Biting is always a normal habit for any growing child although this may be a shock to any parent. Your child will always bite for different reasons. Children are very curious and hence they bite to see what will happen next. The phase of biting is mainly between the ages of 1-3 years in children. They will always bite anything that is somehow attractive. Something encouraging is that after this age they will outgrow it.
Biting is something that you really want to discourage your child from practicing. Don’t be stressed, there are some of the ways that you can apply to stop your little one from biting.
Why Does Your Baby Bite?
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Reasons |
Descriptions |
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Teething pain |
The first reason is that your child can be biting because he undergoes a lot of pain. Teething is part of your child’s growth process, but it is somehow painful to them. Your child will try to relieve the pain by biting on any object that they see. This is because of their swollen gums that are itchy. |
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Curiosity |
Secondly, children are natural explorers. Most children can do anything so as to explore their surroundings. The children mostly use their hands to explore their environment, but similarly they use their teeth very well. Anything that they always touch will automatically end up in their mouth. At this age, the kids are not able to prevent themselves from doing that because they are still very innocent. |
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Bite to see the reaction |
Most children always bite so as to see the reaction that will follow the action. They do it on their age mates or even their older siblings not knowing the amount of pain they are inflicting on them. This is the part of their exploration and curiosity. The sound of pain or exclamation will surprise the kids and they would want to do it more. |
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Seeking attention |
It is also one of the major reasons for biting in kids. The kids can see that their parents are ignoring them in different ways and this will make them bite. This is one of the bad behaviors but the kids will rather go for it even if the attention is negative. |
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Be frustrated |
Children also get frustrated like the grownups. The only problem is that it is hard for them to show their frustrations through words. They will go for biting so as to alert you on something, for example, if your child is hungry or wants his toy back. The kids can also use biting as a means of communications to the other kids telling them that they do not enjoy their presence. |
What Can You Do When Your Baby Bites?
1. Translate Feelings into Words
This is important because you are helping your child express his/her feelings in the appropriate ways. Ensure that you give your child appropriate choices because this will reduce their biting.
2. Reduce Disturbance
Your child can be disturbed by things such as the TV or lights or even certain activities. The moment you notice this, turn off the source of his disturbance. Ensure you take your baby out at the most appropriate time such as when his/her tummy is full. Always provide your child with the most suitable environment. Don’t forget to comfort your child when you see the problem.
3. Take a Firm Action
If your child is experimenting on biting, you can take a very firm action on your child. For example, explain to him/her unemotionally that biting is bad and then turn to the victim and comfort him. Always try and explain to your baby the dangers of biting, showing him/her that his/her biting has led to crying of another person.
4. Set Time for Playing and Resting
If your child needs more play, you should set aside some time every day for that. Ensure that you tell the other care takers about it so that it can be a continuous process. You can also go an extra step and include activities into the child’s daily routine such as some jumping before bed.Sometimes your child can be over tired and will require some extra rest, take an action by increasing the amount of rest.
5. No Laugh
Biting should not always be considered as a game of any sort. Your child’s relation with his/her siblings can be sometimes very dangerous because they might treat biting as a game. Always make sure that when your child bites, no one is there laughing at him/her. What you should never try to entertain is using this habit as an excuse to surrender to his demands. Always ensure that your child’s daycare understands and follows your approach.
More Tips:
- Ensure that you stick to the plan. For any good plan to work, you need attention, energy, consistency and support from the other family members.
- Always give clear commands and they should be simple and positive. Children cannot understand if you tell the negatives and so always try to encourage them.
- When you need any help, don’t rush to the extreme that is to the doctor. Instead get advice from the friends and other parents.
- Biting is normal but sometimes it can get to a worrying stage. At this worrying stage, you need to see specialists who will advise you accordingly.
For more information, watch this video below；
How Can You Prevent Your Baby from Biting?
- If your baby is teething, make sure you have a cool teething ring to prevent him/her from biting others.
- When your child grows old enough, encourage him/her to use words instead of biting.
- Give your child a lot of your time so that he/she does not bite to get attention.
- Always praise your child when you see that he is doing a lot of good things. Be generous with your praise and make sure that you are specific in using phrases such as “good boy.”