Comments on: With Teeth

By: Kristi

Kristi — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 15:46:36 +0000

My 10-month old Alana finally has teeth! She’s got two little stubs on the bottom that haven’t fully emerged yet, but boy do they hurt when she chomps down. Between the biting, pinching and scratching, it’s a lot to deal with it. It’s been so frustrating, but I don’t want to give up. I made the commitment to do this and I’m going to stick with it.
Thanks so much for this post. It’s nice to know that I’m not alone.

Kristi, Live and Love…Out Loud
@TweetingMama

By: Lisa C

Lisa C — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 18:49:43 +0000

Yeah, but there’s a limit to how much they can chew. We started baby-led weaning around 6-7 months, and he didn’t get his first two teeth until he was 11 months, and he didn’t get his next two until 15 or 16 months, then a month later started working on his top molars. I notice three factors that affect chewing: age-related development, the amount of teeth (a very distinct difference for my child), and practice. The more teeth he’s gotten, the more efficiently he’s been able to eat…with only a few teeth he’s such a slow eater that he has to fill up on milk, but with more teeth he is eating more solids. For my kid, at least, I’m convinced he won’t be able to eat full meals without milk supplement until he has at the very least top and bottom molars, but I really think it makes sense not to wean until all the milk teeth are in. I want him to be able to chew nuts (because isn’t nut butter the same as mashed and pureed food?). Anyway, I know I totally went off, there–I think that’s the first time I actually wrote my opinion on teeth, eating, and weaning, so I may have gone overboard. (By the way, I’m a big believer in baby-led weaning. My son is 19 months and eats a great variety of healthy foods, of his own choice.)

By: theadventuresoflactatinggirl

theadventuresoflactatinggirl — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 18:25:10 +0000

I totally agree. Though just to let you know, they can chew without teeth. Peanut didn’t get her first teeth until 3.5 months after she started eating solids (we did Baby-led Weaning which means no mushed food, just straight to table food) and she would just chew with her gums.

By: Lisa C

Lisa C — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 04:55:01 +0000

Hi! I’m popping over from Top Hat’s blog, so my first time here.

I think the weaning when teeth appear is absolutely ridiculous! First off, it makes no sense to stop giving them milk when they don’t have enough teeth to chew properly. Secondly, nursing actually HELPS with teething pain, so really you shouldn’t wean until all the teeth are in! (Ideally) Really, why would you stop unless there’s a problem, and it most cases, teeth are only a minor obstacle that is easily overcome.

Anyway, I just told everyone right off that I would be nursing for AT LEAST two years, and so far only one asked me how long we would nurse, and she was only curious (and I like when they ask “how long” instead of “when are you going to stop”).

By: theadventuresoflactatinggirl

theadventuresoflactatinggirl — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 06:27:52 +0000

I can’t imagine bottle feeding whenever people are around. That would be such a hassle! Not to mention that breastfeeding at the breast is healthier for baby because they can send signals to mom.

By: MamanADroit

MamanADroit — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 22:07:09 +0000

I actually got harassed by my relatives at Thanksgiving…they complained that we “barely even let us look at Baby” because I kept dissapearing into a bedroom where there was space to nurse Baby (he’s highly distractible plus no one ever offered to give up their seat, so I was stuck standing the whole time!) They actually think that it’s rude to breastfeed around extended family or friends and you should bottlefeed when you have company or are visiting someone! I say no way!

By: Lexi

Lexi — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:27:26 +0000

Stinky breastfed well into 18th months, teeth and all! I felt rushed by a lot of people to ween her, which looking back, kinda ticks me off. I miss that special bond, but now she is a good deal more independent, so I won’t complain.

We still co-sleep, and will until she’s ready to move. Sure we have a little spongebob bed at the foot of ours, but I won’t push her. I’ll sacrifice my pillow, or take a kick to the face for the team.

By: theadventuresoflactatinggirl

theadventuresoflactatinggirl — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 04:03:45 +0000

I totally understand the wild sleeping! She’s not very bad yet, but some nights I wonder if it would be nice for her to be separate from me. I’ve pretty much decided that even if she is kicking and hitting me (or like this morning, breastfeeding while kicking my husband) I’m still getting more sleep than if I had to try to get her into her own bed every night.

By: Lucky Mommy

Lucky Mommy — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:55:40 +0000

My son slept with my husband and I until he was 16 months old, We loved having him in our bed, but I was tired of getting kicked in the face every night and not getting any sleep because he bacame a wild sleeper. It was didfficult to get him in his own bed, but it only took a couple nights and he got it down. Now where near as long as every one told me it would take. My mother in law used to give us crap about it ALL THE TIME! How she was so worried about us rolling over on him, or how it was bad for him. There are some nights now I will bring him in our bed and he does just fine going back into his. As far as the nursing goes, I nursed until he was 16 months old and had 12 teeth. He would only bite when he was falling asleep and started slipping off. They learn not to bite and nursing is not problematic at all. I hated the remarks I would get for still nursing him passed one year. I didn’t have anyone who understood why I did it. it helps me to read your blog and see that I was not weird for choosing to nurse those few extra months. I am expecting my secind child, and will do the same thing!

By: theadventuresoflactatinggirl

theadventuresoflactatinggirl — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 03:28:30 +0000

Your body is “saying” to stop breastfeeding? Ha! Even if you weren’t producing a drop, there’s so much more to breastfeeding than the milk she gets! I hope that I’m still breastfeeding when I get pregnant (which we’re in no rush to do, so who knows) so I can educate people!