Biting.....How do I stop it???

[KaylaC]

Hi, my 18 month old daughter has today bitten my 3 year old son and also 1 year old nephew, leaving marks on both, but not drawing blood. I wasn't there as my mum had them all today.
She has occasionally bitten me before but not badly and I do tell her off but obviously not enough as she is now doing it to her brother and cousin.
Does anyone have any experience in this and how do I stop it before it gets worse???
Many Thanks

Hi Kayla,
My Daughter did the same i started time out which helped for 2 mins as she was nearly 2 same age as ur lil girl trying to explain alone doesnt always work, and also just doing it gently back she realised what she was doing was wrong. i had tryed everything i could think of but its so had to explain to them when there that young. hope this helps

Jenn

Be prepared for it to take a while. You have to be very consistent (and so does everyone else) that biting is not allowed. If the people she bites are old enough they can also tell her they don't like people when they bite.

They do grow out of it. I think with all things kids learn - it can take a lot of repetition before they really get it.

Might seem bizarre - but is she trying to kiss them? My dd gave 'bitty kisses' for a while, luckily only to us though. If she is normally very affectionate it could be what she is trying to do (I have heard of other children doing this too), and just needs to have it explained and shown how to kiss properly iykwim. good luck

This is not so much advice, but reassurance! My DS1 stopped biting at about 2 and a half, when he could vocalise much better what he was feeling. Although he started talking at about 18 months, he was much more articulate (as you would expect) at 30 months.

When he started getting frustrated, I would try to take him to one side and talk to him and get him to slowly think about what he was trying to say before he bit. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't but I am sure it will pass for your DD. I would just be firm when she bites and remove her from the situation. HTH!