By my daughter!

She's only 21 months old. She was being silly with her brother and just came up to me and tried to take a chunk out of my arm, I have a bruise and fang marks so it wasn't just a small nip!

Not sure what to do if she does it again?

I am not a mother, (nor do I play one on TV) But my Mother was a Day Care Mum (licenced) and did her Certificate in Early Childhood Studies and her Pre-School/PlayGroup Certificate. Anyway.....when her and her colleagues were asked 'What do you do if a child bites?' alot of the colleagues replied 'Bite them back'.

However, if you ignore the 'biter' and heap love and concern on the person who was bit (a bit hard since it is yourself) then the 'biter' gets no attention (good or bad) from the episode and it will soon wear off. I saw my Mum do this and it did work. You could see the 'Biter' trying to get my Mum's attention but she was too busy cuddling the child who had been bit and making a fuss of them.

Usually when you are bit, you cry out or make a noise, then the biter is told off, thus getting attention. Ignoring the biter in preference of the victim cuts off that 'attention'.

Goodluck! And I hope your arm is better soon

Susan

My mother in law told me to bite em back too.... not sure if it's a socially acceptable thing to do in this day and age though!

That's interesting, because I shrieked, told her off and then decided it was probably bedtime, so I guess I did it all wrong! I will certainly remember that though, thanks

My daughter only bit me once. I bit her back. (not hard before you all get on your high horses!! My mother did the same to me when I bit her as a toddler.

My son was always biting other children when we was the same age. He even got banned from the playgroup for taking chunks out of other kids, I was really upset about it all.

One day he bite me on the leg, it really hurt, so I bite him back, he never ever bite anyone again. I told the Health Visitor what I had done and she said I shouldnt have done it, but it worked. He is 10 now and a lovely thoughtful boy.

Totally agree with biting back

Mine was two when she bit me on the arm, i got her arm and bit her (no marks, no real pressure) and she scremed as though i'd pulled her arm off and slapped her with the soggy end!!!! :scared:

Never bit anyone again though.

Being a parent must be so hard, what with all the 'political' correctness. I remember my Brother biting me so hard, he broke my skin - so my Mum (not a day care mum etc at that point) bit him back.

I can still remember the chunks out of my leg (horrid little wretch) He is 29 now and I think he doesn't bite anymore :scared:

Susan

biting the kid back will teach him that biting and violence is acceptable because if it wasn't then you as a parent would not do it.......kill em with kindness works.......btw he must know that your not happy about getting bitten

I am a father of 3 and another one coming, and in my experience the best tool to deal with bitings is to show an exagerated display of pain and hurt. Remember children do not understand reason or logic as we adults do. They comprehend in terms of feelings, they understand joy and pain very well, so if they are made aware that their action inflict pain/joy they are withdrawn/drawn to them.

If they inflict pain with their actions, hitting or biting, hitting or biting back will not do the trick, But a display of pain, and crying will appeal to their remorse, since they do know what pain is (they have experience it already either by vaccination, by hitting themselves while walking or by their siblings in their sometimes out of hand little games).

So, next time make a big fuss of how hurt you are, fake or show tears and make sure somehow they see what they have done to you. Believe me, that will inmediately discourage them to do it again to you or any of their siblings.

Again as it was mentioned before attention is the key.

Good luck !

i went through this...and it didnt matter how hard the recipient cried or screamed in pain it didnt matter...................the only way to stop it was for the reci[ient to bite back, and they the biter realised how bloody sore it was, and that they didnt get any sympathy when they ran screaming to mummy

Got 5 kids myself. BITE the little buggers back thats what I say, all joking aside just enough so that they know it hurts a bit, they soon get the message. Andy

Bite the little bugger back with a set of those false hillbilly joke teeth and then stuff 'em in the gas meter cupboard for a day and go down town to get rat arsed, obviously!

Take her teeth out!!!!!

Bite back then.....there is nothing more than to teach at such an early stage of development to combat violence with more violence.

Good luck!