13 month old started biting people - any suggestions

[lorisparkle]

My DS is a star - even though he is a little 'on the go' - but recently he has started biting. It seems to happen when he is enjoying some rough and tumble play and you suddenly feel the sharp teeth in you. There is no aggression or deliberate intent but we want to deal with it in the right way now so it does not become an issue - especially if he starts doing it to other people / children.

Any ideas gratefully received

The approach I take with dd (12 months) when she sinks her little teeth into me is to hold her away from me and say 'no biting' sharply. If we are playing, the game stops right there, and we go and do something else, like change nappy. It helps if your nearest and dearest take the same approach - the look of surprise on her face when my friend reacted the same way to teeth being sunk into her was a picture! I'm fairly sure she understands that 'no' means to stop doing something because I don't like it, but at the moments she grins and does the same again, just to make sure.

Thanks roskva. Sounds like a good plan!

would agree with Roskva and add that if you are holding them at the time, to put them down the loss of contact helps to reinforce the message. All three of mine went through a biting phase, but ds the youngest unfortunately did it for a long time. I often wonder if it was because by that time I had three (all close together) and had less time to deal with it properly when it started. The two older ones didn't do it for long.

My ds did this at that age, I did as Roskva did, never punished him but stopped the game and explained what he did hurt, he soon stopped. That said he is now two and a half and seems to bite as a defence mechanism ie if another child tries to take something from him, it has happenned twice and to the same child. I never gave him a row (child is older and shouldn't be just taking things), I did explain he was wrong to do it and made huge fuss of other child, still waiting to see if he will do it next time. Fingers crossed as he did break the skin and leave a horrible bruise.

normal, ds did it for ages. WE just said no biting nad put him firmly on his bum and didn't talk or play with him for a few seconds so he got the message.

Thanks everyone, reassuring to hear that it is normal. Fingers crossed he does not get into too much mischief with it