12-month old biting his parents only. Very ferocious...

[brette]

Hi. My 12-m old DS bites me and his father. He opens his mouth wide and dives on our arm/leg/hand/toes, all teeth (well... 6 teeth) out... It is getting very annoying as he can bite very strongly (I once had my arms covered in bruises...) I keep telling him in a very firm, sometimes angry, voice to stop. I have tried to gently pinch his nose, push his forehead away... Most of the times he laughs if I do that. I know that a lot of children bite other children. But it is not the case with him. It is only us he does that to, very occasionally someone he seems to like. It is a kind of privilege! I have breastfed him 7,5 months and I really have the feeling that it's linked to BF. A kind of desire to eat me... Sounds weird put that way but that's how I see it.
I was wondering if anybody has any tip to share to stop him from doing that.
Oh, and I have tried the biting back (not as strong as his but strong enough so that he feels it... sadistic, me?) but first, I don't like the idea and second, apart from making him cry, it doesn't seem to work in the long term.
Any idea anyone ?

ds sometimes bites me (he is one today). I think it's just a phase, so I just say no.

your ds obviously thinks it's funny/a game (so does mine). if you just say no calmly when he does it, he'll stop soon enough.

jess did that for about 6 weeks, now at 13.5 months she likes to pinch!

Phases phases phases!

Have no tips but my 12 month old has only just stopped doing this. I've still got a 'nip' mark on my arm from his last attempt!

I think it's just when they are teething but it doesn't half hurt.

I've just said 'no' in a stern voice and put him down or moved him away but tbh, I'm not sure it's very effective - they just grow out of it.

Mine does it too - he's 22m, been doing it a few months and I think we are pretty much over the worst.
I say "NO" in a really loud, cross voice and then plonk him in the hall by himself for a minute (where he sobs, brokenheartedly, like I have beaten him with a stick, and generally makes me feel so terrible, I want to offer up my arm for him to munch on )
Then he comes in, says "sowwy mummy" has a cuddle and its forgotten
Its easing off now, don't know if its the hallway-solitary-confinement or just a natural progression
HTH

It's a very long phase then, because it's been going on for 4 months...

Ds did this from about 8 months til 13 months, then stopped. (we tried all the behavioural stuff to encourage him to stop). Thought we'd cracked it but he's started doing it again (at 15 months), and is now biting kids at nursery too. Seems like every day I pick him up, they give me a list of who he's bitten that day .
I never used to worry coz I thought it was just a phase but now he's really hurting me when he bites, often makes me cry out. I'm covered in bruises and at the end of my tether. He even bit another child in church today .
A friend has recommended the Toddler Taming book - have you tried this brette? I will let you know if it works!!

Did you ever get your ds to stop biting? My son is following the same pattern as yours. Stopped and now started again but much worse this time. Did Toddler Taming book work?

My dd1 (15 months)was doing this at about 12 months but then I read something about the possibility of it being linked to certain situations. I thought about what had happened just before she did it and in her case I think it was because she didn't want me to hold her and she wanted down (she has always been a wriggler and walked at 11 months). I now recognise the signs, put her down (hold onto her hand if its not safe to wander) and the behaviour has stopped. The only time she did it recently was in the swimming pool when I could let her go for safety reasons!

When my DS did this I said "Owww" in a very clearly hurt tone, and that seemed to get through to him that it hurt, much more than a stern "no" did.