| A
female
,
*ushbabe
writes: Hi I need some help?I have a 21month old who Bites!! I have tried very hard to explain no biting, but nothing.at 21 months do they understand everything?Any advice??? Reply to this Question
Share |
Add your answer to this question! A
female
reader, DrPsych  +, writes (16 September 2006):
 At 21 mths your child is capable of some understanding of good or bad behaviour. I don't recommend biting her/him back as one of the posts suggested as there are more appropriate ways to change her/his behaviour. You need to consistently apply punishment for bad behaviour with a naughty chair and she will soon associate biting with social exclusion even if s/he doesn't understand the social implications of her behaviour directly. Everytime she bites then you need to say in a very firm voice (but not shouting) NO so s/he knows you mean business - each and every time she does it.
When your baby resolves a difficult situation by more diplomatic methods s/he needs to be praised a lot and perhaps put on a sticker chart system for rewards.
A
female
reader, anonymous, writes (11 September 2006): My Daughter has gone in and out of biting phases (usually starting with another child biting her for a toy and she then realises it can be an effective tool). She did know that she was not supposed to bite at 18 mnths, but couldn't qite stop herself from doing it. I would put her down as soon as she tried to bite or hit, remind her not to bite and ask her to stop, if she agreed I'd pick her up and carry on with our activities. It was slowly effective and we had a long period of quiet. The last time she bit was at 20 mnths, and this time all I had to do was remind her to 'THINK' as she does know it is wrong. The pause really helped her stop her actions and has been much more effective than earlier tactics, stopping all biting with a few days. I've passed this on to her nursery in case it crops up again there too. I hope you find something like this that works with your little one.
...............................
A
male
reader, anonymous, writes (25 August 2006): my daugher is 18months and understands everything at 21 months understanding is not the issue, I would reccomend biting back (not too hard)as this will demonstrate that it is sore and explain when you bite back that it is very bad and sore and tell your child if they don't like it being done to them don't do it to other people, please do not bite so hard that damage or severe pain is done
...............................
A
reader, anonymous, writes (25 August 2006): We’ve all heard of the Terrible Twos. Children at this age experience a great deal of emotions – happiness, sadness, fear, and anger are very common, and yet hard to explain or control. Two-year-olds throw themselves on the floor, kicking and screaming for no apparent reason. They sob uncontrollably when their favorite bedtime blanket or stuffed animal has gone missing. If someone takes a toy from them, or they want what someone else has, they get angry. This might have something to do with the biting.
Toddlers crave attention. So think about who your toddler is biting. Is it another child? If so, the next time your toddler bites another don't over react. Don't get mad at the toddler. Turn your attention to the bitee rather than the biter. Try to show your toddler what their action caused - pain. You are then showing your toddler that hurting others will not get them special attention.
You could try observing your toddler and see what might trigger their biting. Are they doing it because they are angry? Tired? Bored? This might help.
They will overcome this stage. Toddlers have a limited vocabulary, so they are probably just simply acting out an emotion or reacting to a situation the only was they know how because they might not be able to tell you how they feel about something.
Good luck x
...............................
|