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Expert Q&A

	By Elizabeth Pantley Child Behavior Expert Better Beginnings, Inc.

I have a 14-month-old who continuously bites other kids at a home daycare every single day, and it's the same two kids that are older than him by 6 to 11 months. I've read what the causes are and why they might do it. I just want to find out another technique to help him not bite anymore. Time-out doesn't work, spraying his mouth with lemon doesn't work (in fact he likes it). He bites in the morning or in the afternoon. The baby sitter says he'll bite out of frustration or just bite because he feels like it. He'll bite whoever is near him. She said she looks him in the eye and tells him, "NO, biting." And puts him in for a one minute time out. The baby sitter can't be there every second and sometimes they bite so fast. He doesn't bite at home, though. Is he old enough to understand and assist in treating the victim's bite? Do you have a technique that will help all of us in this frustrating behavior, besides figuring out why he does it?

A child's mouth is a handy and useful device. Often, the first incident of biting is purely an accidental reaction. Once a child sees just how powerful this tool can be, he may make a conscious decision to use it again. This is very common behavior for a child at this age, and it is up to the adults who care for him to teach him that this is inappropriate and that he can express his feelings in other ways. Print the following ideas and share them with your daycare provider.

• Solution #1: Watch the child closely during play time. When you see him becoming frustrated or angry, intervene and redirect his attention until he has calmed down.
• Solution #2: Teach the child how to express anger or frustration safely. This lesson can be taught by step-by-step instruction, role-playing, reading books about feelings and anger, and discussing the various choices that we have when we're angry.
• Solution #3: Every time the child bites you can immediately, and gently, cup your hand over the child's mouth and say in a firm voice, "No biting, time-out." Guide the child to a chair or other time out place and announce, "You may get up when you can play without biting."
• Solution #4: Make sure that youץ not allowing "play biting" and that you're not nibbling your child at play time. Children can't always determine the difference between times when this behavior is acceptable and when it's not.
• Solution #5: Give more attention to the victim than the biter. After a brief statement such as "No biting," turn your back to the biter and give attention to the victim. Often the biter gets so much attention that biting becomes a way of gaining the spotlight.

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