5 Effective Ways To Stop Little Kid From Biting

You are busy preparing breakfast on a Monday morning, and your five-year-old comes crying because your two-year-old just bit her and gnawed at the arm. This is not the first time your toddler has bitten someone, and now you’ve had enough of it.

But why would a toddler bite? Is there something wrong with the child? How do you make the toddler understand that biting is wrong? There may be no explanation as to why a toddler bites, but there is always a trigger behind the behavior.Toddlers can bite themselves too. Self-biting is often motivated by frustration or teething and could be restricted to fingers. Toddlers with autism may bite themselves repeatedly to vent out their frustration

* Discourage the biting

Firmly tell the toddler that biting hurts and that it is not a good thing to do. Say ‘No, biting hurts!’ or “I know you are frustrated but you should not bite your friend.” or “What’s the matter? What is making you bite?” When you make a calm yet discouraging remark to biting, the toddler would understand that biting is wrong and can cause discomfort to others.

* Keep playgroups small

If the toddler tends to bite a lot at daycare, then you can consider bringing down the size of the playgroup. Fewer players in games mean lesser sensory inputs and minimal chances of the toddler’s need to assert themselves.

* Tackle frustration before it gets the toddler

If your toddler seems frustrated and fussy, ask questions like “What happened? Do you need something?”, “Are you feeling hungry?”, “Did your friend take away your toy?”. Asking specific questions is an excellent way to identify the exact problem making the toddler bite and tackle it right away.

* Give means to deal with frustration

You must find ways to help the toddler efficiently control frustration. One of the best ways it is to teach your toddler words and actions that can help them communicate stress. Teach simple words and sentences like “No,” “Yes,” “I am hungry/tired.” “I want the toy”. Ask your toddler to come to you if something is bothering him/her. Teaching them these simple coping methods can mitigate the onset of frustration that can lead to biting.

* Provide timely teething relief

Does the toddler nip at every rubbery, silicone toy? It is quite likely that he/she is going through a teething phase. Give them a teething toy or ring, which is a less destructive outlet for the sensation.