My 15 Month Old Is Beginning to Bite and Pinch

Ooooh... I had a biter, too. She hasn't picked up on piching yet, thank goodness. I tried telling her no firmly even in desperation tried smacking her a little when she did it. I asked the doctor about it and what she told me worked VERY well. She said that when my daughter bit me to say "no bite" firmly, put her down and walk away. The bigger problem was her biting other kids. When she did THAT I had to tell her "no bite" firmly and pick up the *other* kid and show them love. She HATED that and the biting stopped really quickly!! I hope whatever you try works for you. This worked great for mine!

Children his age don't understand the concept of hurting. They usually do it because it feels good for them to release frustration, because it's fun, or just to see a reaction.

Tell him you want him to stop, that it hurts, then show him the correct way to touch. My son was that age when he started biting, and when he did, we said, "ouch!, how about a kiss instead?" It really helped redirect him and he got that attention he wanted without biting. this book has a lot of great ideas as well:

The Discipline Book: Everything You Need to Know to Have a Better-Behaved Child : For Birth to Age Ten by D. William Sears

http://www.amazon.com/Discipline-Book-Everything-Better-B...

Hi Momma of One-

Here is what I've done in the past.

Say "Ouch" and make a sad face. Say "biting/hitting hurts, we do not bite or hit, we use gentle touches or we bite food." Then provide examples.

Here is alittle insight. Kids bite & hit because they cannot communicate any other way. Try to anticipate you're child's need (if you can) before they bite/hit, specifically if it's a result of becoming angry.

Praise when they are gentle, this provides them examples of good behavior.

If they hit/bite without reason, put them on the floor, take a step back and say the above. This show you will not give snuggles when they hit.

Using this all together is best, it provides eduction & proper behavior, encourages good actions & discourages poor actions.

Good luck.

R. Magby

I agree with Rebeca, for the most part, but I also think it is important to not show too much emotion, or your baby might do it even more to generate the facial expressions. My son hits my hubby MUCH more often than he does to me, as I just calmly tell him, "No hitting. That hurts. If you hit me I will not hold you" and put him on the floor if he does it again. Hubby makes a really sad face, or says something that makes my son giggle...lesson NOT learned there ;-)

Don't just address this issue when your child is in the midst of hitting or biting...but discuss gentle touches during your daily routine. Praise him when he uses his gentle touches...."Oh Sam, I love the way you are touching that kitty so gently!!! It really makes the kitty know that you love him". It is never too young to start teaching empathy and being sensitive to other's feelings....of course they don't "get it" in the same way that we adults understand empathy but they do understand it on their own level!!!
My 28 month old grandson will quickly go up to "comfort" one of his little friends who is crying over something or has been known to see a child crying in a store or at the park and tell his Mamma "he needs some Mama's milk"...because he knows that when HE is upset...all he wants to do is nurse for some comfort and quiet time with his Mama!!!!
You just need to be firm but loving, and don't get too upset...believe me he is not doing this to hurt you...he is probably frustrated over something and has no other way to show it. Maybe you could look to see what is possibly upsetting him and address that issue instead of the biting!!! For instance...."I know you want to play with your blocks right now, how about we play with them together after I finish washing the dishes?"
Good luck to you!!! And remember...this too shall pass!!! I promise!!!

My advice is very similar. With my daughter (who is now 15 months as well) started biting, I would sit her on the floor away from me and tell her that we do not bite mommy because biting hurts. She would usually become very upset about not being with me. When she calmed down, I would pick her back up and explain to her that we don't bite people, we only bite food. She is a very stubborn child, but she did eventually catch on. Now she will usually only bite when she is extremely tired, and since I know that, I can usually prevent it. Good luck!

I'm from an older generaton that have used this approach: after saying "Ow, that hurts! Do not bite!" Also, make sure you're not over ignoring your child. If the biting kept up, we might "play bite them" in the same place they bit you. "Play" in this case meaning you control it to where it might hurt just the tiniest, tiniest little bit to get the message across of what "hurt" means and "ow" means. Repeat "Now that hurts, doesn't it? You do not bite me for any reason. What are you really wanting to tell me?" Then give them a time out where they really are ignored for a bit to show that they don't get positive or negative attention in return for biting. I never saw it fail really.

However, I do like this generation's use of rewarding and encouraging good touching like "Nice pats. That's good" approach teaching before they get to biting. "Can you give kitty nice pats?" or "Can you give grandma nice pats?" or later "sweet kisses?" Again, watch how much you might be ignoring the child or teaching him appropriate actions and words.

One big point: I really disagree on the advice that your face shouldn't show emotion. How is a child going to learn emotions and facial expressions' meanings? They mimic us and learn. Why not show them appropriate emotion and expressions that are more appropriate for them to use with other kids and adults? I also disagree with giving a sad face. No one wants their kid to respond to a bully by giving them a sad face and expecting it to work. Or having them think that they should emulate a very woosey and pouty lip after a hurtful bite or punch. So, think about what you want them to mimic to other kids and people.

You need to know that your child found a surefire way to get your full attention by biting and pinching. To change this you need to put the baby down( play pen, pack and play or area where the baby is safe for a few minutes) after the bite or pinch and say " no biting" and walk away. Baby will learn that biting and pinching is not the way to get your attention. This will work.