My Little girl...is Biting Herself?

One question I want to ask is if your daughter is talking yet or has any issues with speech. Often children will bite or hit out of frustration because they can't express themselves and get their needs met.

Try not to react too strongly to her doing that because if she sees that she has some control over your response, she may do it more simply because children of that age are beginning to assert their independence and they want to find ways to control their environment.

My daughter used to hit herself when she got angry over being redirected or not getting what she wanted. It took some time but she eventually stopped doing that since it never gave her what she desired. It's hard to watch, but if it were to become severe such as drawing blood, you could certainly take her to her pediatrician to get her checked out for sensory issues but don't diagnose her yet. It may very well just be a phase to express her frustration.

Another thing you could do is learn the signs of her getting frustrated if that's when she bites and give her something else to hold or bite into.

I hope this helps. I know how frustrating something like that be. No parent wants to see their child do something potentially harmful to themselves.

K.

I would do a little research on Sensory Integration Disorder (aka Sensory Processing Disorder), because that might be a possibility if she shows other signs (of which there are many!). My 5-yr-old daughter has SID, and it can take many forms. One of my daughter's "issues" is that she chews on markers and pencils when she's writing. She has periods in which she chews on her clothing (destroying it!), toys,and stuffed animals. The best I can understand for my daughter is that she needs extra stimulation in an oral/tactile way. When she's writing especially, chewing on her pencil seems to make her focus.

I wouldn't worry unless this becomes a trend. Why kids do what they do is a mystery:)

Looking for attention or she's frustrated over something. She's less than 2 years old, I don't think she thinks there is anything cool about the mark. O, maybe another child did that and she coppied.