I have a biter in my class .No matter what steps I take to change this behavior, he still bites. Help ideas?

Question

My little biter student 2.6yrs loves to bite any unsuspecting child, Provoked or not. I can't watch every move he makes. I try giving him teething toys but it seems the other kids are tastier. I need some fresh ideas to divert his attention.

Answer 1

I would react disapprovingly (not harshly) and then turn to the child who's been bitten and offer lots of comfort. Let the parents know each time he does it. He's young and the emotional and social skills that may prevent him from biting aren't developed yet. A lot of times I find children bite when they feel crowded or cornered and don't have the words to make the other children move away. It almost always happens too quickly to catch and is most often unprovoked. Perhaps the best thing you can do is turn his attention to a quiet area away from the other children during the times you believe he may feel an impulse to bite. Keep a log of every occasion he bites so that you'll be able to better predict when he is most likely to do it. Honestly, this helps a real lot. I know it's very busy in a day care - perhaps you can ask him to come speak to you when he feels the urge to bite. Have him play in an area a bit away from the other children so he is more able to control himself, especially when you notice a situation may be overwhelming to him. You'll learn to anticipate these times better with a log and find it easier to prevent them in future.

All the best! You sound like a wonderful teacher. If only those teething toys were made with tastes! =) Hey, might be a great business move...

Whoa. I am shocked and disgusted by some of the answers here. Being violent (which would include holding down a child to 'put pepper' on his tongue) is absolutely not an option. I'm surprised so many people have responded as such. It IS terrible - how can children ever learn to control themselves on their own when they are constantly in fear of punishment? I'm glad you can be honest about your student and I think it's an awful shame that you would receive such ignorant, violent responses, especially about a 2 year-old.

Answer 2

My son was a biter at daycare also but never bit anyone at home. Toddlers ( and sometimes adults) don't know how to verbally express what they feel sometimes so if he's frustrated or bored, biting is a good way of getting attention. Kids sometimes do things, good or bad , to get that one on one time that unfortunately is hard to give in a class full of toddlers. Talk to the parents and see if they can help. My son's daycare had him bite on a lemon every time he bit another child. Eventually, he grew out of it after 2 or 3 weeks but I've always been thankful that the daycare was so patient and didn't just kick him out. Good luck!

Answer 3

Well it sounds to me like it may be a parenting problem and if so there is only so much you can do if it a parenting problem at home so I would start by talking to the parents and making sure they are taking the correct steps to curb his behavior including adequate attention when he is home, time outs if he is bitting, or diverting him when he bites to something else.
Sometimes kids only bite at school because they can get away with it or are feeling seperation anxiety from their parents, but most of the tiem the bitting is occuring at home also. (and if its not happening at home nad it is seperation anxiety checking with them to make sure they are spending lots of time with him is important too.)

I don't know how much a teacher can do but if you are allowed to put him in a form of timeout when he bites this would probably be a good idea. (Hand him his biting toy when you do and say something simple like "we don't bite, it hurts. You can bite this instead and can sit here until you are calm and can appolagise.") and be sure to give lots of attention to the child who was bitten, not him, even if the kid isn't hurt bad.

If you cannot do time outs then I would try to find some other way to encourage him to express his anger properly (maybe a chart of what he is allowed to do when angry to express his anger.)

I would also try to give him more attention when he is good and not bitting (I know this can be hard to do in a class room setting.) and if he goes for a day without bitting be sure to give him a sticker or something at the end of the day and tell him you are glad he didn't.

you could also try getting some books to read to the class about it like "teeth are not for biting". DOn't point him out or mention him specifically, but if you make it a class issue, not jsut a him issue he may feel more embarrased and not be as likely to do it again.

Answer 4

When you understand that your child’s actions are normal, and that they aren’t intentional misbehavior, you will be able to take the right steps to teach her how to communicate her anger and frustration. This takes time, and she’ll need more than one lesson. Here’s how to teach your child not to bite:

Watch and intercept
As you become familiar with your toddler’s actions, you may be able to stop a bite even before it even occurs. If you see that your child is getting frustrated or angry – perhaps in the middle of a tussle over a toy – step in and redirect her attention to something else.
Teach
Immediately after your toddler bites another child, look her in the eye and tell her in one or two short sentences what you want her to know, such as, “Biting hurts. We don’t bite. Give Emmy a hug now. That will make her feel better.” Then, give your child a few hints on how she should handle her frustration next time; “If you want a toy, you can ask for it or come to Mommy for help.”
Avoid playful biting
Nibbling your little one’s toes or playfully nipping his fingers sends a mixed message to your child. A little one won’t understand when biting another person is okay and when it’s not, nor is she able to judge the pressure she’s putting into the bite. As she gets a little older, she will start to understand that some things can be done carefully and gently in play, but not in anger. This takes a little more maturity to understand ¾ more than you can expect your toddler to have at her young age.
Give more attention to the injured child
Typically, we put all our energy into correcting the biter’s actions and we don’t give the child who was bitten any consolation. Soothing the child who was bitten can show your child that his actions caused another child fear or pain. You can even encourage your child to help sooth his friend.

The repeat offender

If you’ve gone though the above steps, and then your child bites again, you can respond with a little more intensity. If you catch him in the act, immediately go to him. Take him by the shoulders, look him in the eye, and firmly announce, “No biting: time-out.” Direct him to a chair and have him sit for a minute or two. It doesn’t take very long for your message to sink in. (And, with a toddler, a longer time-out can dilute the message as he may actually forget why he’s sitting there!)

If you miss the action, but are told about it later, you can have a talk with your child about what happened. Limit yourself to a few brief, specific comments, as a lengthy lecture is almost never effective. A child who bites a playmate more than once may need more guidance on how to handle frustration and anger. Reading toddler books on the topic, role-playing, and demonstration of appropriate actions can all help your child learn how to respond to his own emotions in socially appropriate ways.

First aid

Although the risk of injury from a toddler's bite is small, it’s good to know what to do in case of a bite that breaks through the skin:

Calm and reassure the child who was bitten.
Wash your hands with soap and water.
Wash the wound with mild soap and water.
Cover the injury with a bandage.
If the bite is actively bleeding, control the bleeding by applying direct pressure with a clean, dry cloth.
Call your pediatrician for advice.

Answer 5

When I worked in a daycare, we had a 1 year old like this. Literally NOTHING worked. We researched all kinds of methods and things to do, we had a huge file with ideas, nothing worked. We had 10 babies and 2 teachers and one of us ended up having to hold him most of the day. Whenever we didn't hold him, he bit. We eventually had to disenroll him because there was nothing else left to do. Of course the parents blamed it on lack of supervision, but we were depriving the other children to make sure they were protected from him. Tell the parents that they need to handle this situation before he can come back, it is ultimately their responsibility, not yours, to stop this child from biting.

Yea, it might seem nasty to "just kick them out" but when your whole day is centered around ONE child and the other parents are extremely upset and hurt that thier child/children is being bitten EVERY day, sometimes you have to let the parent handle the situation.

Answer 6

Bite back. I know this sounds mean, but my 3 yr old was that way. I didn't actually bite her, I just put my mouth over her arm and let her skin feel my teeth. She got the picture quick.

Answer 7

best would be to bite him back but thats not possible i know. Everytime he bites make him clean the toilet bowl, for the entire day right after someone goes. it'll keep him away from others and the odors might well charge his good manners nxt time

Answer 8

Am I right to assume this is not your child?
if so you are in a tough poisition. It may sound bad but a good way to break the habit is to put a SMALL amount of black pepper on the tongue....sounds awful but it works for potty mouth too.

Answer 9

You need to talk to his parents. This is dangerous and cannot be allowed.

Answer 10

kick him in the face and knock out his teeth