How to Help Your Child to Stop Biting

University Nebraska Lincoln Author

05/27/2022 Added

6 Plays

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Helpful hints on how to help your child to stop biting.

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[00:00:02.120]Fit & Healthy Kids,
[00:00:03.820]an early childhood podcast.
[00:00:06.240]Hello from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
[00:00:08.770]This is LaDonna Werth and Lisa Poppe,
[00:00:11.290]Extension Educators in the Field of Early Childhood.
[00:00:14.800]We are here to talk about the littles in your life.
[00:00:17.800](bright dinging music)
[00:00:19.870]A parent came to me the other day and stated,
[00:00:22.547]"I cannot believe my adorable little toddler
[00:00:25.920]is starting to bite other children.
[00:00:28.250]I don't know where she got this new habit.
[00:00:31.020]What can I do to stop this behavior?"
[00:00:34.050]Lisa, can you give us any advice on toddler biting?
[00:00:38.160]What parents need to know is,
[00:00:39.910]it is very common for a child to bite others
[00:00:42.900]at some point during their early years.
[00:00:45.760]When children do not have the skills
[00:00:47.659]or the vocabulary to express their feelings,
[00:00:50.880]they might engage in a behavior such as biting
[00:00:54.330]as a way to let you know how they feel.
[00:00:57.090]Children might bite for a variety of reasons.
[00:00:59.530]For instance, frustration.
[00:01:01.520]She might bite because she wants her toy back,
[00:01:03.880]or because her sister is sitting too close to her.
[00:01:07.120]She might bite because she feels overwhelmed
[00:01:09.350]by the proximity of other children,
[00:01:11.260]or the expectation to share her toys.
[00:01:14.950]She also might bite
[00:01:16.010]because biting causes a big reaction from adults
[00:01:18.910]and she is seeking their attention.
[00:01:21.060]So biting can result in adults interacting with the child
[00:01:24.410]or gaining the adult's attention.
[00:01:26.680]She also might bite to relieve pain
[00:01:28.610]from new teeth coming in.
[00:01:30.970]Or, she might bite because she does not know how
[00:01:33.730]to express emotions when she's hungry,
[00:01:36.090]when she's tired, scared, or even anxious.
[00:01:39.710]What do we need to remember
[00:01:41.500]about this new biting behavior?
[00:01:44.080]Well, the important thing for you
[00:01:45.590]to remember when biting occurs,
[00:01:47.180]is to stay calm with your actions and your words,
[00:01:50.220]and try to figure out the reason why the biting happened.
[00:01:54.480]Remember, there's a reason for the behavior.
[00:01:57.171]So for example, if your child bites you
[00:02:00.070]when your attention is focused
[00:02:01.460]on another person in the room,
[00:02:03.190]you might think your child bit you to get your attention.
[00:02:06.270]Once you understand the reasons why your child bites,
[00:02:09.458]you can teach her a new way to express her feelings
[00:02:12.940]or her requests during situations
[00:02:15.160]when she's likely to bite.
[00:02:17.030]It takes time, patience and repeated practice,
[00:02:20.240]but once she has mastered the skills needed
[00:02:23.140]to appropriately express her feelings,
[00:02:25.162]biting and other challenging behaviors will decrease.
[00:02:29.610]Children get frustrated often,
[00:02:32.250]and they may bite.
[00:02:33.740]What can we do to help them?
[00:02:36.030]If your child is biting outta frustration,
[00:02:38.277]you can say, "You are so frustrated, you want that toy."
[00:02:42.610]Teach your child simple words, such as mine or no.
[00:02:47.091]Or you can teach them basic sign language or gestures
[00:02:50.340]for things like help or stop.
[00:02:53.280]It is a matter of giving them the words to use
[00:02:55.997]instead of the action.
[00:02:59.090]How can I help a child when they are playing?
[00:03:02.276]So, if your child is biting
[00:03:04.810]because she lacks play skills?
[00:03:06.960]Join her in play by sitting on the floor and coaching her.
[00:03:10.610]She might need guidance to learn and practice
[00:03:12.880]how to join play, or take turns, share,
[00:03:16.200]communicate with other children
[00:03:17.820]and ask help if she needs it.
[00:03:19.820]So for example, if another child tries to take her doll,
[00:03:23.410]you might say, "Molly thinks your doll looks fun,
[00:03:26.350]she wants to play too.
[00:03:27.810]Can we show Molly where the other dolls are?"
[00:03:30.710]It's as simple as role-playing with them.
[00:03:34.000]When a child gets overwhelmed,
[00:03:35.920]how can a parent help them?
[00:03:38.820]If he is biting at times
[00:03:40.300]when he feels overwhelmed by anger,
[00:03:42.510]frustration or disappointment,
[00:03:44.570]you can teach him about emotions, and ways to deal with them
[00:03:48.070]in order to reduce or eliminate the biting behavior.
[00:03:51.860]You can use books about emotional literacy,
[00:03:54.400]or teaching tools.
[00:03:55.860]You can also help him to identify
[00:03:57.550]and label his own emotions, or other's emotions
[00:04:01.005]as they are being experienced.
[00:04:03.623]Is biting a common problem
[00:04:06.210]with very young children?
[00:04:08.236]Yes, biting is a common behavior
[00:04:11.330]for very young children,
[00:04:12.513]but one that must be addressed immediately.
[00:04:15.670]Children might bite when they feel overwhelmed
[00:04:18.420]by an emotion and do not have the words
[00:04:21.240]or the skills to tell someone or ask for help.
[00:04:24.310]Parents can watch and learn when their child
[00:04:26.500]is likely to bite.
[00:04:27.400]For instance, during play dates with friends,
[00:04:30.220]when left alone with a sibling, or when teething.
[00:04:33.160]When this happens, teach your child a new skill
[00:04:36.057]to replace the biting behavior.
[00:04:39.130]Thank you, Lisa, for giving us insight
[00:04:41.960]to why very young children bite.
[00:04:44.664]This has been LaDonna and Lisa
[00:04:47.870]with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
[00:04:50.040]Until next time, enjoy your family time together.
[00:04:53.930]Fit & Healthy Kids is a co-production
[00:04:56.040]of Nebraska Extension, Georgia Extension,
[00:04:58.600]Kansas State Extension, South Dakota State Extension
[00:05:01.780]and the Iowa Childcare Resource and Referral.

How to Help Your Child to Stop Biting

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