16 Month Old Won't Stop Biting

I absolutely agree with biting her back. It usually only takes once. And just hard enough to let her know how it hurts! My daughter bit me ONCE--I bit her back and she hasn't bit anyone since! I experienced this with my step-daughter also when she was 18 mos.--same results!

I fully agree with you bitting her back. My son was always biting and finally I did it back not hard just enough for him to see its not nice and that was it he never did it again. Good luck

Hello E.,

I have done childcare for several years and have learned that the biting usually happens between 1-3 when a child is trying to communicate and doesn't know how. I use sign language in my daycare and it really has helped reduced frustration in children learning how to communicate. I have a now 3 yr old in my care of which I have had since 5 months. She is very advanced for her age and at 1 was biting allot. Thing is she wanted so bad to talk that she would bite when she was misunderstood or didn't have the tools to tell someone what she felt.
Below is some information I am sure will help. I always tell them No bite biting hurts and show then the hurt sign.

WHY DO KIDS BITE?
• Young children have not fully mastered the skill of communication. They are unable to tell you how they feel and get really frustrated. They lack the verbal skills they need to express themselves.
• Biting is a very powerful release of frustration, leadership, or anger.
• Most children stop biting around the age of 3, when they are better able to acquire their verbal skills.
• Biting often results from frustration. Toddler hood is frustrating as toddlers learn new physical and social skills.
• They could be teething.
• A child may be hungry or tired. They lack good judgment when they are either of these.
• They may have seen another child do it and want to try it too.
• They know it gets a great reaction, and use it as a way to express leadership.
• Maybe an adult has bit or nibbled them during play. A child does not know his own strength and thinks that he/she is playing when they bite. When in fact, they are actually harming them.
• They have never been corrected for doing this in the past.

How can I prevent biting from happening in the first place?
• Plan activities that allow children to release frustration. Show them how to stomp their feet, push, or kick a pillow. Scream, freak out, breathe or take a time out.
• Have age appropriate toys available that stimulate interest and decrease frustration and/or boredom. Have enough toys to share so that each child does not feel the need to hog it.
• Provide biting substitutes such as teethers, wet washcloths, etc.
• Supervise at all times.
What should I do after a child has been bitten?
• The biting child is calmly removed and given "quiet time" alone. Statements such as "You do not bite. It hurts." Or "Biting is not allowed. It hurts people." Are used.
• The bitten child is consoled and the bite is quickly cleaned. Ice is placed on the bite to decrease the likelihood of swelling or bruising.
• Call parents to notify them that their child was bitten so that they are not shocked when they arrive, and that they will be given a choice to come examine the child.
• If the skin has been broken report the incident to your Local Health Department. A hepatitis shot or other related injections may be needed.
• Have the child examined by a doctor if it is severe.
• The child who has bitten is "shadowed" to help understand what may be causing the child to bite so that further incidents can be prevented.
Things you should not do:
• Bite the child back.
• Encourage the other child to bite the child back.
• Call the child names such as "bad", "naughty
• Spank or threaten the child.

what I found has worked, as mean as it seems, is to bite them back - not too hard but hard enough for them to see that it hurts! My daughter, whose now 8, was doing the same thing and once I bit her back and she realized it hurt she stopped doing it. You may have to do it more than once, but once she realizes that she's actually hurting them she'll stop.

Hi E.....my name is Jen and I worked in daycare for 6 years so I have seen my fair share of biting. First we would start by telling them we use our teeth for food, not our friends, family, ect. (at our daycare we never used time out). When that didn't work we tried by using carrots. We put one in their pocket and everytime they tried to bite, we told them to get out the carrot and bite it (usually that never worked, but each child is different). We also tried to explain to the children if you are mad, go hit a pillow as hard as you can. Only a pillow and nothing else. Sometimes this would differ their anger. If we could see that the child was about to bite, we would take them over to the pillow and make them hit it. Most of the time it just got the children laughing and forgot all about why he/she was mad. As a last result 1 teacher (usually me) would follow that child around all day. That way you were there to stop the bitting before it happened. This is a very hard thing to do, but I can tell you first hand it works. I had a child who tried to bite over 30 times in one day and thankfully I was there everytime to stop him. It took about 2 months before he stopped but when he did he never bit again. We really just worked with him on using his words. I know your daughter is a little young for using her words but it's never to early to start to tell them that. Good luck to you. I know how hard it can be to have a child who bites!

I definitely agree to the "bite back" comments. It may seem childish or mean, but who are you dealing with? A child. They are probably biting because they don't know how to communicate properly, but also probably because they can't even seperate what is going on in their little minds and bodies to begin with. If they can't identify what the feeling is, how do they know what to do instead of biting? Like "when your are mad, hit a pillow", your 16 month old may not know exactly what mad is or feels like, it is just something that happens to them. It takes time and teaching to sort that all out, I agree, but you don't want them to continue biting in the process. Unless you bite back, I think most kids don't even realize that action hurts people, whether you say it does or not. Most kids are in a mood of "I am not going to listen to you anyway" when they bite to begin with. My kids reaction when I bit back...what a wide-eyed, chin dropped..."I can't believe she just did that" then it was "that kinda hurt". When I saw that look, I re-inforced my action with words, "It hurts doesn't it? That is why we don't bite, it is not nice." I knew I had their attention and they knew that it really does hurt. I guess every child is different, but I sure don't wanna be the opposite of the parents whose kid got bit and is mad because it broke the skin. Not to mention the health risks of exchanged body fluids. Good luck finding what works for you! :)

My son just turned a year and he has started wanting to bite his twin sister and older brother when he doesn't get what he wants. So far, I do the saying "no." firmly thing as you do and explaining why not to bite and it works for that minute only. Thankfully, he has only done it a few times and it's not become a huge problem YET. Hmm, I don't know if I like that biting back too well. Maybe try something foul tasting on the tongue everytime she bites like vinegar or something.

My third son bit until he was 18 mos old! I tried everything until one day he caught me off guard and bit my shoulder to the point that it brought tears to my eyes!! It sounds cruel but it hurt so bad and I was so tired of it that I bit him back. He's 13 now and never bit after that. Just a thought. Good luck~

I understand your problem I have a 15 month old son who wont stop biting. my cousins twin boys wont even come near him because they are afraid of him. im afraid if I dont do something soon its gonna get real bad but im running out of suggestions. If you finbd any answers please let me know. Thanks