I look after a 2 yr old boy and a 1 1/2 yr old girl. I also have my own 2 children who are 3 (girl) and 1 (boy). I have never come across the problem of biting to this extent ever before. I know kids will be kids and they go thru phases, but this one is getting out of hand. It is the 2 yr old boy that is biting and he is being raised by a single mom who is doing her best to make ends meet and take care of her boy to the best of her abilities. They have recently starting living with a very patient and good friend of mine who also has exhausted his resources of how to stop him from biting and happens to be the one who is getting bit the most. He has taken the move pretty well and has adapted to our friend VERY well. He looks up to him like he is a father. Any help?
Hi J.,
I used to work at a preschool/daycare. When kids would bite, we used to give them a spoonful of lemon juice immediately after the bite & tell them no biting. After a couple of bouts with the lemon juice, the kids would usually stop biting. Hope this helps. Good luck!
Say "NO!" very loud and in his face. "Oww! That hurts! I don't like it". Then give him a hug after and say, "I like you."
You can also ask, "Do you want me to bite you?" or you can have another immediate negative consequence when he bites. It doesn't hurt to bit him back...as long as you don't do it as a knee-jerk reaction...if you tell him you want him to know what it feels like...etc
I would first look into the teething aspect of it. If he can tell you if his teeth hurt, let him know that when they hurt, he can bite on x (teething ring of some sort) and come over for a cuddle, but it is never okay to bite others because it hurts them. When he is getting angry, break the cycle and get him to talk with you. See if you can get him to tell you why he is angry and empathize with him. Let him know that you understand why he is angry (he wants to play with a toy that someone else has), but that it is Sally's turn right now, and that he can play with it next. A lot of times, just acknowledging their frustrations or anger can defuse the situation. Good luck.
Our son has had that problem too. He only bites me and the little boy I watch sometimes. If I feel a bite coming on I tell him 'kisses only' until it clicks with him. Usually that has stopped him from biting. I have had to put him on time out, but that is only if he bites the other little boy. Unfortunately, he only bites that boy if they are fighting over a toy or something. The boy I watch is older and used to be bigger and push my son around all the time. Now my son has hit a growth spurt and is bigger and doesn't take it. The more I interact with them when they play the less biting happens. Also, I've noticed that the biting has pretty much stopped since his molars broke through.
I also offer him some Hyland's teething tablets when it seems like he is on a biting streak. That really seems to help. It's hard when they are in pain, but you don't want them to think it's okay. I would tell your friend to try to take notice if there are certain situations or instances that seem to highlight the biting. That way he can be proactively prepared to take action his bites.
Whenever my children bit when they were little (one still is little), I take my thumbnail (or any nail)under their tooth and flick it and say sharply "No! No!" It doesn't hurt them, but it surprises them (sometimes enought to cry) and then they realize that was wrong and stop.
My son did that but he couldnt talk much and express himself verbally so when he got angry he bit. He also bit when he got excited or nervous but he is autistic. He is 11 and will still bit himself when he gets to angry. I got him to stop biting me by not allowing him too. I would verbalize it before he did it if I thought he might. Then if I felt (like during a hug) his mouth open I would pull away and say do not bit. If I saw the bit coming I would hold him away from me and tell him not to as he got older I would tell him to use his words not teeth. It took years to get him to stop doing it to me but 95% of the time I was able to stop him from biting me and redirect him.
You mention that she "recently started living with..." which means this little boys whole world just got turned upside down. Since biting may have been an issue before the volatility of his life just made it a big deal. If there's a romantic relationship between this single mom and your friend, well OF COURSE he's the one getting bit. This guy is horning in on territory that the little one thinks is HIS. I'm not condoning the behaviour, but maybe if the adults take a step back and look at the cause you can solve it better then just trying to treat the symptom. Good luck to all!
My response may not be politically correct in this "enlightened" day and age, but it worked, so take it for what it you think it is worth. My son, who is now 27, was, at the age of 2 1/2, terrorizing my sister's day care group by biting other children. One day, I sat him down, and explained the problem to him. I told him that he was causing trouble for others by biting them, that it hurt them, that that was bad, and that he needed to stop doing it. I told him that I didn't think he understood how much biting hurt others, so I was going to bite him so that he understood what it felt like. I then bit his arm (did not draw blood or puncture skin). I then told him that this is what it felt like to the other children when he bit them, and that he needed to stop doing that. He cried for a few minutes, which made me feel bad, of course. I think he got the picture, however, because we didn't have trouble with him biting others after that.
Little ones - and big ones - do not always understand how their actions affect others, so sitting down and showing some of the consequences and effects can help children shape their future behavior.
