Biting: Why does it happen and what can I do?

Most young children will experiment with biting. It’s a natural reaction of a frustrated or angry child. When children are very young, they do not yet have the abilities to verbally express their emotions. They cannot tell you that they are having a bad day. All they know is they do not like the way it feels. And when they cannot properly express their feelings, they find an alternate way to do so. Biting is one of the more common ways of a young child.

So, what do you do when your child bites? The first thing is to stay calm and do not over react. A child may take this as getting attention and will bite again.

If your child has bitten another child, make sure that medical attention is given if needed. And then talk to you child who is more than likely feeling bad about what they have done.

Let your child know that when he is feeling angry or frustrated he should talk to Mum or Dad about it, or another adult who is caring for him.

Discuss what happened with your child. Many times, once a child bites and realises that it is not a good thing to do, they never repeat the action.

If your child continues to bite, make sure you keep talk with him about how wrong it is and how much he can hurt someone.

Lastly, never bite a child back. Many parents think this is the answer when in fact all it does is show your child that it’s acceptable to handle aggression with aggression.