No-one likes a biter! And no-one wants their child to be considered a menace, or worse yet, excluded from a child care centre. While many toddlers bite and while there are many reasons for that behaviour, there are some wise ways to handle biters.
Observe your child at play and use the Who? What? When? Where? Why? Approach.
- What happened? (Does it happen in the same circumstances? What happened just beforehand?)
- Who was involved? (Is it always involving the same child? Who was supervising?)
- When? (Does it happen when the child is tired, perhaps?)
- Where? (Does it occur within similar circumstances?eg. the car? The playground?)
- Why? This can be the most difficult question to answer.
If you see a pattern in the child’s biting behaviour it might help you understand why the behaviour is happening and you can minimise the conditions eg lighting, certain noises.
When your toddler bites:
Keep calm and speak firmly: eg No biting!
Give the child who is bitten attention, showing concern and commenting how the other child is feeling.
Help your child talk about how s/he is feeling and offer strategies for behaving differently next time.
Help your child to move on by suggesting e.g. a new activity
Some books which might help:
Teeth Are Not for Biting (Board Book) (Best Behavior Series) by Elizabeth Verdick
No Biting! By Karen Katz
No Biting, Louise by Margie Palatini
A Helpful Website: http://www.zerotothree.org/child-development/challenging-behavior/chew-on-this-resources-on-biting.html#Preventbiting
At Angel’s Paradise Early Education Centre, we are committed to all children’s safety. Our carers are qualified and well trained to handle behavioural issues and will communicate any occurrences or concerns to you.