Biting

[BayleysMum]

Yesterday we took DS1 took a play centre. It is the type where parents are allowed to drop their children (age 4 and over) off while they go shopping. When we got there, there was only one other girl in the centre. I let DS1 (age 2) in the gate and in the time that I had paid and pushed to pram through he had bitten a girl. Me and DP made DS1 apologise to the little girl. When her parents came to pick he up I told them what had happened and they ended up yelling at me and my partner and the mother told me that I should control my kid. DS1 bit a girl in daycare and he bit another little boy when we were at their house one day. He however, has never bitten me, DP or DS2.

I have never actually seen him bite but he did leave marks on the little girls back yesterday. I dont know how to stop it. Does anyone have any idea why kids bite and how to stop it if he does it when I am not there.

He is 2 years old and he is getting very cheeky and naughty of late. I dont know what to do. It made me so sad when he bit yesterday. I ended up crying as soon as the little girl and her parents left. I really want to stop this and other bad behaviour. PLEASE HELP!!!!

[jaq]

You poor thing. Its easy to blame yourself and think "is it something we've done - or not done" but the reality is that some kids bite. And around 2yo, MANY kids bite.

That older girl may well have bitten herself at that age ... not that her parents would have admitted it.

As to what to do, I think its really difficult when you haven't seen the behaviour yourself. How can you discipline a child for doing something he never does when he's with you?

I would be speaking to whoever is in charge at daycare, and ask how they would suggest dealing with it. The person who witnesses the behaviour is the best person to discipline him ... but it needs to be in a way you are comfortable with.

The fact that he doesn't do it at home suggests he may have picked up the habit at daycare - one kid bites, the other learns to bite etc ...

Sofia is a biter too, and I have been bitten. So has hubby, and so has Annika. Mostly Annika though - Sofia figures her teeth can offset any size difference with her big sister, I think.

We put her in timeout, and its the only thing we use timeout for (with her) atm. She knows her big sister gets timeout for doing the wrong thing, so hopefully, the message that biting is WRONG will be driven home.

Or she will grow out of it. Sigh.

[FiveInTheBed]

:hugs:

I don't think it was nice for the parents to yell at you..."can't they (the parents) control themselves??!"

I have two occasional biters (twins) and they do it when they are tired, frustrated and not getting their own way..the only way I have been able to stop it is constant supervision and 'tuning in' to the "arggghhh" noise they make just before they latch on...I ask them loudly (sometimes whilst putting my hand in the way)."WHO bites??..does a lion bite, does a tiger bite etc etc..we (with the help of my 3.5yo) go through all the wild/feral animals we can think of...and then sayDoes Lucas bite!!? and he usually syas No."..plus it distracts him. I encourage him to use his words and tell mum if someone is annoying him.
Luckily he hasn't bitten anyone else except his own siblings.

But all I can suggest is constant supervision (that means from carers aswell) and reminding that it is NOT ON and what to do instead eg being assertive with his words or telling a grown up...finding out what has fired him up will help you...but if it is out of character for him, it sounds a bit hard.

sorry i have just :ecomcity:...it's late and I should be:sleeping: