9 Month Old Biting!

I agree with the firm, but calm "no biting".
I also put mine down. I don't know if it was for a full minute or not though.
A few ideas for appropriate biting targets:
large, cold raw carrot
cold (almost frozen) bagel
washcloth, half soaked and frozen

HTH
K., mama to
Catherine, 5y
Samuel, 2y
EDD mid-September

I had the same issue when my daughter was about that age. I read up on it, and my solution worked for us. If my daughter would bite, I would very calmly and firmly say no biting and then set her on the ground. She would cry to get back up, but I would make her wait about a minute. During that time, I would do my best to pretty much ignore her. Then, I would pick her up and we would continue alond until it happened again, and repeat. It took about a week or two, but she stopped. The worst thing you can do is let him see you overreact or give him a bunch of attention for it (ie a long lecture. Those things will just make him want to do it more. Good luck!

We gave our boys no reaction. We simply said in a calm voice "we don't bite". They got bored with it pretty quickly.

Say, "no biting" firmly, but without yelling or getting angry. Then put him on the floor and ignore him for a minute. If you are in a public place and unable to put him down, keep him on your lap, but facing away so he can't see you and ignore him for a minute.

Then give him something appropriate to chew on. It will take several times of doing this, but he will get the idea.

My son did this at that age. A firm No...most likely followed by his tears. Did stop him. Of course it was several times that he was told. Luckly he only bit me...never dad or any other kids. He followed this by being the 10 month old bully at daycare. He started pushing down the "weaker"kids. Again we put a quick stop to this. I say jump on it, let him know that this is not ok, and after he is calm again give him hugs. Sorry your little man is going threw this. Baby oragel.

I'm not so sure it's part of the "teething process" as much as the "look at mommy's reaction when I bite her with these 2 sharp, shiny teeth" process. He's realized he has a new way to get your attention. Tell him sharply no and don't smile,squeal, or otherwise react. Give him something appropriate to teeth on instead. It isn't malicious but if he thinks he can get a good reaction- he'll keep doing it. If he keeps it up- hold him so he can't bite you for a bit until he gets the idea. We used to keep baby washcloths that we had soaked in water in the freezer- GREAT teethers. Just hand him that frozen cloth and let him gnaw on that a while.

I put mine down and firmly but calmly tell him "no biting". If he does it again, it's the same "no biting" phrase with a timeout. Good luck. It will eventually soak in.

I let my kids chew on pickles. They wouldn't bite them off, just gnaw on them and suck the juices out. Just need to supervise it to make sure there is no choking hazard. I would also worry about the bagels pieces in regards to a chaking hazard. Good luck.

Well you are correct, he is not doing this maliciously, but boy it hurts.

He is in the middle of teething and really needs the release. I would suggest getting lots of teething things for him and keep them all over the place. Also get some of the ones that can be frozen and keep them in the freezer. The cold will help him. Is he eating bananas? You can cut some up and freeze them. Remember, bananas stain so be sure to wash his hands and face really well when he is finished. I used to give my daughter frozen mini bagels. I would cut them into fourths serve them to him frozen.

For a while I also suggest when you carry him, pick him up and have him face away from you. If he insist on being over your shoulder, place a towel or blanket, thick enough for him to bite on, without getting your shoulder. Always have a teether in your pocket or in your hand so that you can place it in his mouth, EVERY time he tries to bite.
If he bites you, pick him up and look at him with a stern face and say "no biting". Do not smile or laugh or yell. Babies will respond to stern faces.

This is a phase. But you need to protect yourself. This is not toddler biting, that is a whole different thing.

This is so normal. But, you still have to train him not to bite people or certain items. Keep teethers handy and when he bites you or something else he's not supposed to. Tap his hand firmly and tell him no. Then give him a teether and bite it and say yes ,you can bite this. Or a wash rag or something. Be consistent!

Hi L.,

It sounds like your little guy needs a good teether. You can e-mail me privately to find out how to get the best teether ever at ____@____.com's normal for them to need to bite at this stage.

Peace,
C.

Mine were a little older than 9 months when they tried it. I just gently bit them back and very firmly said "NO". When they figured out that bitting hurts, they stopped.

Yes, it's a teething thing and not malicious, but you need to let him know it's unacceptable behavior anyway. My daughter would "bite" me while nursing and I'd just "pop" her check with my finger and tell her no. I didn't hurt her, but I got her attention. She knew what she was doing and she understood me when I told her if she did it again she would no longer be allowed to nurse. If you don't give him boundries, how will he ever know what's appropriate and what's not. Set them now!!! When he bites you tell him NO and give him something that is okay - say you can not bite me but you can bite this. Good luck!

My daughter just turned 10 months and she is doing the same thing. Her bottom 4 teeth have come in and the top 4 are in also so she is biting on everything. When she bites we inform her do not bite and if it continues we give her a little knibble and we show her it's not a good feeling.