Biting Toddler
With a naughty look on his face, he sneaked behind his father who was sitting in front of the computer. He hugged him from behind. I was expecting giggles to follow suit but what followed was a thunderous, "ouch!"
Patrick, my 2-year old son, bit my husband full on his shoulders.
I've heard stories of biting behaviors but was still surprised that my son has developed this, as well. Was it something he picked up from the kindergarden? Wherever he may have picked it up, whatever his reasons are, biting behaviour should be nipped in the bud.
After yesterday's biting incident, I searched for more information to help prevent this from becoming a habit.
The tips written by Michelle Borba of About's Baby Parenting is a great start. She shared her mommy secrets on how biting behaviors can be handled. Here they are:
Confront the Biter ASAP. Disapproval of the action should be immediately expressed.
Check. My husband took care of that when he received his first bite yesterday.
Comfort the Victim and Boost Empathy. This would help the biter realize that he has caused pain. And this will also teach how to express sympathy.
Teach a New Behavior to Replace the Biting. "Kids often bite because they haven't developed the verbal skills to communicate their needs or frustrations. Identify what skill your child lacks, and then teach a more appropriate way to respond that will replace the urge to bite."
Anticipate Biting Behavior as the Best Prevention. After having observed your child, you can probably tell when he/she will feel that he/she needs to bite someone. Be alert and prevent it from happening.
I'll be keeping those in mind. And am crossing my fingers that no child in the Kindergarten has been bitten by the budding vampire.
What about you? Did your child go through this behaviour? What action did you take?
May 21st, 2006 at 8:00 pm
Thanks so much for the comment and the link. I hope those tips help with the biting issue. I know it seems so violent when it’s happening, but just remember it’s more of a “communication” thing on the biter’s part.
I’m going to add your blog to my blogs category, I think the issues you touch on are definitely something my readers would find interesting.