What Do I Do If My Child Is Biting? PART 1

Posted on September 5, 2008
Filed Under Child Behavior |

There are a lot of toddlers who adopt the behavior of biting. Parents often get concerned about their child and get desperate to stop the action. Some will even resort to biting the child back so they “know how it feels”. This does the opposite and does not stop the child biting but can encourage more of the same behavior.

Let’s look at why toddlers might bite:

• LACK OF LANGUAGE and the ability to explain what they are feeling. This leads to frustration and because they have limited coping mechanisms of control, they lash out, some turning to biting.

 

• LACK OF LANGUAGE and ability to control other feelings such as joy and excitement. Toddlers don’t always have to be frustrated to bite, they might feel any of the following as an example:

          You are standing too close to me

          I want to play with you

          I am really excited

• OVER STIMULATION from their environment - it could be lights, loud noises, or activity level

 

• WANT TO SEE WHAT WILL HAPPEN - Toddlers are starting to experiment with cause and effect. As a younger baby, they soon work out that if they throw their toy over the highchair, someone will pick it up. This is one of the most common cuase and effect scenarios and we all see babies do it. In the older child (the toddler) they experiment with other forms of cause and effect. While we might panic and see the behavior as serious, we need to try and identify the cause first so we can react appropriately.

 

• NEED MORE ACTIVE PLAY TIME. If a child is understimulated, this may be a reason for the biting behavior. Often you may be able to redirect the biting behavior with more stimulating, age appropriate play

 

• ARE TEETHING

 

• NEED MORE ORAL STIMULATION - In babies, the sensors around the mouth are extremely active and needed for life skills such as feeding. Normally, these sensors around the mouth gradually give way in importance to sensors in the hands (as they develop). In some toddlers, this happens more slowly and the sensors around the mouth do not loose their need for stimulation. In these cases, children can turn to biting as a means of stimulation.

 

SO WHAT DO YOU DO IF YOUR CHILD IS BITING?

It is essential to observe, and analyse why your child might be biting. Ask yourself the following questions:

• What happened right before the bite?
• Who was your child playing with?
• What was happening in the room?
• Who was caring for your child?
• Was your child upset?

IF YOUR CHILD IS ON THE VERGE OF BITING:

• Distract your child with a toy or another form of play

 

• Suggest ways your toddler may use words instead of biting to get their point across. While this may not happen the first time, this sets up a behavior pattern for them to follow. The more you do it, the more success you will have.   Eg. “Scott, you can use words to tell Janelle she is too close to you. Janelle, you are too close.”The more you reinforce this behavior, the more your child will be equipped to use words.

  For suggestions on how to cope with biting specifically for the various reasons for biting, see Part 2.

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