8 Month Old Biting

meanest thing ever but when my daughter was that age she did the same thing and i tried everything .. one day i had it and bit her back just a little enough to scare her.. well she NEVER did that again she didn't know that it hurt i guess....

8 months old is too young to understand what you're trying to say with "No" - but if you stop her from biting when she does it, firmly say "Gentle!", and put her down...she may start to get the idea. It's the same thing for a babe who bites at the breast: Stop hugging/kissing as soon as the bite happens, say "Gentle!", and put her down. Pick her up again in a little while, and try snuggling again. When you say "No Biting" or "No", at this age they don't get it - and trying the positive approach ("be gentle") is often easier on both of you and quicker to get a response than being negative ("no biting"). Good luck!

My daughter was a biter. One thing that worked for us was to get toys that she COULD bite. Then, when she was in a biting ball, I'd say, "Bite ball...bite ball" and give her the ball. She would laugh and run over and bite it hard.

Seems silly, but it worked. :)

After telling her "no biting" I'd put her down - some place safe but not where she's getting your attention. That way she knows when she bites, she's not going to get any attention from you - which she loves.

Yes, we had this problem too! When their teeth come in they love to bite. When my kids bit while nursing I knew they were having tooth pain. OUCH! They just don't know the difference between something they should bite on and us. I would tell her not to bite mommy and then give her something she can bite on instead. And be consistent with your response to it.

Good luck!
B.

L.,

I have a friend whose daughter does this as well but doesn't do the biting part. My friend has said it means her daughter is tried. I don't know if this helps but I would keep telling your daughter not to bite like you have been doing.

Good luck,
L. M

L.-

That is totally normal. My daughter did that as well. She is 11 months old now and does not do it anymore. Don't panic, it will be ok. If she does it and it hurts you can try something like " ouch honey... gentle please." She will figure it out.

It worked for us. I hope this helped
E.

Hi - my son did the same thing and I would tell him no biting and put him down and walk away...he would cry for a bit and then move on to something else. After about 2 weeks of being consistant, no more biting.

I am CERTAINLY not advocating biting your child!!! That said, my son was a biter - he would just get so excited with a kiss or just while playing and he didn't know how to release it. The only thing that cured him for good was a little girl @ a playdate bit him and he never bit again (once he knew how much it hurt) but he was much older than your daughter. I would grab the nearest (safe) toy when your daughter bites and instruct her to bite that instead. I would also try the "Sad Mommy" face to show her that biting hurts and it makes Mommy sad. My son responded very early to those emotion connections. You can show her how to kiss when she bites and show her (put your teeth lightly on her hand) and show her biting is s "No" and then kiss with your lips on her hand and say "Kisses are nice and make Mommy happy" or whatever. Since she is still so young - I would start with the biting a toy exercise coupled with a sad face and short "Biting hurts Mommy." Good Luck :0)

I think its just teething! I think it feels good on her gums when she bites into flesh. I didn't have "biters" but my children would occasionally bite me or my husband during teething. At 8 months old they are unable to adapt their behavior so for now I would keep the kissing one-sided (you kissing her).