Q: What can I do to stop my young child from biting others?

The majority of toddlers engage in biting – the most common reason being that it is an effective way to communicate frustration before their verbal skills have developed. Otherwise, they could be teething or because they put everything in their mouths anyway. Sometimes, it becomes an attention-seeking behaviour.
In order to stop your child from biting, you need to figure out why they are biting. From there, you can determine how to approach the behaviour.

• Frustration
  If your child is biting because he or she is frustration, try giving them an alternative and appropriate way to express their feelings. For example, “You need to tell mommy that you need help,” or “Show me what you need.” You can even give the words, “You don’t need to bite. You could say, ‘I’m mad’.”

• Teething
  Teething can be a painful experience for children and they may seek relief by biting people, objects or themselves. Provide them with teethers, cold facecloths or chewy foods to help alleviate the discomfort.

• Attention-Seeking
  The reason why any behaviour becomes attention seeking is because attention was given to it. Children love attention and often will not differentiate between good attention and bad attention. Having you yell and lose your mind can be entertaining to them. It’s best to completely ignore the biting by leaving the room, walking away or creating space between you and your child.

Be certain you are praising the appropriate behaviours you wish to see replace the biting. Never hesitate to firmly, yet calmly, explain to your child why biting is inappropriate and how it hurts people.