How do I get my 16 mo old to stop biting other kids?

Question

She is an outgoing, happy toddler, good sleeper, fairly good eater, but is biting other children in her daycare sometimes 3-4 times per week, and she also bites Mom and sometimes Dad. We have been able to find no pattern in her biting. We've tried the stern "No bite!" (she laughs), removing her from the situation (comes right back and bites again) and I even slapped her hand lightly when I was at my wits end. She laughed and slapped my hand back. This is clearly a game for her, but no one else is laughing. She may get kicked out of her daycare if this does not stop. Help!

Answer 1

Have you tried biting her back? Sometimes, when they think it's funny, it's because they don't really understand that it hurts the other person. I'm not an advocate of beating children, but since she thought the hand-slap was a game, perhaps you should have made it hurt a little more.

Sometimes, a swat on the behind can work, too - the diaper provides padding, and you can make it a firm enough swat to startle them. The point here is not necessarily to hurt them, but to truly catch their attention so that they understand you really mean it.

Also, since biting is often a response to frustration, try to get her to use words to express what's bothering her. At only 16 months, this may be tricky, but if you can identify what's bothering her, and use your words to express it, then she can learn from your example.

Also, I highly recommend that you speak to her in normal English. Don't say, "No bite". That only works against her having the language skills to express herself appropriately. Instead, say, "No! Jane, biting is not okay!" or "No, Jane, no biting!".

Answer 2

hi my son is 17months, he used to bite really hard when he was about 14 months and now he doesn't at all. i din't bite him back because when i do what he does he just does it again coz he thinks its a game lol but it does work for some people coz the baby doesnt realize that it hurts, i just flicked jarell's cheek everytime like i used to when he would bite while breastfeeding. took about 5 flicks and that was it he stopped lol. good luck!!

Answer 3

My son went through that phase at around 20 months at daycare. He would even nip at us occasionally. We would give him time outs in the crib. It eventually stopped. Also, bring stickers to your teacher/daycare provider and ask them to give one to him everytime they notice he is not biting for reinforcement- we used that at home as well. One thing I will say that I noticed about me is that whenever I would play with him and kiss him, I would pretend to bite his toes and hands or his ears- my husband one day told me to stop because it could be encouraging him. I think there was some truth to that, because as soon as I stopped playing with him like that, it sped up his not biting others- even though I was being completely innocent about it. Hadn't even thought about it. Something to consider.

Answer 4

Bite her back,Not hard but hard enough to know she does not like it. Bite her in the same spot she bites. This worked with both my kids. Also worked with hair pulling. They pulled my hair and I pulled theres back. It's not abuse. She is learning what hurts and what does not hurt. On herself and others.

Answer 5

Biter her back, not to hard, but enough to get her attention, and you must do this everytime you see her bite someone. It might take a few times, but she will stop.

Answer 6

It sounds awful, but you should bite her.....she obviously does not know how it feels, and would probably stop if she did.
Daycare would be horrified, but parents have done it with great success as long as there have been children.

Answer 7

Make sure the slap does not leave her in a position to laugh.