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How Parents Can Stop Toddler Biting

Being a new parent, you will come across one of the most nasty habits toddlers have, which is biting. Your little toddler may lack in strength made up with the vice like grip but when it comes to the strenght in their teeth, you will be stunned! Their newly formed milk teeth is razor sharp where in which some toddlers utilize it in their full potential such as biting. Toddler biting is a common bad habit that needs to be stopped. It is true that every child with newly developed teeth is of course a notorious biter.

Parents need to help them get rid of this nasty habit as it will lead to a lot of problems later on. To deal with this problem of toddler biting, it is necessary to first take the age of the child into consideration. The reason being that biting is an age appropriate response. Experts say that children who are under the age of 2 years usually tend to bite a lot more because of they lack socialisation and verbal skills.

How Parents Can Stop Toddler Biting

Your toddler may be into the habit of biting only to get the feel of it, or due to frustration. It is important to also make a note if your toddler is a chronic biter. If this is not checked at an earlier stage, then this behaviour of your toddler will develop into an unhealthy habit. Whatever be the case, toddler biting must be stopped and dealt with appropriately by the parents.

Here are some of the ways to stop your toddler from biting

  1. We humans love to crave for attention and when it comes to toddlers, they are the stars in getting it. When toddlers discover the effects of biting and how it makes them the center of attention, they cannot resist the urge to keep repeating this act. This behaviour is seen especially when family members ignore them and cater to other responsibilities.
  2. Yes, it is true that biting toddlers can be quite a nuisance. Nevertheless, every new parent should remember that they are only toddlers and most of them are unaware of their actions. You should keep in mind not to yell at them even if they have bitten a respected guest. The reason being that the situation will get all the more worse as they might bite back. Take action after the guest has left.
  3. Keep a track on your toddler's biting behaviour. There could be several other causes too in regard this behaviour. If this behaviour continues after much effort of evading the habit, you need to seek a consultant for help.
  4. Whenever your child bites another family member or a relative, do not directly approach him/her for this will simply reinforce his nasty behaviour. But, you can stop toddler biting by doing this trick. Simply walk towards the bitten victim and plant a soft kiss on the victim's cheeks or hug them tightly. This will immediately jitter the child and will help him stop biting others.
  5. It is said that toddlers learn to bite soon after they get their first set of milk teeth. New parents should know that once toddlers observe the reactions elicited by a nudge, they learn to experiment with their new set of teeth. It is natural that a victim of a bite immediately moves away to protect themselves from been bitten. Hence, these little toddlers use their teeth as a weapon for self-defense. It is however humane that every child resorts to biting or hitting when he/she feels the sense of insecurity of an external stimulus.

These are some of the reasons why toddlers bite and why you need to stop your toddler from biting.

Story first published: Monday, August 12, 2013, 10:54 [IST]
Read more about: toddlers parenting