Originally Posted by Heidi:
I have no biting policy. I've had biters that young, and I firmly believe that it is undesirable but unfortunately, normal. Toddlers lead with their mouth sometimes; it's the same to THEM as their hands. It is not the same to us, and certainly not OK, but it is common.
That said, I shadow, separate, give alternatives (biting toy on pacifier string..."bite this, not that"), teach simple signs (frustration over not being able to communicate is a big factor). My own child, if they bit ME, I would most definately pop on the mouth and say NO, NO BITE!", but that's not on the table for dck's.
My now 30 mo dcb bit for about 4-6 weeks last summer. With the above strategies, he eventually quit. I must say, he bit one particular child each time; a boy a year older and a lot bigger, who was a "body checker".
If it's an older child, I would treat it like any other behavioral issue. I don't need a "policy" to term a child who is causing problems, so I don't see the point in separating biting from other term-worthy situations.
Here is some info from Birth-Three Perhaps there is something you can print out for ALL you parents regarding biting. Remember, you cannot name the "biter" or the "bitee" to each other's families, although in my case, because of the ages of the kids, everyone new (a 4 month old can't bite other kids). http://www.zerotothree.org/child-dev...on-biting.html
This is the same thing my DS did. The other DCB was bigger and while he's more of a gentle giant, he can use his size in his favor and my DS used what he could!
