Biting child

For young children, biting others is a fairly common behavior. Parents and other caregivers can help children who bite learn more acceptable behavior, however.


Causes/associated factors
Biting occurs for different reasons, depending on the child's age and many other factors. For example, babies bite for different reasons than older children. Biting episodes are most common between ages 13 and 30 months and often end around age 3.

Babies who bite
Biting usually begins as a result of teething because it offers comfort for sore gums. Some babies bite when they play or get excited. Others bite to touch, smell and taste people to learn more about their surroundings. At this age, biting is considered normal experimentation.

Interventions for babies
A baby who bites should be given a prompt, clear signal that biting isn't acceptable. "No biting," stated in a firm tone, is appropriate. It's important to remain calm and matter-of-fact. Afterward, it's often helpful to distract the baby with a song or toy. Eventually, the "no biting" message will be clear to the baby. Provide the experimental biter with a variety of items to chew. A rubber teething ring or wet washcloth that's been cooled in the refrigerator may also relieve teething discomfort. Make sure the items are age-appropriate for your baby and pose no choking risk.

Toddlers who bite
Episodes of biting may become more serious as your child gets older. During the toddler years, when your child may have limited verbal or social skills, he or she may express normal feelings of frustration, anger and aggression by biting. Some children may feel overwhelmed or anxious and bite as a way to regain control. Other kids may bite in reaction to recent traumatic events, such as a grandparent's death, a divorce or a parent returning to the workplace.
Biting is also common in child care settings, where groups of children with limited social experiences and ways of expressing themselves interact. Because human bites that break the skin may cause infections, child care centers or other caregivers may exclude chronic biters.

Biting may also occur during a temper tantrum. These common displays of anger may involve screaming, crying, throwing themselves down, hitting, kicking or biting. It's unclear why some children have temper tantrums and others do not.


Interventions for toddlers and young children
Give the child a sense of control over his or her environment. For example, give the child simple choices of appropriate activities.

Praise the child when he or she behaves appropriately and exhibits self-control.

Establish the idea that biting is forbidden. Look the child in the eye and let him or her know in a firm, stern or serious tone that biting hurts, even if it's done playfully. Firmly say, "No biting." Keep it short and simple, however. The child may not be old enough to understand long explanations or reasoning, and the extra attention may actually encourage him or her to repeat the behavior.

Make sure the child understands biting is not a game. Never laugh if a child bites, even if it's done in play. Avoid giving "love bites" to a child. Children may not understand why biting is acceptable for adults, but not for children.

Respond to biting as you would any other aggressive behavior. Immediately separate the biting child from the one who was bitten. After stating, "No biting," give the child a short time out. If this isn't effective, take away a favorite toy or activity. Make sure the biting isn't rewarded.

Don't punish biting with another aggressive act, such as spanking or tapping the child's mouth. Never bite the child back. Never bite the child back. And be aware of your own behavior, aggression or anger. Children may learn aggressive behavior from adults.
If these steps don't help and the biting persists or worsens, discuss the situation with your child's doctor or a mental health professional. You may be able to learn behavioral techniques to deal with the biting or explore any underlying concerns that could be contributing to the behavior.