Written by Editorial Team
If you have searched for this topic and have come across this webpage, it is because your little toddler has started biting you, others in the family and/or other children. And you are mighty worried. So let us make this clear first – your baby is not the only little Dracula out there. Biting is a common behavior in many toddlers, albeit a painful and frustrating one; and many parents are dealing with it . The bad news is that it can lead to many awkward conversations if the “bitten” is another child. The good news is that with careful observation and handling, you can help your child overcome this habit.
The first step is to understand why your child bites.
Toddlers do not bite because they decide to bite. It is something as natural as the urge to pee by the body, and a very normal pasrt of childhood development. When a sudden wave of emotions engulfs a toddler, feelings of fear and frustration are released by biting. The toddler by himself does not plan it, his brain and body do so for reasons that are beyond his control. Here are some reasons why your cutie pie resorts to biting you or others:
A biting phase starts somewhere around a child’s first birthday, and lasts till about 2.5-3 years, when a child is learning to communicate. Once the child is able to speak and make others understand his needs and wants, biting usually stops, though if your child has developed a habit of hitting, it may well persist for a long time. However, biting definetly needs to be discouraged, and fortunately, there are some simple ways to prevent your little one from sinking his teeth in everything and everyone.
Just as in beating, the best way to prevent your child from biting is to restrain him from doing so. Labeling him as a ‘biter’ and going all aggressive on him will only make the matters worse.
However, all these methods are short-term solutions. What you really need to work towards is to get your baby out of this habit permanently and help your child grow.
If you think that biting occurs when your baby is overwhelmed with some emotions that he/she cannot express with their limited language capabilities, then teach him/her ways to express:
If you think your child is experimenting, explain to him that biting hurts. Describe to him some of the aftermaths in simple words: “If you bite your friend, it will hurt her. She will cry. You like her – you don’t want her hurt and crying, do you?”
If you think your child is feeling ignored and is craving for attention, then this is definitely NOT the time to give him/her attention as this will only reinforce the thinking that biting would mean ‘mumma will focus on me’. Instead, shift the focus of your concern and sympathy to the bitten child or adult. Additionally, try to understand why your child is feeling ignored and give extra attention so that he/she feels secure and happy.
If your child is teething, then biting is more physical and temporary than behavioral. Give your child something to bite into like a cooling teething ring.
Apart from these techniques, here are some broad do’s and don’ts:
If you thought biting releases all your child’s tension, then you are wrong. A child feels bad after he has bitten himself, which again adds to his loads of tension and frustration. When a child bites someone, try to get close to him and comfort and reassure him. Look deep into his eyes, make firm eye contact and tell him you are there for him. Let him feel your warmth and and though he may not give you words of explanation, what may come across is either bouts of laughter (which is again a great way to release inner tension) or crying. Be there for the time he cries and connect with him. As he wriggles away to yet another experiment, he will be at peace with himself.
Kids normally stop biting once they turn 3-3.5, by when they would have mastered the language well enough to express most of the feelings they experience. If your child continues to bite, in an increasing frequency, despite the fact that he is past the age to have such triggers, then you might want to talk to a child development specialist.
With a rich experience in pregnancy and parenting, our team of experts create insightful, well-curated, and easy-to-read content for our to-be-parents and parents at all stages of parenting.Read more.
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