2 Year Old Bites Mommy When Happy and Playing - and When Angry or Frustrated

J.,

Sounds like my son at 2. It could be some sensory issues. Try www.gapsdiet.com or www.gapsme.com. I don't know what medicines he is on, but I would do my best to get him well and off of those meds. If these are sensory issues, the medicines, especially the ones for kids with all the chemicals and sugars, can worsen the problem that may be causing sensory issues.

In the meantime you can get the ARK grabbers and chewy tubes (google these, you'll find then on-line). Have him chew on these for at least 2 xs a day or whenever he wants. Also, for the pinching, you can start with a deep massage starting with the finger tips, up to the sholders, 2 xs a day for 5 minutes. If you want to find out if it is indeed sensory issues, I would call one of the neurodevelopmenalits on this site. www.ican-do.org. They have been very helpful to us.

Let me know if you would like me to share more info about this with you. I've had to learn so much in order to help my son heal from sensory issues.

Blessings,
T. E.
www.LiveWellShopSmart.com
www.LovinLifeWithHomeBiz.com

I read couple of the last responses and they seem very good. I have three boys and they all have done the same things at one time or another and I agree that you need to be firm in saying "You don't bite." And see how he reacts. If he attempts to do it to see what reaction you give him, then you say it again and put him in the time out in whatever why you see fit (in the crib or sit in the chair and if that doesn't work then crib). I have a problem with people saying that you should put a child in time out according to their ages. Because I did the same thing with my oldest and it turned out that he remembered what he did hours later by saying something about it later while playing and I was like wow, this kid has a memory. One time he kept throwing food on the floor and would not listen when I told him no and that he would go in the crib. I ended up putting him in the crib for about five minutes. I came in and asked him why I put him in there and he said, "food on floor" and I said are you suposed to do that and he said no and it worked better after that and I told him when I saw that he was going to do that again and I said you will sit in your crib if you put that food on the floor and he didn't do that ever again and they need to learn and understand the firmness in the voice. You need to follow through with consequesnces because they are smarter than we give them credit and they learn quickly. You don't follow through they will catch on and then say she won't do that and she says that all the time. Tough love come in play.

I have a 19 month old that i am having problems with biting and hitting the past few months. I have been using time outs with him and having him sit on a chair. Some days it feels very repetative but i do feel he has improved alot over the last month. I have a 4 yr old who he will hit and bite at when he wants a toy...which was quite often. I say to him "You hit you sit" and take him out of the situation immediately. I also have a 4 month old that he would take swings at as soon as he would be in arms reach. This really upset me because he would sometimes leave marks. i had tried spanking him a couple of times however i felt it made the situation worse. he would get histerical and hit more. time out seems to be working best for me. good luck.

Hi J.,
My daughter was the same exact way at 2 years old. I explained to her that the only thing we bite is food, not people, not toys, only food. And when she would try to bite me, I would firmly say, "no!. what do we bite?" She says, "only food". If your daughter has a propensity towards biting, you can even give her something crunchy like an apple to futher your point.
It took about 2 weeks for the message to sink in completely and the biting to stop.
Good luck!
C.

Hey J.,

I think he is doing it for the reaction he is getting even if it is negative it is attention. With children his age they look at it as a game even if you show that you are upset he probably doesn't get the whole concept yet. What you can try first is when he bites you give him something else like a teething toy to bite and say if a very firm voice no biting mommy, you bite this . If that doesn't help then you have to put him into a time out. You can use the play pen if he will not stay on a chair. Use limited conversation because you do not want to give him the attention he is looking for. By not speaking to him you are showing him you are very upset with him and he will not like that. Just firmly get to his level and look him in the eye and say firmly no biting and put him into the playpen for 2 minutes. When the time is up get him and say again no biting, tell him to say sorry, give him a hug and move on. If he has a fit then just let him as long as he is safe and cannot hurt himself it is okay. Continue with one course of action so you do not confuse him. The same consequence for the same action and eventually he will get it. Good luck!!

He is frustrated, but that doesnt mean you have to allow it. He has to learn self control. The second he hurts you whisk him to time out and let him scream. Forget to 2 minute thing and keep him in time out until he stops screaming. Otherwise he will think screaming gets him out of time out. When he stops screaming hug him and tell him he hurt mommy and you will not allow him to do that. It sounds like you are trying too many different consequences and he is confused. The most important thing with this age is consistency.

Hi J.,
I've got the same issue with my 17-month-old son! He does bite me a bit more when he is frustrated though. I won't bite him back either--I'm not sure what that's supposed to teach. I do, however, make a big fuss when he does it though. I start to cry and say "ouch, it really hurts Mommy when you bite." He usually puts on a sad face when I do that, so I think the point is starting to sink in. The last thing I want him to think is that it is fun, and I certainly don't want him to start biting anyone else--especially the other kids in his playgroup. That's my biggest worry. I think that by you showing him how much it hurts and by consistently correcting him to stop biting, he'll eventually "get it." Good luck----to all of us!!!
-T.