2 minute read
Early Development Network
Understanding your child’s bite
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Tips for decreasingbitingbehavior
Unless your child is bobbing for apples,biting can be scaryand frustrating.
Understanding whyyour child bites and howto respond is important in decreasing the behavior.
Children bite foravarietyof reasons.They may be overwhelmed socially.They might be looking fororal stimulation. Or they arebiting because they arehungry or bored.
Hereare some tips to decrease biting behavior:
YOUR CHILD BITES WHEN PLAYING WITH OTHERS
Join your child during play and encourage them to learnhow to take turns, shareand communicate with others in the moment. If your child bites,calmly remove your child from the situation, avoiding toomuch negativeattention. Keep your attention focused on the child who wasbitten, as even negativeattention can encourage biting.
YOUR CHILD IS BITING FORORAL STIMULATION
Allowyour child to use a teethingring or cloth. You can also placea teether in the fridge to soothe sore gums.
YOUR CHILD BITES WHEN HUNGRY
Offer your child healthyand developmentally-appropriate snacks thatpromote stimulation. Opt forcrackers, pretzels,ricecakes and other crunchysnack items.
YOUR CHILD BITES WHEN TIRED OR BORED
Trytoprovide opportunities forrest. Increase nap times by 10-15 minutes and avoid stressful or stimulating activitieswhen your child is tired.Ifyour child is experiencingboredom, provide interesting and new activitiestoexplore. Change your child’s environmentas neededbygoing outside or playing in anew location.
If the biting behavior continues, trytobe patientwith your child and be nearby during playtime.Beopen to having conversations aboutyour child’s biting with anyone who cares for your child.Ifyour child’s biting does not decrease over time,itmightbetime to seek guidancefroma professional.
TheEarly Development Network provides free developmental evaluations forchildren from 0-3 years old.Call 402-597-4936 or visit omahaedn.esu3.org formoreinformation.
Adapted from the Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning,Vanderbilt University.
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