ds biting and hurting dd and laughs when I tell him off

[dubnobasswithmyheadman]

It's just started today. ds (21m) has started biting dd (8m) hand. He has just come back and done it (or tried to) several times while she is sat on my knee. I have sternly said no and tapped the back of his hand, and he thinks it's hilarious ! This is the first time that he has been deliberately naughty and he is laughing at me ! I know he's testing boundaries etc, but does anyone have any other tips to make him realise he is doing wrong and it is not a game ?Ta

I wouldn't bother tapping the back of his hand. Say firmly "no biting" or "we don't bite in this family", then ignore him completely for about two minutes (maybe move away from him) and make extra fuss of your dd. Then (the other side of the coin and just as important IMO) any time you see him being nice and gentle with your dd give him praise and attention "well done -- you are being very gentle with X", "thank you for playing so gently with X" and a big hug. Really look for opportunities to "catch" him being good even if it seems silly to praise him for not biting your dd for a couple of minutes. Plus try to distract him or move your dd any time you think he is likely to go in for a bite. That way you (a) stop a habit forming by preventing him biting as much as possible, and (b) establish a "biting = no attention, not biting = lots of attention" pattern.

LeahE - thanks so much. It's all just common sense isn't it ? I've read so much about reinforcing positive behaviour etc, but now I'm faced with it for the first time, it has completely thrown me !

I will try your tips and see what happens. He has got fed up with it now anyway and has moved on, but I will certainly try the ignoring thing next time.