Help! Baby biting violently & on purpose??

[Wobblyheart]

Please I am going insane. Can someone recognise this behaviour in a 10 month old?

He has been a bit of a biter since maybe 8 months old and we were working on it and made really good progress. A day ago he fell down whilst trying to pull up to stand (he is very unsteady) and hit his head on the tiled floor. He was fine but gave me a scare, I took him to GP to check and they were happy he was okay.

The next day he started really biting - like lounging and really digging his teeth into me / hard toys and just clenching then really hard and then pulling away with clenched teeth (as in digging into a big ham hock) and then getting upset. It really hurts when he is biting my arm or hand.

Is this teething? Or could it ve sign that he is not well after the fall? He seems okay otherwise, playing and engaging but just getting really cross at times.

Did anyone else's babies do anything similar?

All very normal

Biting could be teething or just exploring things around him

Babies explore and learn with their mouth

Thank you! I think he also bites on purpose- e.g. wanted to play with a phone cable, pulled him away, he got cross and went for my arm really nastily. 🤔

Oh forgot to mention he is only 10 months old

At 10 months he has very limited means to express strong emotions like frustration, anger, fear etc. He can only really do this physically at the moment as he obviously can’t talk, and even if he could, wouldn’t have the capacity to communicate how he feels and why he feels that way.

I agree that exploring things by mouth is a key state of development. It will improve as he develops some language and other less destructive and painful means of communication. A clear no and removing him from whatever he’s biting or trying to bite if it’s inappropriate, will help him get the idea it’s nit ok to keep doing this. Same when/if he starts throwing things around or hitting out etc. Try not to look at this as ‘on purpose’ and more as just as a physical response to things that upset, scare or frustrate him.

It may be ‘on purpose’ In so far as he needs to bite something but he doesn’t realise that biting will hurt you so in that respect, it’s not on purpose to cause you harm so please keep that in mind. Biting is a sensory thing. Either relief from teething or to ‘ find out’ about the thing that he’s biting. Has he got teething toys that you could redirect him to if he tries to bite you?

My DD2 was something of a biter. Even up to the age of about 4 years old. she did it deliberately - biting her sister to make her let go of a toy, etc. Bit me when it was bedtime - she didn't like going to bed at any time!
I got a bottle of anti-bite spray "Bitter Apple" that was recommended for puppies and sprayed my arms. Her biting of me stopped immediately.

He definitely won’t realise that it hurts you. Babies don’t have any perception of you as a separate entity with feelings… you are just there to serve them 😂

So even if it’s out of frustration, it’s not “deliberate” in that sense.

You have my sympathies though, their tiny teeth are razor sharp aren’t they. My DS was having a nice cuddle and just randomly bit my shoulder once.. it drew blood, through my clothes.

God I’d love to have licence to bite people

Babies aren't intentionally violent. Why would you even contemplate that?

I actually just laughed 😂😂

Yes lots of teething toys but he has no interest in them. I tried other things like a hard silicone spout of MAM beaker, teething biscuits... he is not interested. He is obsessed with cardboard though. The inly thing I haven't tried is to freeze something...

I never said that my baby was violent. I only said that he bites violentLY. Meaning that he is biring really hard, properly digging into your flesh or toy and really squeezing his jaw so tight as his jaw muscles tremble.a.but and then he pulls on the flesh without releasing his teeth, it's really painful. I know he doesn't understand he is hurting me, it's just that he has started doing it so hard what was bothering me
.

@Wobblyheart hey, did your little one grow out of it? My 9 month old has been like this for months now and I can't find any other parent that can relate :( it's got me really concerned

It may be just growing up and getting used to having teeth. I would get him something he can bite on which is harmless to him and his teething, if possible.

Yes he did! We modelled gentle hands / move away if he bites, etc. All was fine. For 2 years ge never did it even though other kids did it to him. Just last week though he did bite another child but he was provoked.