At wit's end with ds - he has a reputation as "the boy who bites".

[TAFKAAAAAARGHtheUrbanDryad]

Ds is 3 in Jan, and has a really bad biting problem. He bites anyone and everyone, me, his baby sister, his friends, dh - literally everyone. The other week I had to remove him from a soft play party because he bit 3 children (2 of them complete strangers), I smacked his leg - after warning him that I would - after he bit baby dd yesterday. Today we were having a really good day, so I took him to the park to meet my friend and her dd, who's the same age. I had my back turned for a minute (if that) while feeding dd and he attacked my friend's dd and bit her so hard that she is bleeding.

I just don't know what to do anymore - I have tried biting him back, smacking, ignoring and giving the injured party the attention, time out, taking toys away, removing privileges, reward charts. Everything.

He also kicks, bites, spits, hits - his behaviour is just vile, to be honest.

You know you see those threads on here about the horrible child who attacks other children for no reason whatsoever, the "little shit", well that's ds. Parents tell their kids not to play with him because he's so awful to other children.

I am at a loss. I am struggling to think of a single redeeming feature that he has. Even I don't like him anymore, and he's my son.

Thanks slubber.

Are you coming to the Xmas do this year?

No

Maybe next year...

are you going then?

Yep, can't wait!

Has he been to the cranial osteopath before? Wondering whether it might be worth taking DS.

No, this was the first time. I took him because he had a bad birth, was induced at 38 weeks, then had ventouse and then was shoved roughly onto my boob by a stupid HCA! The osteopath said it was no wonder he was unsettled as a baby, he probably had a whopping great headache!

I'm not 100% convinced by it - the theory behind it seems very woolly and the osteopath had reiki certificates in the waiting room () but it does appear to have had some effect so I'm not complaining! It's an expensive placebo though.

Fantastic news that things are so much better.

Taf We used a cranial osteopath for my ds2 who has a dx of ADHD ... it was amazing. We go for 'top ups' every 6 months. I can say, hand on heart, it has been a bit of a miracle for him. I'm really happy things are working out for you both - my ds1 was a prolific biter until he was 3, I understand what a nightmare it can be for the parents. Pleased to say he's now a charming, sensitive 13 year old

When I saw the title of the thread a had a good little chuckle, my friends DD bit a kiddie at playgroup and my friend was mortified. We all found it quite funny because she's usually such a little angel....after reading the thread i now feel incredibly guilty.
Sounds awful hun but remember he is only little and put it this way, he wont be biting his boss when an up and coming prodigy on the london stock exchange!
You're doing nothing wrong, apart from blaming yourself.
If your friends are judging you/him move on from them. If they were normal, decent adults they too would appreciate that your little man is going through a very stressful phase, (for you, him and them) and they would try to help you deal with it!
Maybe arranging playdates with one specific friend where they are supervised constantly,it might help him get used to what is and isnt appropriate in social situations.
xxx

My little boy was exactly the same, to be fair i did put it down to teething he teethed at a very young age, and they seemed to come one after the other. However there were times when he would do it to be darn right spiteful so our health visitor reassured us it was just a phase, I got so sick to death of it that one day he went to do it I put his own hand in his mouth!! It soon stopped. it was enough to show him that he was hurting people. i am glad to say we are over most of it, we get the odd occasion, but he doesn't do it that much now as every time he does it we put his hand in his mouth.

My boy also went thru a long biting stage of about a year from one to two yrs old. He just grew out of it on his own. I had to watch him like a hawk. I heard through family, of another boy who bit, and his parents were beside themselves with the problem, nothing seemed to cure it, but then someone suggested when the child bit to put soap in their mouth. Just a bar of soap in the mouth for a second, and it stopped him biting. I never tried this myself, as I couldn't bring myself to do it as it sounds a bit mean, but I may have tried it had my boy's biting been worse. Thankfully he didn't bite every day/all the time.