How To Stop Child Biting?

When the parents are busy talking to friends and relatives, the children take advantage of the situation and try to do what they are normally not allowed to do. The parents feel awfully embarrassed and disgusted with the child’s behaviour especially if it hurts the others. One such behaviour is child biting others.

There are numerous reasons as to why the child may do this. The popular ones are attention seeking, to show domination, frustration.

Attention seeking: When some children want to draw the parent’s attention then they try to bite people around them. This way they think the attention will be on them.

Show domination: When the child is in a group and is unable to prove his/her point, then to tries to use teeth power.

Frustration: When the child wants to bring our frustration like unwillingness to share toys with other kids or playing and sharing with other kids.

Ape the parents: Sometimes the parents pretend to play games where they pretend to bite the child and the child tries to the same with the others. But instead of pretending, they may really bite.

To put an end to child biting habits, the parents should sit with the child and try to explain that such behaviour will not be appreciated. They would be punished and not rewarded. After this when the child indulges in biting, the parents must tell the child firmly not to carry on with it. Then move away and let the child stay alone. While condemning the behaviour the parents should not plead and should speak in a authoritative voice. In the child still doesn’t oblige then the parents must warn that they would have to face timeouts wherein they would not get to play with their favourite toys or games for certain period of time. This punishment should be followed every time the child indulges in biting.

If the child is over 4 years and still doesn’t stop biting, then taking the child for counselling would be a good idea. But it may not be needed if the parents are focused on condemning the behaviour.