How do you stop a three year old from biting?

1. 81

   tillsontitanposted 12 years ago

   How do you stop a three year old from biting?
   
   My grandson bites other children, mostly when he's angry but we can't seem to get him to stop.  Any suggestions appreciated.

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2. 82

   LauraGTposted 12 years ago

   I think you have to have a no tolerance policy and be very consistent in enforcing a consequence to biting. My daughter has bitten my son a few times in the last few weeks (luckily, no one else!). The second it happens, she is harshly reprimanded ("There is NO biting") and is given a time out.  She has to apologize and make nice with her brother.

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   1. 81

      tillsontitanposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      We have been consistent in his reprimand but nothing seems to stay with him.  He is always sorry when he does it and of course says he will never do it again.  We have used time outs.

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3. 0

   Catzgendronposted 12 years ago

   First, why is he biting?  Is he frustrated at the time, is he angry at someone or possibly something?  How well does he communicate?  I am asking this because my oldest daughter was a biter because she had hearing loss and had a hard time communicating.  We would tell her no biting, make her apologize and then she had a time out.  When they put tubes in her ears after dealing with a constant ear infection, her hearing was better and she was able to communicate, verbalize her frustrations and that was when the biting finally stopped.

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   1. 81

      tillsontitanposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      He understands and speaks very well.  He has the vocabulary of a seven year old so I doubt hearing is his problem.  That is also part of why it is so frustrating.  He is a very smart little boy and knows he is doing wrong. He does it only on occasion

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4. 58

   styleswritingposted 12 years ago

   Great question. This is a frustrating but very (!) common habit amongst this age group. There are some tactics you can try to avert the biting, but the number one thing you can do is put yourself near the child before he bites and try to sense when he tends to bite. This is hard, especially with other children around. The most important thing is to comfort the child or person that got bit first, as the 3 year old will see that the biting did not get them the attention they may have craved. In severe cases, I have used a child "chew toy" (sounds awful, but it does help) that the more oral child can use to let go of frustration. Above all, try to remain calm and firmly say "Biting hurts! We don't bite!" Lastly, here is a great article from Penn State about biting with more info on the biting toys. Good luck! http://betterkidcare.psu.edu/AngelUnits … esson.html

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   1. 81

      tillsontitanposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks styleswriting.  He's been doing it at a 'pre-school' set up.  Hadn't done it for three weeks then, boom, did it again.  He's now suspended for three weeks.

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      styleswritingposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I can't see where to answer your comment, so I am going to write it here. I would be very concerned about a place that would "suspend" a 3 year old. That is not aiding his development, and certainly not setting a good example of working out issues.

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