Biting - Linden,IN

Updated on July 26, 2011
K.V. asks from Linden, IN
6 answers

my daughter is 1 yrs old and keeps on biting everyone how do i get her to stop i have told to bite her back and i have did that not hard but didn't work

What can I do next?

  • Add yourAnswer own comment
  • Ask your own question Add Question
  • Join the Mamapedia community Mamapedia
  • as inappropriate
  • this with your friends

More Answers

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

D.S.

answers from Tulsa on

I agree with cecilia that is how I broke my oldest son. it has to be hard or it won't work.

1 mom found this helpful

C.P.

answers from Phoenix on

u have to bite her hard enough to make her cry. its sad but has to be done.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.R.

answers from Sioux Falls on

My son has been biting lately also, he is 12 months old. We have been teaching him "no biting but you can kiss". This has been working really well. When we notice he is about to bite we say "lukas, no biting, but you can give her (his sister) a kiss" and he gives a little kiss instead. Took some time, but now it works pretty good.
I had also heard about the biting him back (that's what EVERYONE said to do) so I tried it once but I couldn't bear to bite hard enough to make him cry. So instead he laughed REALLY hard like it was the funniest thing ever. Needless to say we tried a different approach after that!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

C.R.

answers from Kansas City on

When my little one was 18 months she did the same thing. Her ped said to use lemon juice in her mouth, but she liked it. We then tried lime juice instead and it worked. Each time she bit she would get a little lime juice with a firm "We don't bite". After about the third or fourth round she stopped biting. With my third daughter we used the same method, but with vinegar. It only took a couple of times and we have not had anymore issues.

I would not bite my child back. I was bit really bad when I was a kid and I could not imagine doing that to one of my kids. I feel that confuses them because you tell them we don't bite, but then turn right around and bite them back. Makes no sense to me! Please don't bite her back!

Good luck, and I hope this stage will move along quickly for you!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

D.S.

answers from Dallas on

My daughter was a BIG time biter. I thought we were going to get kicked out of her school. We didn't. She eventually stopped.

I don't subscribe to the "bite them back" philosophy, although I have heard that it can work. With my daughter, we tried to each her empathy and sympathy over time. We would show her the bite mark and tell that bites hurt and then make her say sorry. That may sound "soft", but your little one is only one. She doesn't know really what she's doing yet. She wants to express herself, but can't.

You may want to try the biting thing. I just couldn't imagine doing it.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

P.M.

answers from Portland on

My grandson bit at daycare a few times at about 1 1/2. It was distressing for all of us (as well as the family of the bitten boy), because this is a normally cheerful and cooperative little boy. He apparently bit when he became overexcited, or when an older boy tried to boss him.

The caregivers were on top of it; they identified the times the behavior was likely to occur, and stayed right on top of him for a couple of weeks. If he appeared to be on the verge, they swooped in, lifted him away with a stern "NO BITE." I think they startled him out of the biting, but they had to be extremely consistent. Grandboy was also asked every evening by mommy and daddy whether he had bitten, and when he could report that he didn't, they gave lots of positive reinforcement.

I truly hope you won't bite your child again. I recall at least two neighborhood stories of biters whose parents chomped on them to make them stop. At least with those two, the remedy had no effect, though I don't know any other details. The rationale is that the child will learn empathy. I think that's beyond the reach of a 1yo – what they learn is probably fear. That can work, but we really don't want our children to have to learn through fear if more positive training will work.

For Updates and Special Promotions
Follow Us

Related Questions