
Children bite for different reasons. It can be caused by anything from anger or frustration to boredom, jealousy or sadness.
By Anne Goldsmith – Positive Behaviour Consultant & Parenting Coach.
Being a parent isn’t easy for anyone, but having a child who bites makes it all the more challenging. It’s embarrassing and can lead to you and your child being excluded from playdates and parties. It will probably feel like your child will never change their behaviour. But it can be done. Child behaviour expert Anne Goldsmith explains how…
I first encountered childhood biting when my son was about 2½ years old. We were at a toddler group where the mums were chatting happily and the children playing nicely. Suddenly, the peace was shattered by loud screaming. A child came running to his mum saying that one of the girls had bitten him. He showed us his arm – with definite teeth marks, bright red and already with a bruise forming.
At the time, I remember being shocked and horrified. “How could a child do that?” I thought, “How could their mum let them do that?” Typical responses, looking back now. But it was another couple of years before I realised that it really wasn’t that simple…
When our second child was just over a year old, she started to bite. The first time it happened, we were on holiday and we were coming to the end of a fun day having enjoyed some real, quality family time. Continue reading