Babies are seldom born with teeth. If they are, there are only one or two teeth at the time of birth. Teeth start to erupt when babies are six to nine months old. Your child will have teeth in the first year of birth. There is no compulsion on stopping to breastfeed your kid. You can continue breastfeeding until when the baby prefers while you are comfortable. You can start considering Complementary foods alongside breastfeeding from six months of age.
When the baby is small, there are no teeth, and the baby comfortably latches onto the breast. As the teeth develop, it may result in biting. This can be painful for the mother. Some babies may respond by biting to the change of position or due to the low flow of milk. While teething babies might bite in the same way as they do on mouth toys. A low flow of milk can be frustrating for babies and result in biting.
Frequent breastfeeding will help to maintain the milk supply and keep your baby satiated. Sometimes, the position of latching onto the mother might prompt the teeth to press into the skin inducing pain to the mother. As the teething process is very new for the babies, they might experience discomfort. This problem usually resolves with time or time of latching and position.
Best Breastfeeding Position and Latching
You can follow some tips to avoid biting during breastfeeding.
- Give your baby something cold to chew before breastfeeding. This does not have to be too cold.
- If your child bites, take them off and give some solid food to chew instead.
- You can pull your baby closer when they bite. This will close their nose a bit and result in the opening of the mouth.
- You can change the style of latching and position to ensure that your baby’s teeth do not dig into your areola.
- Encourage and support your child when it does not bite. This will help your child understand.
- Avoid shouting when your baby bites, as shouting can result in breast refusal or encourage the baby to bite for the resulting emotion.
Can You Predict if the Baby will Bite?
You can try to understand the pattern of your kid’s biting. If your baby bites at the beginning of breastfeeding, you can try tilting their head a bit back to support. Sometimes teething babies can initially bite due to low milk flow. The mother can regulate it with the help of a regular feeding schedule. You can even take off your baby in between to prevent biting. Some babies bite at the end. This is due to the reason that they are full or have lost interest.
Give your attention to your child, and do not let anybody catch your baby’s attention while feeding; loss of interest can cause the baby to bite and cause pain.
Experimenting with different positions is a great way to know what suits you and your baby. You can even try pumping your breast milk and then feeding your child. It makes it easier for both baby and the mother.
