How to get a toddler to stop pinching while nursing
Toddlers often pull the opposite nipple or pick at the navel during breastfeeding because their hands need a distraction while nursing. Slapping their hand does not stop the behavior, leaving parents frustrated and uncomfortable. Providing an alternative tactile object or gently redirecting their hands can help curb this habit.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- People have been saying this in most months since September 2026.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Slapping the child's handDid this help you?
- 2Covering up the other side and making the nipple inaccessible in the braDid this help you?
- 3Saying 'no we don't do that' and moving their handDid this help you?
- 4Giving a warning and unlatching them if they continueDid this help you?
- 5Jamming a small stuffed toy into their hand to keep it occupiedDid this help you?
- 6Unlatching them and walking away for a minute or so every timeDid this help you?
- 7Providing chew necklaces and squeezing toys for sensory inputDid this help you?
- 8Biting the child back slightly to show them how it feelsDid this help you?
- 9Pretending it hurts intensely to elicit an emotional reactionDid this help you?
- 10Telling the child no bitingDid this help you?
- 11Setting the child down and telling them noDid this help you?
- 12Screaming ow to startle themDid this help you?
- 13Prying the child's mouth open to release themDid this help you?
- 14Leaving the child alone immediately afterDid this help you?
- 15Faking hysterical cryingDid this help you?
- 16Biting the child back with moderated forceDid this help you?
- 17Changing tone and demeanor to firmly tell the child no.Did this help you?
- 18Putting the child down, walking away, and ending playtime to remove attention.Did this help you?
- 19Conditioning behavior by giving exaggerated positive reactions to acceptable physical actions instead.Did this help you?
- 20Putting gloves on the child's handsDid this help you?
- 21Applying bitter tasting food items to the thumbDid this help you?
- 22Saying no and physically interrupting the habitDid this help you?
- 23Constantly reminding them that they are a big kidDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“My 13 month old has been bitting me on the shoulder and the hands/fingers for the past 2-3 months.”source ↗
“Well tonight she bit my shoulder again through my shirt and broke my skin. I’ve had it. I need help.”source ↗
“Sometimes we’ll be at the grocery, in an airport, at a restaurant, and I’m clueless on what to do in those situations too.”source ↗
“My 3 yr has started biting since we switched to a new school. It’s getting really bad. Almost 2-3 times a week I get a call. It’s a really nice Montessori school and I am scared he’s going to be kicked out.”source ↗
“I’m at a loss of how to get him to stop biting. Please tell me someone else had a biter and how they stopped the behavior.”source ↗
“He’s got chew necklaces, a bunny to squeeze and he’s still chomping away.”source ↗
“My daughter had similar to a point of skin coming off. She did in the end stop by the age of 3 but it took a lot of constant talking to.”source ↗
“everytime he breastfeeds he likes to pull my nipple on the other side or pick my navel. I don’t like it at all and often I slap his hand but he will end up doing it again.”source ↗
“How do I get my 17 month old to stop hitting me and pulling my glasses off my face? She thinks it’s absolutely hilarious.”source ↗
“If I’m holding her, I put her down to indicate if you do that, I will not hold you, and playtime is done. She still does it though.”source ↗
“My 20mo keeps sucking her thumb at minor disturbances throughout her sleep. Sometimes so harshly that her thumb gets a little bruised.”source ↗
“Instead of actively playing like toddlers, anytime she is free, she starts sucking her thumb.”source ↗
“I have been trying almost everything to stop her habit, but damn it's so hard.”source ↗
“I'm afraid if I will ever be able to stop her from thumb sucking.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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