Biting toddler??

Khadijah - posted on 05/13/2010

I have read that sometimes when babies bite its not that they are trying to hurt the person they are biting, but rather they like the response they get after they bite. If that makes any sense! My girls were playing and rolling around on my bed once and all of a sudden one bit the other. I knew it wasn't learned behavior because she's never seen it done so I couldn't figure out where she had gotten it from.

I gave her a strick "NO" in response to it and explained why, and I haven't had a problem with it again. I think kids can naturally bite because they are simply getting use to their teeth in addition to liking the response that she got out of her twin sister.

Its important that you make your littl one awre that biting is not accepted and why its not accepted. Then be mindful of whenever he is around other children that bite. Maybe separate him from children with this kind of behavior whenever possible.

Janice - posted on 05/13/2010

all children will bite at some stage weather its a learnt experience r teething! my daughter started biting 2 months ago and bite her granny on the shoulder and left a mark! the way i dealt with it was when she bite me r any1 i told dem 2 bite her back but not hard r painful but jus enough so she nos it not nice and it sore to bite sum1! she has never bite since! my wee bro and my nephew wer da same and the technique worked with both of dem! goodluck hoppe this helps!

Kelli - posted on 05/03/2010

my son was a biter and it was just pure frustration and how he dealt with it, you just have to be consistent and firm, remove them from the situation and say 'no, we do not bite our friends' i don't think its anything to do with teething just their first reaction on confrontation, some children bite others hit and some just walk away!! Archie did eventually grow out of it especially when his speech came on. i also learnt to recognise when a situation was brewing and quickly distract him!
he is 3 now and i still monitor him in certain situations as he still 'reacts' innapropriately on occasion but generally plays nicely and uses his 'words'. my daughter is 15months and shows no signs of this behaviour which is why i think it is just personality related.
just keep consistent, good luck.

Bethany - posted on 04/24/2010

I don't believe it's learned behaviour, same as hitting and kicking, it's instinct. Noone has ever modelled biting or hitting or kicking to Charlotte, but she does all three.

She doesn't actually bite down, but if she's frustrated, or I try to take something from her, she opens her mouth and puts her teeth to my hand but she knows, from past training, not to bite me, but she still automatically goes there.

It's all they have. They are now in a world that moves and they can move too, and they need to protect themselves. Each does it differently, but still, they're little survivors.

Keep your commands simple, and very firmly delivered, no matter where you are. If it's happening in daycare, or whereever, the carer needs to know what your method is and honor that, so his world is consistent.

Don't just tell him what not to do, also tell him what to do instead. LIke, "We do not bite, if we want help, we say 'help'" We say "help please mummy" and mummy helps. or We do not hit, (take hand and stroke where he hit) we be very gentle with mummy or whomever.

over and over and over and over......

Jenna - posted on 04/13/2010

Hey my son Ben is going through this biting thing as well. He did end up cutting his molers. He is an only child and he isnt around other kids really we stay home all the time. So I think its just a phase that they ill out grow sooner or later. After he cut his molers he still bites all the time. I wish I knew how to break him of it cause it hurts. Wish I could help.

Emily - posted on 04/12/2010

its a phase kids go through my 13m onths old does the same thing i think probably cuz his teething but wen he is actin out on others what i do is bit back not hard but just to give him a idea of how it feels

Amber - posted on 04/12/2010

My daughter started biting a month ago. Not sure where she learned it because we dont take her to daycare and she has only been to nursery at our church twice. She does it when she wants something we don't give her or when she gets mad.

Brenda - posted on 04/11/2010

We bit our daughter back a few times but it doesn't work, all that teaches them is that biting is acceptable - we learnt that the hard way. As said previously, just be patient, they do stop eventually - it is just a phase they go through unfortunately

Lainie - posted on 04/11/2010

Hello Marguerite im also having the same problem with my 13 month old son it never happened with my daughter!!! I have friends have the same problem and they say they haven bitten their kids back (im yet to try this though) if you find a technique i would love to know!! good luck

Brenda - posted on 04/10/2010

When our twins were born last year, our oldest who was then 20 months started biting out of jealousy as all our time was spent with her sisters, it was frustrating for us as no matter what we tried nothing worked and what was worse was she was also biting other kids at play group. It has only been this year where she has stopped biting (yes it lasted almost a year!!!), and although she no does other naughty things mainly when she is tired as that is her way of telling us, they do thankfully grow out of the biting stage. My advise is to be patient (hard I know) and to keep telling and explaining to her son that biting is just not acceptable

Tarah - posted on 03/30/2010

I have to say that i feel it is both a learned behaviour as well as the teething in my mind. My son started day car back in Jan. On his first day one of the kids bit him not realizing he doesnt know what it means not to be in other's space. I was so upset by this but i knew that things would be ok.



About a week later he started to bite me at home and i didnt know what to do. I started by going " NO NO, Dont bite mommy we do nice touches" and i would give him kisses and pat his face with my finger tips like i was going to tickle his neck. IT took me about 3 weeks but now he will open his mouth but he just rest his lips on my face... he has never bitten the other childeren at school and in fact since he was the youngest i was able to ask that the others show him how to give kissses. Now he gives kisses and doesnt bite.



He does try to chew in the back of his mouth so i gave the daycare teething tablets and he walks around with those and plays with his friends and there hasnt been any more bittings with him involved...lol.. i hope it stays that way.