biting

[taren]

my son turned two last week. he started nursery for the first time today twice a week 9-11.30 it was the first time i had left him. when i returned to collect him i was called in the office and the 2 nursey teachers told me there had been a few incidents were he had bitten 3 children for taking his cars they said the children were fine and he was playing nicely afterwards but they had to let me know i was horrified he had done this what to i do .is this normal they said it was but i feel awful about it.

[cazboldy]

hi my (nearly) 17 month old has done this a couple of times recently to my older children. it is normal. horrible, but normal. have you ever seen this behaviour? If not there is not a lot that you can do.... he just needs to be told no at the time of the incident.

[taren]

hi he has bitten my hand very lightly on occasion when i have tried to remove from places but never to this extent he can get a bit over excited sometimes . he is my first child so ive not really seen this before and i think maybe they wont like him in nursery and i dont want him to feel left out

[Chuffinnora]

It is a phase some children go through. DS was a biter. I agree you have to say NO! every time you see him biting and perhaps take away a favourite toy for a short period to confirm it is not acceptable.

I found chanting "it is a phase and this too shall pass" under my breath helped me a lot.

This thread has made me realise that I now can't remember when he last bit but I have cried tears over it in the past.

[babyinbelly]

Hi, please dont slate me for this. At this age ds used to crawl over my feet and bite them. Instict meant that before I could stop myself he got a slap across bum/back of legs. It didn't last very long.

This doesn't help for nursery tho. I wouldn't worry about them not wanting him. They are used to that sort of behaviour.

[Pheebe]

Very very normal, it comes from frustration at not getting his own way - perfectly normal and the nursery should be very experienced in handling it. They are obliged to tell you though, just as they'll tell you about anything positive he does too (making friends, writing his name etc). Don't take it personally and don't feel you have to be 'ashamed' of him.

If its not regular behavior don't worry too much, just treat it like any other unacceptable behaviour, praise the good, tell him when its wrong and distract whenever possible

[littlestrawberry]

DS1 was a biter. Not at playgroup I have to say but used to bite DS2 as a baby and he bit me so hard once he wouldn't let go and my arm was left all swollen and with a perfect set of teeth marks. Bloody nightmare he was but he's delightful now, he's nearly 6.

Its just a phase some kids go through, try not to worry. DS2 has never really bitten at all.