Biting: Stop a Child From Biting

One of the biggest concerns with parents who have kids who use aggressive behaviors is biting. Biting is most common in the early years of life, especially among boys. Biting is the number one reason children get expelled from day care and should not be taken lightly. The reason children bite instead of hit is because they have more powerful muscles in their jaw instead of their arms. This way they do more damage.

Biting usually goes away by itself when the child figures out how to deal with things in a positive way. It is possible that they don’t learn how to deal with things and continue to bite even when they are older. Try not to let the habit cure itself and teach your child how to stop biting. Biting will quickly make your child unpopular and feared. As a parent, you need to teach your child how to stop biting and how to cope with frustrations in a much more positive way.

Follow some of the tips below to teach your child how to stop biting.

Uncover the Reason

You must find out exactly why your child is showing this kind of behavior. See if any of the following apply to your child. All of these are reasons children bite.

• They are jealous

• They are impulsive

• They are protective

• They are lacking vocabulary skills

• They are seeking control

• They are frustrated

• They are trying to get attention

• They are imitating someone they saw

• They are stressed

• They are in the habit of biting

Step In

Make sure you step in as soon as you possibly can. If you see your child biting make sure you tell them that it is very bad and it hurts people. Remove them from other children so they have some time to calm down if they are angry. Make sure you are calm and not over reactive. Remember do not bite your child back. This does not help them learn anything. If they see you doing it they will think it is OK.

Pay Attention to the Victim

If you center all your attention on the injured victim it will show your child that there are consequences to their biting. It will also teach your child sympathy. If your child does bite someone make sure you notify their parents. Make sure the other parents know how to treat a bite.

Teach Them Their Vocabulary

When you teach your child new words, they use the words instead of biting. Make sure you teach your child when they are calm. This way they have a higher chance of listening to you. Once you teach them some words that they can use, keep practicing with them until they can use them in a real situation. When you see your child use these words make sure you tell them that you are proud of them. This encourages them to keep using words and not to bite!