When your child bites, it's a cause for concern at daycare or in playgroups. This behavior is normal, and stems from your child's frustration or pain. Teaching your child not to bite -- whether he's a baby or a toddler -- is one of the many skills you impart as you raise your child.
Baby Behavior
Babies who bite often do so when teething -- and, unfortunately for the mother, this can occur while your newborn nurses. When nursing, if your baby bites, unlatch him from your nipple using your finger or thumb. Look at your baby and tell him to stop. While he may not understand the word, he understands the emotion. For many nursing mothers, biting occurs unexpectedly and is painful. Often, your startled reaction is enough to convince your baby to stop biting you.
Toddler Behavior
Toddlers bite as a means of expressing themselves prior to having sufficient verbal skills. At about age 2, your toddler's biting is an experimental behavior that dies when you respond appropriately. When biting occurs, don't provide a strong negative reaction -- this type of attention reinforces the behavior. Instead, calmly explain that your toddler should not bite her friends, but that she should bite oranges or sandwiches. Next, distract her attention with a game or toy. If she continues to bite, separate her from the child who is the focus of her biting and give her a three-minute timeout.
Provide Words
Toddlers also use biting to express frustration, anger or to manage a conflict. By providing a vocabulary of emotion-based words, you help your toddler move beyond the stage of acting on his frustration and enable him to use words instead. Look directly into your toddler's eyes and use a stern voice. Stick to simple phrases like, "I don't like that" or "I don't want to share." These simple phrases start your child's ability to resolve conflict without resorting to physical aggression.
Keep it Calm
Toddlers who bite often do so if they feel overwhelmed. While your toddler goes through this developmental stage, keep his environment calm and free of too much stimuli. If he bites in a playgroup, take a break and limit play dates to a friend or two at most. When you see your child in a situation where she normally bites, and she does not, praise her positive behavior.
