Why Children Bite

• Biting is a stage that many children under 3 pass through that has little developmental significance. It is more common in group situations.
• Possible reasons include:
• Teething
• Impulsiveness and lack of self control: it’s a way of exploring the world
• To make an impact; to get attention or a reaction that is dramatic 
• Excitement and over-stimulation 
• Frustration; too many demands, wants, lack of space

Successful Strategies

• Don’t blame, but accept adults can help 
• Empathise with the adults: this is a sensitive topic for parents and staff
• Under no circumstances should the child be bitten back by an adult
• Punishment doesn’t work, but a firm ‘no’ is appropriate. Explain later that ‘we play without biting’ and praise the child for playing and touching ‘gently’
• It is appropriate to comfort the other child and to comment on his/her distress, e.g. ‘Shane is crying because he’s hurt. Look at his tears.’ Do not go overboard and give too much attention though
• Avoid allowing the child to watch television programmes, videos or computer games with violence. Research shows that even watching cartoons such as Tom and Jerry can increase aggression in children. Choose gentler options such as Teletubbies
• Remember, adults and family members are role models who can demonstrate calm speaking and reasoning when things go wrong (even though it’s difficult)

Examine the why list above to determine key cause:

• Teething: give hard objects for biting
•  teething rings, rusks, crusts
•  Impulsiveness and self control: distract the child with more interesting things to explore
•  Impact/attention: give a firm ‘no’; move the child away and comfort the other child. Remove eye contact and self from area. Do not reason and explain at this time as this will give attention. Ensure the child has positive attention when playing appropriately
•  Excitement and over-stimulation: find ways of calming the child down, e.g. try quiet activities, play gentle music, read a book (but don’t cuddle or give too much attention)
• Frustration: check expectations are reasonable. Remove child if he/she needs space. Change activity and remove temptation, e.g. forbidden toys/food.

 Explain to both sets of parents what your strategy is and ensure that the biter’s parents use the same approach at home,  If the problem continues, seek further advice.

Produced by

Mallory N Henson

Senior Educational Psychologist

September 2004