The child bites: why and how to wean

As soon as the baby's teeth erupt, they do not remain idle. Not only carrots and bagels are used, but also mom's breasts. It is difficult for men to imagine pain when sharp teeth dig into the tender skin on the chest, besides, this is a very sensitive place in which many nerve endings are concentrated. The feeling is not pleasant, so biting needs to be stopped.

But what is interesting: the child grows up, and the habit of biting does not go anywhere. Bites become a means of expressing emotions and achieving the desired. How and why does a child bite, and most importantly — what to do about it? We will tell you in the article. Read also: How to establish a child's relationship with grandparents

Why does the baby bite the breastProbably, it is not entirely correct to say that breast bites appear with the growth of teeth in a baby.

Sometimes even a newborn can bite, who is just learning how to properly apply to the nipple. The period up to 4 weeks is the time when the child gets so used to the breast as a source of food that he does not separate himself from his mother. He is one with her. 

But soon it becomes necessary to build personal boundaries, and the moment of natural separation of mother and child is inevitable. And with it — discontent, which can be expressed in the form of bites. Although this is far from the only reason that the baby bites. There are others:Every day the child's eyesight and hearing improve.

1. He is happy to know the diversity of the world around him. If music is playing during feeding, other people are present in the room, they distract the curious baby. He turns his head to the source of the sound, and at this time the nipple slips out of his mouth. The kid notices this and tries to grab it again, but since the correct position for grabbing has already been lost — hello, bite. This can be avoided only by constantly monitoring the position of the baby. Spoiled, distracted, turned away — take the breast and give it only after he satisfies his curiosity and is ready to resume the process of eating.
2. During teething, the gums swell, become painful, itch. The child cries restlessly, pulls into his mouth everything that comes to hand, he may have a fever, diarrhea, etc. You can find solace at your mother's breast. And when the primary hunger is satisfied, there is a desire to scratch the gums. The jaw tightens more and more during sucking — procrastination for a second can turn into injury. You need to try to have time to remove the nipple from the mouth. You can use your finger for this: gently push it into the baby's mouth to prevent the jaw from closing, and take out the breast. 
3. If the baby is on mixed feeding (GW + IV), it is possible that the cause of the bite is an unsuitable bottle. If the flow of the mixture is very strong, the baby squeezes the nipple to reduce it. He quickly gets used to such movements when feeding and squeezes his mother's breast in the same way. Often children pull and chew a pacifier on a bottle or a pacifier. With artificial feeding, this does not cause much trouble, but it is dangerous to give a breast after such games with a pacifier. The baby can continue his fun already with a nipple. 
4. With ARVI, a child may have a clogged nose. Then feeding turns into torture: the baby does not have enough air, he constantly releases his chest to breathe through his mouth. With severe hunger, the baby may hurry to resume feeding by incorrectly grabbing the nipple. And this is a direct road to a bite. In this case, you need to feed the baby in a reclining position so that the mucus does not linger in the nasal sinuses and does not block the access of air. Installing a humidifier in the children's room will also help. Humidity of more than 50% frees the airways and facilitates breathing. 

How to prevent bites during feedingThe main advice that will help to avoid injury to the breast and not scare the child is not to flinch and not to scream during the bite.

One wrong move — and the bruise or wound may become larger. And a sharp cry is to scare the baby. Just be mentally prepared that at any moment you can be bitten, and learn to react to it calmly. 

Another tip: try not to show your emotions after the bite. The baby may like your reaction and he will want it to happen again. 

It is better to calmly remove the chest and say in a stern voice: "Don't bite me!". Even if the baby does not understand your words, then he will feel the harsh intonation well, because from about 3 months of age, babies are able to catch the emotions of adults.

If you have noticed that bites appear when the child is full, try to anticipate this moment and pick up the breast early. When the tummy is full of milk, you can also indulge: chew the breast, crumple it with your hands. This is a kind of probing the ground for the boundaries of what is permissible: "How will mom react if I do this?". Therefore, if you do not stop such attempts at the root, you will suffer from bites every feeding.

Well, do not forget about the period of tooth growth. If biting is associated with it, remove the itching in the gums with a special gel or teether with a cooling effect. In difficult cases, doctors prescribe ibuprofen medications to reduce swelling, relieve pain / itching and reduce body temperature. 

A 2-4—year-old child bites - why?If biting in infants is physiology and instincts, then children 2-4 years old have conscious behavior.

What is the cause of it:✓ Self-defense.

✓ Attracting attention.

✓ Exposure to bad influences.

Expression of negative feelings (resentment, anger, fear).

✓ A way to achieve what you want.

✓ Oral-motor stimulation. 

All these reasons come down to one thing: with the help of bites, the child interacts with others, wants to convey something to them. Children who have delayed speech development are more likely to bite. They feel the need to communicate with the outside world, but for objective reasons they cannot do it fully. Therefore, biting comes to the rescue. 

Children who feel pressure from their peers, but cannot fight back, also bite. If a child is physically weak, then, except with his teeth, he will not be able to defend himself from the attacks of stronger children. 

5 tips for parents whose children biteTry to find out why the kid chose this way of expressing emotions.

1. Teach him to do it in a civilized way: to tell his parents about his experiences, to portray emotions on paper, to put offenders in the place of the children's collective beautifully. 
2. If, in addition to bites, you notice aggression in the child, relieve tension with the help of sports, active outdoor games during the day, and in the evening — a warm bath and calm music. 
3. Reconsider the environment of the baby — are there any children nearby who bite, and he copies their behavior? If you find any, notify their parents or kindergarten teachers.
4. Show how painful and unpleasant it is for you from bites. You can even exaggerate your reaction a little so that the child correctly interprets the situation: after his bite, it is very painful and unpleasant for mom.
5. Use fairy tale therapy — a story, the hero of which was a small crocodile, from which all friends ran away, because he could not cope with his teeth. Come up with the development of the plot yourself, but the ending should make it clear to the baby that as soon as you stop biting, all your friends will come back and be friends with you again. 
6. If a child bites during a hug, pull away, but do not let him go. Show by your appearance that you are waiting for him to stop doing this, and only then continue to hug. Fixing the "offense" is necessary so that the kid is clearly aware that he is doing something wrong.
7. If the bites last up to 4-6 years and no methods work on the child, contact a child psychologist and neurologist. Perhaps experts will see the need for psychocorrection. 

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It is worth remembering that the problem of biting cannot be solved in one fell swoop. It is necessary to understand the reasons why this happens. If you cope with this task and make it clear that this is an unacceptable way of expressing your feelings, soon the child will forget about the bites. We wish you perseverance and patience in this matter!