Four Year Old Acting like a Doberman!

For a 4 year old. Loss of privileges--whatever he likes best: bike riding, computer time, Hot Wheels, etc. Pick the thing he LOVES and if he bites--say good bye to that for a day.

As an infant educator I would recommend a "biting bracelet". These are plastic coils that you give your child and its made like a bracelet. Tell him whenever he feels like biting he can bite the bracelet. Usually within a few days they are so over biting anymore. Hope this helps! Just google or
Look up chew or biting necklaces or bracelets. Works really well!!!

Think of biting as his communication to you. The problem is that he is not communicating in the proper way. He might not know how, he might feel that he is not being listened to so he resorts to biting, he might not know what is bothering him, etc. You need to treat the underlying issue, not the biting itself. If you use the seat belt scenario as the example you can tell him that you see that he is angry (it is key to acknowledge the feeling), but that he cannot bite people. Then you can go on to say that you know he doesn't like to wear his seat belt because it is uncomfortable (or whatever the reason is), but that he has to wear it so that he can be safe. Then you can tell him that you can sit there for a few minutes until he is ready to put it on. You might be really surprised that he starts opening up to you and tells you that he wishes he could move around in the car (or something) so that is why he doesn't want to wear it. Then you can say that yes, that would be really fun and exiciting and you wished he could do it also but it is important to be safe. Get out of the power struggle with him and he will stop biting. It isn't about the biting, it is about something else. As you can see, taking away the cookies does nothing, he still bit you again!

If he wants to be a Doberman, he needs to be getting biscuits and dog food, not cookies. Does your son know that?

No, seriously, biting is just not something people or puppies are allowed to do. Your son knows THAT, right?

If there was a problem with the scenario you describe, I think it might be the consequence of the biting. In general, kids have a pretty good sense of justice. If there's a clear rule - for example, "No biting, ever! Bite and you are sent to your room" - then, if he bites, he'll know it's fair to be sent to his room even if he doesn't like doing it. But if the consequence suddenly turns into "No cookie-making," that's not quite as fair. It makes perfect sense to you - withdrawal of privileges - but it may not make sense to him.

I don't know your son, but you might think about a couple of things. Can you ask him how he feels inside when he gets that angry? Can he draw a picture of it? Can he dance it? Is there something good he can do when he feels "biting mad"? Back when my kids were that age, there was a TV series called "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood," and he had a song that went (I think), "What do you do with the mad that you feel when you feel so mad you could bite? ... Do you punch a bag? Do you pound some clay or some dough? Do you round up friends for a game of tag and see how fast you go?" The idea, of course, is that you and your son figure out a good, safe outlet for the angry feelings.

A young mama I know, as a VERY last resort, did the old "wash out your mouth with soap" when her child tried the biting game. She picked a particular soap that wouldn't hurt her child if a bit went inside, and had her bite down on the bar once and then wash her mouth out. It was not an ideal consequence, but the child had to do it only once before she lost her "taste" (that's a joke) for biting. I don't know if I would have had the nerve to do that with my kids.

I have a Doberman and he wouldn't dream of biting me! :-) I also have a child and know they can do crazy things sometimes. When my child was a baby and started trying out the biting...I pinched her lip because I had already raised a Doberman puppy and that is what they told us to do in puppy class. It worked, so I tried it and it worked with my baby too. This is not actually on the lips, but in the vacinity - one finger in and one out - try it - it doesn't take much pressure to be uncomfortable. Just be consistent (it sounds like you are.) Good luck!!

Love Anna's answer. My daughter went through biting at one year old. Tired everything anybody recommended with no improvement. Purchased a "chew toy", they are T's that come in red and green, and saw a significant improvement. You can buy them from therapy stores- online sources. I had problems finding the bracelets and necklaces already made but made our own from non-latex band we bought at the same therapy stores.