Biting - Spokane,WA

Here's a list of links to Stopping Toddler Biting Behaviors.
http://pediatrics.about.com/od/biting/Stopping_Toddler_Bi...

Here are some links specifically on Biting at Daycare ~ I skimmed them and found lots of helpful info:
http://pediatrics.about.com/od/weeklyquestion/a/1106_biti...
http://childcare.about.com/od/behaviors/a/stopbitingtips.htm
http://www.kidsgrowth.com/resources/articledetail.cfm?id=244 ~ this one
states in the article: "The child who bites needs to be closely watched by the parents or day care provider so the biting can be quickly interrupted. A parent’s response to biting should leave no question that they mean business. First, look the child straight in the eye and in a loud, sharp voice say "No biting. We never bite people" It is okay to startle the child who bites. This is not a time for child psychology and long discussions, such as "I know you are mad, but biting hurts and could cause an infection or scarring." Avoid giving the child something else to bite instead, such as a towel or a stuffed animal. The message should be clear: biting is bad. Lengthy conversations only gain biters the attention they sought. Then, the child should be immediately placed in "time out" for one minute per year of age. Make sure the youngster receives no eye contact or interaction while in timeout. Sympathizing with the victim is also helpful and may serve to avoid secondary gain for the biter" and goes on to say, "Remember, biting is an unacceptable behavior. It will quickly make any child and his or her parents very unpopular, and the act should therefore be removed from the youngster’s repertoire the moment it starts." (It is such a good article I bookmarked it in the event my little guy starts to bite.)

I hope some of this helps!

My daughter is a hitter so I can somewhat relate. It's hard when you don't catch them in the act. Kids understand more than you think so try to sit down and talk with him about how it's unacceptable to bite. Otherwise try to keep an eye on him and if he does it, then obviously a time-out is very much warranted. Good luck.

Biters should be separated from the other little ones as soon as the behavior occurs. I am not sure how I feel about the daycare calling you to pick him up? Seems like this should be a behavior that they are working on with him. I recognize that daycare facilities can't watch every child's move, but they should be keeping an extra close watch on him due to these behaviors.

How did you respond to the daycare facility when they called you? Did you talk with the teacher? What follow up are they suggesting?

Is this a family daycare facility or a regular daycare facility?

My son was a biter for some time and it was not fun at all. However, I did accept that it was a sign of frustration. My son talked a bit later and so he would get frustrated and express himself with biting. I kept a close watch on him and would separate him immediately when he would bite. It's a learning process.

For now, I would schedule a meeting with his teacher or the school administrator to set up a game plan.

My son was the biter too.It lasted about 6 months. He bit and bit hard. Normally it was when they were in transition at the daycare, or when he was frustrated - another kid took his toy, etc.

The daycare would tell him "no. Biting hurts. No biting." and put him in time out. He would then go and tell the other child he was sorry and give a hug. They daycare showed him the bite mark on the other child and pointed out how the other child was hurt and sad.

At home, we would talk about it before bed and tell "No biting" and things he could do instead, like say "No" or "help" if someone took his toy.

We talked abut it so much that when we drove by the daycare, he would point and say "no biting" he KNEW it was wrong, but kept doing it becase he was just so impulsive and in the moment.

As he got older, and got a little more self control, and was able to express himself more, the biting phased out.
It lasted from @ 18-24/6 months.

See the yo gabba gabba song "DOnt bite your friends" for fun.

We went through the biting stage. It came quickly without any warning. My oldest daughter (who is now 2) started biting when she was around 1. First started with her trying to bite my hand when i wouldnt let her touch something in a store. Then it became to where she would bite me, my mom, or my husband when she didnt get her way. All we did was simply pat her hand (not hard but to where she understands it was wrong) and say no bite. Now she doesnt bite at all. It was a very short lived problem thank god. I can imagine your situation is worse because your son is in daycare and she wasnt. I wish you the best of luck. Terrible two is coming. Trust me, it isnt fun.