I need help!!!!!?

Question

My son is 2 years old, a only child and has been in a preschool for 6 months. The problem is he keeps biting the children at the preschool when he can't get his way. I've tried talking to him telling him "thats not nice to bite" I even to the extreme of biting him once to show him how it feels. This has been going on for 1 month now and nothing i'm doing is working. Does anyone know a good method to stop this madness?

Answer 1

My childs doctor said to place my daughter on her bed or a time out spot away from people every time she hit or bit. She eventually figured out that she really wanted to be with us rather then by herself.
He also said to place the attention on the child that got bit... not my own or the child who did the biting.
Good Luck

Answer 2

you may have to give your child the words to use instead of biting. usually, a child will bite in preschool because they want a toy so i agree with others, it's about communication and conflict resolution. you would be suprised at how much a 2yr can work out with their friends if they're modeled an appropriate way to work things out.

#1 - DON'T BITE HIM BACK. by seeing you bite him he then thinks it's OK. children at 2 model behavior. children at this age are just starting to come out of the "oral" stage where they experience their world through their mouth. it takes time to learn other ways.

#2 - instead of saying "it's not nice" let him know very firmly but not yelling "THAT'S NOT OK" and be consistant with the consequence for his behavior. always work with the teachers at the preschool on this so there's consistancy between home and school. what they do at school, you should do at home or vice versa - work together.

#3 - because your son is only 2, you and the teachers may need to give him the words i.e. "i was using that toy", "it's my turn", "i want that" and have him repeat the best he can

#4 - he will need to be watched closely and learn the "triggers" for his biting. as soon as you or the teacher sees he's getting frustrated, interviene and stop the behavior before it starts i.e. "it looks like you're really wanting to use that toy. what do you think we can say to X to let them know?" just having someone understand what he is feeling and willing to help him with his situation should help.

#5 - if after being consistant and having a plan that both you and the teachers stick to it's still not working for a couple weeks, that's when it's time to try something unexpected i.e. have the child stay with you or the teacher holding hands until they're ready to use their words, tell them they're not ready to be playing with that toy or with that friend right now and move them to another area, etc.

i would not suggest ignoring the behavior. that sends a message that no one cares what he's doing and that biting is acceptable behavior. he needs help with this issue and deserves caring adults to teach him a better way. get on the same page with the school and things should get better.

Answer 3

My son had the same problem! He is 2 (almost 3) and an only child. When he first began daycare he'd do the same thing! They put him in time out and explained to him that we don't bite our friends, we bite apples! Or we bite chicken! Something that it is okay to bite. It worked for Brayden! Within a week, no more biting. I do not believe that biting them back works. I tried to do that too because my Mom said to...but that did not work. Hope this helps!

Answer 4

At this age it is common for children to bite. They are still not quite able to use their words when they are angry. So instead they use their hands, feet and teeth to communicate their frustrations. First there are some questions that you need to ask his teachers.

1) Other than the biting how does your son get along with the other children?
2) How often does he bite?
3)How does he get along in class otherwise? Does he participate?
4)What is his reaction when the teacher reprimands him for biting? Does he resist? How so?
5)Does he bite or try to bite the teacher?
6)Does he thrive for extra attention more so than the other children in his group?

If you find that your child interacts well with the teacher and with the other students but bites on occasion when he is frustrated then you don't have much to worry about. You do need to nip the problem in the bud. Many children at this age do not realize that it does hurt to bite. They know that they want that toy and that biting makes the other child let go of it. Have a chat with your child. Explain to him that it hurts his friends when he bites them. We love our friends. We use our words and keep our hands, feet and teeth to ourselves. Have your child bite himself. Ask him: does that feel good? Does that hurt? Is it fun to be hurt? When he says no ask him what is fun. Is it fun to play with your friends? Is it fun to ride your bike? Is it fun to hurt your friends? What is fun to do with our friends? etc. Get the point across to him that it is not ok to hurt his friends.

If you find that your child does not interact well with the teacher or with the other students and that he does calm down with one on one attention PLEASE consider finding him a caregiver that can dedicate more time to your child. It is not fair to your child, the other children, or the teacher. All this does is disrupts the entire day for all involved.

Answer 5

I believe that most children around that age go through this phase. I belive that your son is having problems communicating and adjusting to the other children. He is still not used to it yet. This is his way of acting out for attention in a room with many children. Although your son is young it is importaint to realize that he is smarter than people may think. Look back and remind yourself of how people react when he bites. Some how he is getting something out of it. Try to react differently to it. When he bites dont yell or make a big deal. Simply tell him that it is wrong and that he hurts your feelings when he bites people. Children hate to know when the parents are disipointed in them. Act as if you truely are hurt by what they have done. Eventually your son will come around. I hope I could help!

Answer 6

How often do you tell your child "I LOVE YOU"?
Tell him every chance you get. Make him feel special.
Praise him often. It does not matter how well
he really did, just for him to know, that you are
there and love him. When he does bite, tell him
you understand he is frustrated, but also tell him other
ways of dealing with the situation: "Please may I have
that toy, or can you share with me, etc.". He is still
very young and going to pre-school is very stressful
for him. Have you gone to his school and checked how
many children there are? Maybe the teachers are
stress out too and that can reflect on the children.

Answer 7

I used to work in Daycare and what we would do is try to give the child more one on one time. Often they bite out of frustration because it gives immediate results. ie I want that toy and if I bite Jimmy he will drop it or give it to me.
Also children bite when they are teething. Since your son is 2 that doesn't seem to be the answer.
Try letting him bring a personal toy that he doesn't have to share. And remember to praise him for good performances. Positive reinforcement always works best.

Answer 8

No use biting your 2-year old to show him how pain he feels because he won't understand. I have a friend whose son likes to bite things that got into his hands. She rubbed chilli on to all the toys.. sounds silly but cure that child of biting..

Answer 9

I used to have a dog that liked to chew up everything. I started putting tobasco sause on everything that he would chew up. After a while he figured out that biting wasent such a good idea. Put tobasco sause on tour fingers and let him bite them. He'll get the idea sooner or later

Answer 10

my oldest use to bite, i think your son will outgrow this just ignore him, thats what we did and it worked.my middle daughter was a hair pulller she grew out of that, however my youngest is a hitter can u help me?