Originally Posted by Heidi:
I have to disagree there. I don't know what the parent of an 18mo is going to do about behavior that happens while a child is under my supervision.
ITA. At 18 months biting is developmentally appropriate, but not socially acceptable. It's not much different from hitting, pinching, kicking, pushing, yelling "No" and similar behaviors, except that it often leaves more of a mark and is socially seen as worse.
Most biting occurs because:
- The child is in pain from teething.
- The child enjoys the attention.
- The child is unable to express himself verbally or in other ways.
- A combination of the above.
The key is to figure out why the child is biting so you can meet those needs in other ways, like offering a teether or giving attention at other times, teaching ways to communicate (sign language) etc.
In most cases terminating the child doesn't solve the problem, it just removes the problem from your setting.
I've attached my Biting policy