by Tina Hartley

Created on: December 01, 2008

A biting toddler can cause crying children, screaming parents, or a horrified, germophobic parent to rush for the alcohol. Why did your child just become the victim of a bite, or just victimize an adult or another child? There isn't a simple answer for that question but rest assured it wasn't a malicious act. A toddler doesn't have an ounce of malice in their tiny frame.

Toddlers bite for various reasons. Overstimulation can sometimes result in biting. Anger or frustration can lead to biting. A child can start biting others after he or she has been bitten by another child. When biting causes an uproar and extra attention, the behavior itself is receiving reinforcement, which in turn, can lead to more biting.

A toddler has limited ways to express anger, frustration, or stress. They don't have the communication skills to relieve stress by talking it out. Sometimes this leads to aggressive behavior like biting. A child who is bullied or played with roughly by an older child may use biting as a self defense mechanism. Biting and chewing are natural in young children, Remember; many times during the first 30 months or so of life, these things have brought comfort to a teething child.

The National Association for the Education of Young Children classifies biters in four categories

* The experimental biter is just testing for a reaction

* The frustrated biter is reacting to a situation

* The threatened biter uses biting for self-defense

* The power biter is trying to take control by biting

In any of the above situations, a parent or caregiver must firmly let the toddler know that biting is not acceptable behavior. Ignoring the behavior, or giving the child a toy to distract him, accomplishes a reinforcement of the behavior. The majority of toddlers are going to bite a parent, caregiver or another child at some point. How the biting behavior is handled can make the difference between a child who bites a time or two, and one who becomes a serial biter.

Once a toddler has developed the habit of biting it is very important to watch for the situations that lead into biting. For instance; if the child falls in the third category of biting in self-defense, watch for signs of potential conflict with another child. A parent or caregiver may have time to diffuse the situation before it leads to biting.

It is also important that all adults involved in the care of the toddler discuss the behavior and react with similar responses. If the behavior is tolerated at home, a daycare provider has no chance of stopping the behavior and vice versa. React with a firm voice and let the child know biting will not be tolerated. This can stop a single bite from turning into a behavioral problem.

Pediatricians and other child experts agree; hitting a child or biting the child back advocates violent behavior as a way to handle situations. This could lead to other aggressive behaviors.

Knowing why a toddler is biting parents or other children can help isolate the best ways to correct this behavior. Understanding is half the battle with a toddler. When you understand what causes these behaviors, even the terrible twos can seem a little less terrible.

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