Syracuse Parent and CNY Family

Dr. Monica Jones is a pediatrician with Syracuse Pediatrics. Reach her at www.syracusepediatrics.com. To send a health-related question to the doctor, write to editor@syracuseparent.net

Biting is common with toddlers
Posted on Tue, February 27th, 2007
Written by: Monica Jones, MD, Pediatrician/Syracuse Pediatrics
email: editor@syracuseparent.net

We all agonize over the decision to put our children in day care. There are pros and cons just like all decisions in life. But now you’ve decided it’s the right thing for you and your child. You find a wonderful day care with loving providers. Your child starts and you are thrilled because he/she loves it. Your child is off playing and having fun with other kids. You feel great until you get that call that your child has been bitten or even worse, has bitten another child. Suddenly you worry—what have I done? Was this the right choice? Of course it was. First thing, don’t panic. Biting is a very common but incredibly upsetting behavior in toddlers and two year olds. So let’s talk about a few things that may make it easier for you to handle both at home and at day care.
Why do children bite? There are several reasons why kids bite. Understanding why is one step in knowing how to respond. Some children are just teething, some bite out of frustration in not being able to communicate their needs, some bite for the sensory input and some bite as a response to stress. First step is to try and work on whatever is causing the problem, i.e. teething toys for a teething toddler or help a child use his language to get what he needs or wants.
If your child bites another child, calmly separate the two children. DO NOT OVERREACT. This will just feed the cycle. Your first response should be to the child who has been bitten. Make sure they are OK. But this also takes the focus away from the biter. This sounds easy but think about how we react to such situations. Most of us would jump to yell at the biter, but this just makes them the focus of attention. Once you are sure the bitten child is OK, then you can calmly tell the biter something like “No biting people. You hurt your friend.”
There is good evidence that one thing does not work—biting back. Do not bite your child back if they have bitten you or someone else. Kids will just think that makes it OK if you do it to them.
As for the actual bite, wash it off with warm water and soap. An ice pack might help them be more comfortable. If the skin is broken, then be sure to call your child’s doctor as bites that break the skin are often treated with antibiotics to prevent infection.
To try and prevent it from happening again try and reinforce the good behaviors. When your child is doing something nice like sharing toys or playing nicely, let them know you are proud of them. Help them adjust to being in groups with other children. Encourage them to play nicely with each other. If your child continues to bite over several weeks or doesn’t seem to care about the consequences, talk to your pediatrician. Most children will outgrow this stage before they are 3 years old.

Dr. Monica Jones is a pediatrician with Syracuse Pediatrics. Reach her at www.syracusepediatrics.com. To send a health-related question to the doctor, write to editor@syracuseparent.net