Biting can be a big problem. Just ask the child who is wearing a set of red teeth marks on their arm. Biting can be common in children from ages one to three years. It needs to be discouraged from the very beginning.
Biters bight for different reasons. Knowing the reason that your child is biting will best help you deal with the biting behavior.
Experimental Biting – A young child who is curious what will happen if they bite often does experimental biting. The adult should send clear signals that the biting is inappropriate and tell the child, “No.” I remember the first time my daughter bit me while breastfeeding. I pulled abruptly away and said, “No,” so firmly that she began to cry. I don’t think I had ever used that tone of voice with her before. But she never bit me again.
Frustrated Biting – The child who bites out of frustration does not have the skills to cope with peer situations. A parent should first help the child who has been bitten. Ignoring the biter completely until the other child is calmed down. This will help the biter realize that biting hurts. Help teach the biting child appropriate ways to deal with their frustration. Look for escalating situations and intervene before the biting occurs.
Threatened Biting – Sometimes when a child feels threatened by another child their animal instincts kick in and they bite to protect themselves. My son was a threatened biter. I had an in-home daycare and for about a six-month period whenever one specific child would try and take away a toy or act aggressively towards him he would bite the other child. When the child left my daycare the biting stopped and he never bit again. Let your child know that biting is inappropriate and remove the other child from the situation. Assure your child that their possessions and rights are protected. Remind them to come to you if they need help instead of biting.
Power Biting – Some children receive a sense of personal power and control when they bite. Their biting brings a strong response from caregivers and so the behavior is reinforced. For the power biter it is important to reinforce positive social behaviors like sharing. Downplay the biting situation as much as possible. If the biter receives attention while not biting and little attention when biting they will usually stop the behavior.
In every situation evaluate why your child is biting. Then try and help your child deal with the situation. Do not bite back a child when they have bitten. This reinforces the idea that using negative behaviors is a good way to handle emotions. Instead talk about the biting calmly and sternly. Letting the child know that biting is inappropriate. Do not “reward” your child with negative attention.