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Unregistered 04:25 PM 03-26-2021
I know this is a really old thread, but biting in childcare is still a relevant topic. In my home childcare, I have occasionally had biters. In fact, I accepted 2 children who were expelled from centers for biting. My approach that seemed to work very well was to enlist the help of the other children. We would have circle time and discuss the biting and I would stress that each of us had a right to not be bitten and if anyone would try to bite you, you had the right to stop them. I emphasized using our words and loudly telling the "biter" to get away and gave children permission to protect themselves by pushing the biter away if necessary. We didn't point out or shame the "biter". The "biter" had the same rights as the other children in protecting himself. No one should be bitten. I had really good luck with this approach. Granted, it works better with slightly older children and I never had a child who bit multiple times a day every day. I have been doing family childcare for 30+ years and I've never had to suspend a child for their behavior. It helps to have low numbers and kids of different ages together which doesn't happen often in centers. Biting can spread like wildfire in a room of 10 toddlers. I am a big proponent of family childcare for many reasons. This is just one of them.
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