My Almost One Year Old Bites Me

We also flicked the baby on the cheek and said, "No bites!" Worked great, within a couple days biting was entirely done. Some friends objected to 'hurting' the baby, but we were determined to nip that behavior in the bud, and found that lighter taps were useless. He needed an immediate and sharp indication that biting hurts.

He did go through a biting stage again around age 2, but was old enough to understand, "Absolutely NOT! That is DANGEROUS!" I bit him back once (yes, I was young and foolish), but decided that would just become a game and there was really no safe way to bite hard enough and not too hard, so we vetoed that plan. Immediate reaction, not necessarily punishment (because he didn't realize why biting was wrong, except when it hurt HIM) turned out to be the key to stopping this behavior quickly. Hopefully you will eliminate this bad habit before it causes any grief.

Every time it happens, safely put the angle down and without emotion walk away into another room-if the child follows, shut the door the next time. After a bit to calm yourself, and the child has quit crying, come back and begin joyful activity as if it had never happened. Do not come back until the baby stops crying.

Biting is a big no, no. It must be stopped as soon as it begins. We have so many bacteria in our mouths. It also has cultural meanings.

I speak as a preschool teacher (because some kids come to preschool as biters) as well as a mom.

W.

We found that our one year old would say "no-no" and it now doesn't really mean anything. We switched to saying "chocolate" in a very stern voice and she listens to that. We like that it doesn't sound mean to us, she has no idea what chocolate is, and we found a way to communite that we wanted her to stop immediately. Good luck!

Does he bite you when you carry him? Is he biting you for no reason, or can you tell? My son (now 3) bit me a couple of times when he was this age. When it happened, I just said, "Ow, that hurt. We don't bite people." And I put him down. Now, my son was a "holdy baby" and was quite distressed that I put him down. So I don't think he ever bit me again.
Good luck.
T.

C.,

When my kids, boy 5 and girl 18 months, bit me I'd flick them on the cheek and say no bite. I started this when they were nursing, and continue now. She bites me only infrequently anymore.

Hope this helps,
Melissa

Yes, he got you in the biting game. Try to stop the game, so next time he bites say: "No biting, biting hurts!" and just go to the other room. Stay calm and consistent. Good luck!