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From twelve to twenty-four months of age, children may begin to bite. Although biting can be frustrating for both parents and caregivers of children who bite or are being bitten, biting is a normal stage of child development. Not all children are biters, but for those who are, there are ways you can deal with this issue. Here are some reasons why children bite and suggestions for preventing biting:
Reason - Exploration: children learn through their senses.
Solution: provide a variety of sensory and motor experiences that stimulate taste, touch and smell.
Reason - Attention: some children become biters because it gives them the attention they need, even if it is negative attention.
Solution: give your child lots of positive attention, hugs and nurturing conversation throughout the day.
Reason - Frustration: toddlers do not have the verbal skills to express their feelings and this leads to frustration. The environment can also be frustrating and lead to biting.
Solution: help a toddler express feelings through words, and empathize with how the child is feeling. Keep large, open spaces to a minimum and a small number of children per caregiver in each room.
Reason - Teething: infants can begin teething as early as five to six months of age and continue into the toddler years.
Solution: provide teething toys, clean frozen cloths or frozen bagels for the toddler to chew. The cold sensation helps ease the pain.
Reason - Anxiety: biting may relieve tension youngsters are feeling.
Solution: Try to understand what the toddler is feeling and validate those feelings. Keep a routine schedule.
Reason - Imitation: children imitate others. If one child is biting, another child may imitate the behavior.
Solution: model loving, nurturing behavior. Avoid giving too much negative attention to a child who bites.
Reason - Cause and Effect: young children are very interested in reactions. They like to see what happens next. Children soon learn that when they bite, they hear a loud scream. Most toddlers are too young to understand they are hurting someone.
Solution: provide toys which give a reaction such as a jack-in-the-box, pop-up toys, squeaking toys, etc.
When a Child Bites
Speak firmly and maintain eye contact. You may say, “We do not allow biting people. If you want to bite, you may bite this (teething toy, frozen cloth, etc.), but you may not bite people.” Make sure to comfort the victim, keep ice packs on hand and wash the bite with soap and water. Include the biter in the comforting process. If biting continues, use the chart below to help you understand reasons why and what you can do.
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First Incident |
Second Incident |
Third Incident |
| Where did the biting occur? |
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| Who was involved? |
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| When did the biting occur? |
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What happened before the
biting occured?
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What happened after? How was
the situation handled? |
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Why did you think the biting
might be happening? |
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What can you do to stop the
biting from happening? |
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The information was developed by The Family Conservancy from a variety of professional resources. This is not a standardized measurement tool.
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