Biting Toddlers
We have discussed both snake bites and spider bites on the Blogs, but no discussion about bites would be complete unless we mentioned humans that bite. Now, I am not talking about Mike Tyson biting off an ear, or Marv Albert who likes to bite, I am talking about toddlers.
Being a toddler is really not a happy time for them. Bigger people always seem to keep them from doing what they want. For toddlers, life itself sometimes bites.
Other than screaming, whining, or other irritating defense mechanisms, the more aggressive toddlers often hit and bite to get their way. As a matter of fact, biting is much more common in children with slow verbal skills. Perhaps, biting is just their way of communicating. Toddlers will attacks siblings, seemingly unprovoked, and even strike out at Mom from time to time.
I have a wonderful video of an idyllic Christmas morning. My children are unwrapping gifts, when suddenly my two year old spies a tape player that Santa gave my five-year old. He immediately wanted it but was quickly thwarted by my clever daughter. Suddenly, he launched himself through the air, hands in claw-like form with teeth bared. They landed tactfully on her head and began some rather disturbing biting! I love Christmas.
Decades later, we were helping to rear two of our grandchildren, a challenging two-year old at the time, and a six year old. Dylan was a fiery redhead with a personality to match (see the Blog on "The Wiener Dance") and was cared for during the day by a wonderful mother who had four others about the same age (Bless her heart), including a set of triplets.
My wife is a PA that works in family practice in the same community. One afternoon, she sees a little two year who had a bite on his arm. During the course of gathering information, it was mentioned that he was bitten by a little red-haired kid at day-care. Humm, could it be? Yes, she was seeing one of Dylan’s victims. The bite was really nothing and she assured the Mom that Dylan did not have rabies. A week later, she saw Dylan as a patient, having been bitten back by his nemesis, Joey, one of the triplets!
Miss Kathy, the day-care provider, is quite skilled at dealing with this behavior. The punishment is a brief incarceration in a crib, quite mortifying to a toddler, especially when it is in full-view of his non-biting colleagues.
Surprisingly, this was the end of the biting for Dylan and Joey, having accepted detente - the fact that biters often get bit back.
Children who engage in biting behaviors should be managed with gentle and persuasive behavior modification. This method may sound silly, but praising toddlers for NOT biting really works. "I am so proud if you for not biting Joey anymore.”
Of course, time-outs are appropriate for the occasional lapses in judgment. Although it is tempting to imitate the toddler's aggressive behavior and bite 'em back, too, but this is not the way to do it. Like most annoying childhood behaviors, encouragement will work better than yelling, and rewards and kisses for good behavior will work better than any punishment.
Related Topics: New Clue on How Babies Learn Words, WebMD Video: Your Baby's Vision
Technorati Tags: toddlers, biting, child development
Being a toddler is really not a happy time for them. Bigger people always seem to keep them from doing what they want. For toddlers, life itself sometimes bites.
Other than screaming, whining, or other irritating defense mechanisms, the more aggressive toddlers often hit and bite to get their way. As a matter of fact, biting is much more common in children with slow verbal skills. Perhaps, biting is just their way of communicating. Toddlers will attacks siblings, seemingly unprovoked, and even strike out at Mom from time to time.
I have a wonderful video of an idyllic Christmas morning. My children are unwrapping gifts, when suddenly my two year old spies a tape player that Santa gave my five-year old. He immediately wanted it but was quickly thwarted by my clever daughter. Suddenly, he launched himself through the air, hands in claw-like form with teeth bared. They landed tactfully on her head and began some rather disturbing biting! I love Christmas.
Decades later, we were helping to rear two of our grandchildren, a challenging two-year old at the time, and a six year old. Dylan was a fiery redhead with a personality to match (see the Blog on "The Wiener Dance") and was cared for during the day by a wonderful mother who had four others about the same age (Bless her heart), including a set of triplets.
My wife is a PA that works in family practice in the same community. One afternoon, she sees a little two year who had a bite on his arm. During the course of gathering information, it was mentioned that he was bitten by a little red-haired kid at day-care. Humm, could it be? Yes, she was seeing one of Dylan’s victims. The bite was really nothing and she assured the Mom that Dylan did not have rabies. A week later, she saw Dylan as a patient, having been bitten back by his nemesis, Joey, one of the triplets!
Miss Kathy, the day-care provider, is quite skilled at dealing with this behavior. The punishment is a brief incarceration in a crib, quite mortifying to a toddler, especially when it is in full-view of his non-biting colleagues.
Surprisingly, this was the end of the biting for Dylan and Joey, having accepted detente - the fact that biters often get bit back.
Children who engage in biting behaviors should be managed with gentle and persuasive behavior modification. This method may sound silly, but praising toddlers for NOT biting really works. "I am so proud if you for not biting Joey anymore.”
Of course, time-outs are appropriate for the occasional lapses in judgment. Although it is tempting to imitate the toddler's aggressive behavior and bite 'em back, too, but this is not the way to do it. Like most annoying childhood behaviors, encouragement will work better than yelling, and rewards and kisses for good behavior will work better than any punishment.
Related Topics: New Clue on How Babies Learn Words, WebMD Video: Your Baby's Vision
Technorati Tags: toddlers, biting, child development
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