L._.
Sometimes a change in daycare/environment will resolve the issue. He could be feeling like he isn't getting enough attention and he is acting out because of it.
I hate the idea of subjecting a new group of children to a biter if there is another way. Because he is not biting at home and he is not biting with relatives, then maybe it really is just something in his current daycare that is eating at him.
Do you have any family that could do it for awhile? Maybe pulling him out, giving him a few weeks to unwind and trying again someplace else may help?
I honestly do not believe that it's fair to say that the other child did something to cause or instigate a biting attack. I have seen biting many times happen right before my eyes and at times when absolutely no fight or problem seemed to be happening. I have had children attacked that were the sweetest, nicest kids around. One little girl was repeatedly attacked and she would give her toys up before every fighting over them, she's quiet and friendly. There is NO way this child did anything to warrant the attacks.
Recently a child started biting and he chose just one child to bite. True, it's easy to believe that this child was singled out for a reason. But this child did not do anything that every other child his age does. The boys are about a week apart in birthdays and they both get on each others nerves. But the biting was only happening in one direction. The child being bit started to defend himself eventually and he chose pulling hair as his way to defend himself against the biting.
Somtimes in cases like this it really is just a problem that will work itself out. But it's so frustrating while it is going on.
In another scenario.. My daughter hit a boy today and I heard her tell him "see, that's how it feels to be hit all the time". He has been hitting her. I don't agree with what she did so I had to time her out. But while she was in time out I gave him a good talking to because she would not have hit him if he hadn't been so mean to her in the last week. I did not condone what she did and I told them both that.
It's not right to assume that the daycare providers are doing nothing to try and fix it or that they are being one sided in their discipline. We do our best to handle it and it's just one of those things that will happen and takes a bit of detective work to figure it out, if it can be figured out at all.
Suzi