk .
Biting problems at the beginning of breastfeeding can also be due to an overly strong milk ejection reflex. The baby is overwhelmed by the flow of milk and sometimes bites in response.
The breast is particularly full when drinking for the first time and splashes less as it empties.
It has also been observed that babies bite the breast when breastfeeding, even when they are bottle fed , as they bite the bottle to restrict the flow of milk or to play.
Babies may also bite if they have a cold or a blocked nose .
Babies also bite in cases where they are offered the breast but do not want to drink at that moment.
In any case, it is necessary to identify and correct the causes of biting fairly quickly, because otherwise the mother may experience sore nipples and the child may have difficulty feeding, thus impairing its development.
Since every child is different, there are different reasons why biting occurs while breastfeeding, so there is no universal solution.
Some children can actually bite when they start teething.
My baby bites while breastfeeding – What can help with teething
As already mentioned, the crowns of the baby’s milk teeth form during pregnancy and teething begins around the sixth month after birth.
For some children, development begins as early as the third month, while for others it can take up to a whole year.
There are no rules, only guidelines, but there is a fixed order in which the baby teeth erupt, starting with the lower teeth. Initially, only the tip of the lower incisor erupts.
Although it is not as painful at first, it is still very unpleasant when the baby bites while breastfeeding due to the strong jaw muscles.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that children be breastfed continuously and exclusively until at least six months of age and that this should continue until their second birthday if necessary.
In fact, it is a misconception that breastfeeding teething babies is painful.
The appearance of the first milk teeth can be uncomfortable for the mother while breastfeeding, but within a few weeks the discomfort is often over.
During teething, the baby’s jaw rumbles violently, it hurts, pulls and itches.
This is why many children bite their breasts with their gums even before a tooth erupts. Signs that indicate teething include excessive clinginess, increased drooling, and swollen and red gums.
While the baby sucks, the tongue covers the lower teeth, which is why it usually does not bite during breastfeeding.
Rather, this happens at the beginning and end of breastfeeding and when the baby is about to fall asleep. To relieve teething discomfort, you can offer your baby a teething ring.
An alternative to a cooled teething ring can be violet root, but it must be boiled and replaced regularly. Furthermore, the child should not be left unattended with it.
Gently massaging the child’s gums with your fingers or silicone finger cots can also help relieve teething discomfort.
There are also pain-relieving remedies, such as teething gel.
This is available without a prescription, but as a precaution it is best to use it after consulting a midwife or pediatrician, as it can cause side effects and numb the baby’s tongue, which can then lead to breastfeeding problems.
If your baby happens to bite the breast, you should stay calm and never shout at the child, so that it does not get frightened and subsequently refuse the breast.
Instead, you should place your little finger between the teeth (not in the cheek pouches!) and respond with a calm but firm “No!”, which even a baby will understand. It’s important to maintain eye contact with your child.
It can also be helpful to take a break from breastfeeding and put the child down so that it learns that both breastfeeding and physical contact are interrupted when it bites.
For safety reasons, the finger should always be ready to release the child from the breast before it can bite.
Since single teeth can press into the breast tissue at the beginning of teething, breastfeeding can be particularly uncomfortable.
However, be aware that this is a phase that will pass and this problem will resolve itself as the baby gets more teeth and the dentition becomes more even.
My baby bites while breastfeeding – teething is no reason to stop breastfeeding
Even though it can be uncomfortable and sometimes painful when the first teeth come through, teething is not a reason to stop breastfeeding, as you can still hear and read.
After all, it is no coincidence that baby teeth erupt while the child is still an infant and breast milk is the main food, even if complementary foods may already be introduced.
Even with a complete set of milk teeth, the child does not automatically bite.
Proper latching ensures that your baby has optimal access to the nipple and that their teeth are not clinging together. A lactation consultant can provide quick and effective relief from breastfeeding problems.
My baby bites while breastfeeding – When biting becomes a game
Infants explore the world with their mouths, especially during the oral phase. They learn what they can do with their lips, tongue, and teeth, and sometimes they bite just to see how it feels and what happens.
When the mother suddenly screams, which is understandable given the pain, some children are very frightened and start to cry, while others are amused by the reaction and see it as a game that should be repeated.
Baby bites while breastfeeding and laughs – It is fundamentally important to understand that the child has no bad intentions and that being amused is not a sign of schadenfreude.
Children learn through play and bite different things and body parts, such as their parents’ arms, hands, shoulders or legs.
However, the nipple is much more sensitive to pain. Therefore, you should proceed as described above, react as calmly as possible, and consistently teach your child that nipple biting is unacceptable.
Babies also recognize from facial expressions and tone of voice when their mother is feeling unwell.
By removing the child from the breast and putting it down, and giving it a teething ring in the meantime, the child can learn that biting the nipple leads to the withdrawal of physical contact and the interruption of breastfeeding, but that it is allowed to chew on other things.
My baby bites while breastfeeding – When children seek stronger contact
At the beginning of breastfeeding, mothers are particularly attentive, take plenty of time and allow themselves enough rest so that breastfeeding can settle properly.
In the first few days and weeks, mother and child need to get to know each other well and learn how to overcome any breastfeeding difficulties.
However, once breastfeeding has become a well-practiced routine, many mothers perform other activities alongside it.
Sometimes things get boring, and the mother might flip through a book or use her smartphone to pass the time while breastfeeding. Or she might breastfeed while out and about or while chatting with others.
This development is generally to be welcomed, but it can also happen that you don’t notice that the breastfeeding position is not so suitable for the child, that he or she wants more eye contact or more peace and quiet, or that he or she is simply falling asleep.
Then the child uses biting as a means of communication or the mother does not notice that the baby’s mouth closes when falling asleep and a bite can be the result.
In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it is not easy to stay in the moment and allow yourself some peace and quiet, something that children in particular regularly remind us of, sometimes through conspicuous behavior.
My baby bites while breastfeeding – If it happens while sleeping
It can happen that the baby has fallen asleep and does not even notice when it bites, but is woken from its sleep by the mother’s cry.
The reason for biting is that the baby’s mouth closes when falling asleep and the nipple slips out of the mouth.
Baby bites the breast while breastfeeding – Especially when breastfeeding at night, it often happens that the mother also dozes off and is woken up by the bite, which is detrimental to her night’s sleep.
The best tactic to prevent this is increased vigilance and attention during breastfeeding.
The mother should remove the child from the breast as soon as she notices that it is no longer breastfeeding effectively, but is sucking with its mouth only slightly open, because it is at such times that the baby most often bites.
If you now push your finger between the child’s teeth, you release the vacuum and the nipple can be removed from the mouth without causing pain.
In most cases, biting at night is just a phase that will pass.
However, if this persists and the child is already a little older, the mother may consider whether nighttime weaning is appropriate. However, replacing breastfeeding sessions will require considerable effort.
My baby bites while breastfeeding – Resolving the bite
As already described, it is not possible for a baby to bite during effective breastfeeding because the mouth is wide open, thus covering parts of the areola, and the tongue lies over the teeth and touches the edge of the inner lip.
This creates a vacuum and creates sucking movements that trigger the milk ejection reflex. Biting can therefore only occur before or after breastfeeding, while the baby is latching onto or detaching from the breast.
Sometimes it is not possible to insert your finger between the teeth of the child because the child is gripping the nipple so tightly that it will not let go.
The first reaction in this case might be to try to pull the nipple out, but that would only worsen the pain and lead to serious injury.
Instead, you should appeal to the baby’s instinct and pull him particularly close to you so that his nose is so close to the breast that breathing is obstructed and the baby lets go of the nipple.
My baby bites while breastfeeding – How to care for injured nipples
If the nipple bleeds after a bite, you can still continue breastfeeding because the blood does not harm the baby, even if it spits up bloody or has discolored stools afterwards.
It’s important to take good care of the sore areas, otherwise they can become infected. It’s important to always wash your hands thoroughly before touching the sore area on your chest.
Isotonic saline solutions have proven to be a helpful remedy for sore nipples. These are available either in drugstores or can be made at home by dissolving 9 grams of table salt in 1000 ml of boiled water.
Afterwards, the nipples should be left to air dry without clothing for as long as possible.
You can also use wool grease, or lanolin, to support the healing process. Commercially available lanolin is usually purified and safe to use.
In most cases, these remedies are sufficient to promote healing. Otherwise, you can discuss the use of other products with your midwife or lactation consultant.
If nursing pads are used, they should be changed regularly to avoid infections and also ensure that the nipple is dry before wrapping it again.
There’s no need to shorten the duration of breastfeeding on the injured nipple; instead, special attention should be paid to ensuring the baby is latched onto the nipple correctly. Breast massage can also promote milk flow even before breastfeeding.
If the sore spots do not improve and further problems such as redness, hardening and a poor general condition occur, a lactation consultant and a gynecologist should definitely be consulted.
Fortunately, serious injuries and difficulties are very rare and the baby’s biting phase passes quickly thanks to increased attention.
Final thoughts
Nipple biting is not part of a baby’s or toddler’s normal breastfeeding behavior and can have various causes.
Sometimes organic and health-related causes such as a shortened frenulum, a torticollis, an asymmetrical jaw or a spasmodic biting reflex are responsible.
In most cases, however, biting is due to the fact that the breastfeeding position is not optimal and the baby is not being positioned correctly.
In this article, I have therefore given you a few breastfeeding positions that can prevent the unpleasant experience of a child bite.
Anatomically, it is not possible for a child to bite during effective breastfeeding because their mouth is wide open and their tongue is over their teeth, so bites occur either before or after feeding while the child is latching on to or detaching from the breast.
Some children bite because they’re experiencing teething pain. That’s why I’ve given you some tips on how to ease the pain and how to best explain to your child that biting isn’t okay.
Sometimes children bite to demand more attention or experience it as a game, but often they also bite when they have already fallen asleep.
I’ve explained how best to deal with it and also given you tips on how to promote healing and care for injured nipples.
Please remember that teething is just a phase that will soon pass and that teething is not a reason to stop breastfeeding.
