Advice Re: Baby Biting Mom

It is a great idea to be watchful and notice when he is about to bite. Then you can block the behavior. However, instead of saying "NO" try...we don't bite. Be repetitive and consitent.

If you always say no you are not being specific enough so that he will understand what specifically you don't like about his behavior. Not to mention when he hist 18 months to 2 years old that "No" will come back to bite you. It will be a very popular word for him then, and it will drive you nuts. Lol. Good luck!

First part that I can suggest is to watch him closely. When you see he’s about to bite catch his mouth and tell him “NO! No Bite!” If he tries again, same thing followed by “Next time, time out.” If he tries a third time, only say “Time Out!” and take him to his time out spot. Even at just under a year old, timeout will start to make sense if it’s consistent. If he keeps trying at different times, drop the first warning, so that 2nd attempt is a time out. Then if it STILL continues, tell him “No more warnings. Time out for biting!”

My son (Thank Heavens) was never really a biter, but my sister’s oldest was AWEFUL! She finally stopped for the most part after about a month of this. She still had one “friend” that she’d always try to bite when the adults stepped out of view. This little girl was a little older so my sister finally told her “If my daughter bite’s you, bite her back.” The little girl did just that, and as cruel as it seems, THAT finally worked to finish this “habit” she had formed. I’m not suggesting that you actually try this method though, because it can be RATHER dangerous.

The other thing I would say is do you “play” bite him? I tell me 2 ½ year old I’m “going to eat is toes” (or tummy, fingers, or any other part of his body I get a hold of) and gently bite them in a tickling fashion. He sometimes does it back to me, but doesn’t control his bite like I do. When this happens I tell him “OW! That hurt Mommy. Kiss it and make it better.” I NEVER punish him for this one, because I TAUGHT him to do this. It’s MY fault, not his!

I hope this helps~ J.

Dear Molly,

He is just too young to be able to obey just words, you have to show him with deeds - if you are home take him to his room or crib and put him in and say no biting. Then let him cry. If you are out in the world, then try to put him into the car seat, in other words stop him from being able to bite. Also find something for him to bite on - you know teething rings and things like that. C. N.

I went through the same thing with my son. He still does it but not nearly as much or as hard as he used to. I had bruises up and down my arms and legs, people actually thought I was getting beaten cause the buises were so bad. I tried the same things as you too. What worked at least part of the time was to redirect his attention. I'd give him a snack or a book or toy. While he was teething really bad I gave him teethers that had been in the fridge for a while to sooth his gums. Just keep telling him no biting hurts and show him your hurt and sad when he does it. As my son turned 1 he stared to understand when I showed him the bite marks and said look you gave mommy a booboo and he's kiss it and give me a hug. It takes time but he should grow out of it.

Show him that biting hurts and that it is not funny. I did this and it worked like a charm.when he bites you bite him back Not hard just hard enough to get the point across. I felt bad but sometimes it just needs to be done. Krissy

Aww. such a cute age. If your little bundle is teething, then it may not be that big of a deal. When he bits you, try giving him a teething ring or anything clean and soft that he can naw down on. BELIEVE ME, he needs it. I have a 14 month old with 8 teeth and getting 6 more BIG one's. I still nurse him. When he bits me I try to think about all of the pain he is experiencing. So, with that said....with his tender young age in mind, he may just be trying to find relief.

Good Luck!

I had this problem with my daughter when she was about the same age. She kept biting and biting me and then one day I had had enough of it and she came up and bit me on the leg, so I turned around and I bit her in the same spot as she bit me. That's right I BIT HER, I had to do it a few times but it only took like two or three times of me biting her back and she stopped and never bit another person again. It also worked on my grandson who was biting everyone not just mom so I told her to bite him back and it only took once with him.

I hope that this helps and good luck.

W.

Hi, My daughter started doing this awhile ago. She is 15 months now and doesn't really do it anymore. When she would do it it was because she was upset. We would tell her firmly NO and if she did it again we would put her down, if we were holding her. Eventually she stopped doing it. Maybe it was because she was teething, i'm not sure, but hopefully your son will grow out of it too... good luck. =)

My sister's daughter had the same issue. She bit her back once, and she never bit again! Sounds harsh, but she didn't bite her too hard, just enough to let her know she was hurting others when she was biting them.

Good luck!

My son, who is now 4 yrs. old, used to bite HARD! all the time too.

Your message said it all, though. Look at what happens before he bites and try to "deal with" that issue so it doesn't get to biting. So, before you talk to another adult, let him know that you'll be talking to someone and that you'll be 10 minutes. If he looks bored, distract him with an object (toy or book) or if he's too excited, show him other ways to express himself (like by clapping). In other words, get there before the biting.

With my son, we're doing the whole emotional intelligence, telling him to identify his feelings and how to appropriately express them. So, it's okay to be angry, not okay to bite. Okay to be tired, not okay to bite. It's really about teaching them to say "I'm tired" or "I'm bored," etc.

There are a lot of good books that identify feelings. DISCOVERY TOYS has one called "The Way I Feel" which is on sale for only $9.99. You can buy it at www.discoverytoyslink.com/fatimac

Even if you don't buy that book, expose your son (yes, at this early stage of his life) to the vocabulary of feelings. I find myself saying aloud "I'm very upset that the man driving the blue car cut me off! I wish we would all drive safely." and "When I'm tired, I get cranky. I need a good nap!" I see now that it has paid off because my son will say things like "That's it! I'm out of control!" Then he'll look at me and say "Okay, breathe in, breathe out. I need to calm down."

Your son bites because he doesn't have the tools yet to express himself. After you work at giving them to him, you'll see the biting go away.

Good luck,
F.
www.discoverytoyslink.com/fatimac

My son went through the same thing. The first couple of times he bit me I said nothing and he kept doing it. So I bit him Back,not to hard just hard enough for him to feel what biting felt like. I talked to him after and I think he really understood. When I could see that he was going to bite me I would just tell him "Do you want Mommy to bite you to?" He does not bite any more.