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Josiegirl 04:11 AM 07-29-2016
Originally Posted by PJD:
Frustration is one reason for biting- but another (often overlooked) reason has to do with oral stimulation. Remember oral exploration is the first stage of development - just because kids move into later stages does not mean that they will not cycle back. Even adult bite nails, smoke, and engage in other oral stim behaviors (don't go there!).
In addition, kids this age have teeth coming in!

If a kid is compelled to bite it is more productive to direct that compulsion. It is NOT ok to bite friends- but it is OK to bite (...XXX fill in the blank). Some special needs catalogs have a biting bracelet for kids (they work really well). You can also buy a commercial vibrating teether.
Give these kids LOTS of oral stimulation during the day- crunchy apples- cereal etc. Have them whistle, lick things out of small cups, and blow bubbles. Parents can use a vibrating toothbrush at home.
Good Luck!
Great ideas! I believe some kids/people are more prone to oral needs than others. And redirection to properly filling those needs is what's needed.
I can understand how a parent may feel whether their child is the bitee or biter. And it happens to most, if not all of us. Those who get terribly upset about their child getting bitten would understand much better if on the other side of the coin.
As far as whose job it is to bring their child up? Well, that's a tough one; of course it's the responsibility of the parent first and foremost. BUT since those kids are with us most of their awake time, how on earth are they to teach them when not present in certain dynamics, when they might see them hours after the fact, and when their child is too young to really retain the knowledge/memory all the way from breakfast till supper time? Sure, some biters are old enough to remember and learn but if you have a 12 month old just starting to bite, or if kids target certain kids at dc but are in a completely different mind frame when they get home and never bite anywhere other than dc, how do parents adjust their teaching for that?
I'm not giving excuses to parents; I believe everyone needs to be on the same page but I also believe it's so much harder to make the point with a biter when they're home and not in their usual biting environment.
Am I making sense?
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