My daughter will be 3 in March, yet she still, on the rare occasion, will excitement bite. Suggestions to make it go away? Hubby wants to start whacking her with a wooden spoon ---I so don't want to revert to how we were raised! He thinks maybe "Fear" will put a stop to it. I just want it to stop --before she seriously hurts her 12 month old brother.
She is highly verbal, and very well aware of the fact that it is "mean, hurtful," etc.
a good pop won't hurt. parents today r too soft with teaching and punishment. She's 3 so one pop on the butt, a stern no then time out. I am 22 almost 23 with a 9 month old son and a daughter on the way. I plan on doing that when they are old enough. I don't agree on spanking a 3 year old just a pop. good luck.
My little sister was a biter. She bit me on more than once occasion. She was 3 when my mom finally bit her.... and she never did it again after that.
She will grow out of this. Don't bite her back and don't wack her with a spoon. Biting is a normal developmental phase for many kids.
At least you've identified what's going on when she bites. "Excitement" biting means that she is over stimulated and doesn't know how to cope with her feelings. I would closely observe her before the biting behavior to see if you can eliminate the cause of the biting. Or better yet, catch her right before the biting and teach her how to breathe rather than bite.
You might find this info helpful:
http://www.come-over.to/FAS/PDF/BitingBehavior.pdf
I would suggest wacking your husband with a wooden spoon when he does something you don't like. See how that works out.
I can only tell you that Grandma T's suggestion worked on my brother. He was around that age and still biting occasionally, so my Mom bit him back once and that's all it took. Maybe they don't realize just how much it hurts? I'm not sure, but it worked for my brother. My son was biting, but at around a year old. At that point, I think it was more teething related and we just put him in timeout and it stopped. He hasn't bitten since. I'm not sure what you have tried with your daughter already, but there needs to be some consequence. It would be really hard for me to bite my own child, but I've heard so many stories of this making it all stop, so take it for what you will. Good luck!
Please do not whack her, and do not bite her. This just teaches her that it is okay to bite and hurt others, and makes her afraid of you or your husband. My son also has been a biter, and it has been due to "excitement" and overstimulation. You need to teach her other acceptable outlets for this excitement and overstimulation. Both of my kids have sensory issues, and my son used to bite a LOT. Thank goodness the daycare knew it wasn't an act of aggression. We ended up giving him a plastic tube that he could bite as well as hard, chewy things like tootsie rolls, and eventually sugarless gum. It sounds like your daughter needs to let out her excitement physically. My son knows he shouldn't bite others, and when he doesn't have an alternative, unfortunately, he bites himself and that relieves his need to channel the excitement. He is 7. My son is in OT for sensory processing issues, and his OT has helped us deal with this effectively through the years. Since she is not doing it to get her way or get attention, or to let out anger, then it is not a behavior issue, but probably more neurological or sensory. If you have a good pediatrician, please talk to them and get their advice. I wish your daughter and family luck.
Time outs work too. Discipline her like you usually do. Warn her about what the consequences are for biting and follow through with 100% consistency and she will stop. Hmmmm... I really need to remember to follow my own advice...LOL Good luck to you!! =)
