How To Stop Your Child From Biting Others

I was at my sister's house today when I witnessed my nephew trying to bite the nanny because the nanny wanted to take away a piece of diaper that he was playing with. That action brought him a light pinch on the face and scolding from my sister which immediately sent him wailing. I reprimanded my sister; Not for giving my nephew his due punishment but for not explaining to him why he was being punished. I found this article quite interesting and probably you, and even I, can make used of some of these information provided in the article.

Parents are often dismayed and outraged when a playmate at daycare or on the playground bites their child. If your child is the biter, feelings of despair, anger, and helplessness may lead to a series of ineffectual punishments and interventions. What can you do to discourage your little biter?

The Root of the Problem

Toddlers often bite out of frustration or anger. If their basic needs such as hunger, thirst, toileting, nap time, and attention from an adult are unmet, the resulting frustration brings on a bite. Meeting these basic needs puts a stop to many occurrences of biting.

Countless children bite playmates during altercations over a toy, a snack, a pacifier, or a position on an adult’s lap. It is a defensive, self-protective action. Teaching the child to deal with his feelings in an acceptable manor ends this type of biting.

Some children bite as a way to bully others. This is a behavior problem exhibited by strong willed children. Prompt intervention is required. Firmly explain to the child that this is not acceptable behavior and that you will not tolerate biting.

Intervention

It is important to address every biting occurrence when it happens. Waiting to intervene until a behavior pattern develops makes putting a stop to biting harder for you and the child.

• Firmly tell the child that biting is not nice and that he is not to do it again.

• Provide immediate consequences for the behavior. Remove the child from the play area. Initiate a time out or withdraw a favorite snack, privilege, or toy. Be sure that the child is aware that the punishment is a direct result of biting. Ask them why the punishment occurred so they have clearly understood it's because of biting. Provide reminders that further biting will result in undesirable consequences.

• Instruct the child to apologize for biting. Explain that biting hurts both physically and emotionally.

• If biting occurs with an older child, ask the child why they felt the need to bite. He or she may be able to tell you what feelings or actions led up to the incident.

• Teach your child constructive ways to deal with frustration and feelings of anger. Have them kick a ball outside, talk about their feelings, switch activities, or seek out the soothing comfort of a favorite toy or blanket.

• Provide praise and reward for every instance your child handles a period of frustration or anger without biting.

• Be consistent with punishment for biting. Instruct other caregivers what to do when biting occurs and create a unified front. Never allow biting to slip by unpunished.

• Biting your child is not recommended. This models unwanted behavior and confuses the child. If it is OK for you to bite him, why is it unacceptable for him to bite another child?

You can stop biting behavior with consistent, early intervention. Set clear behavior expectations and understandable, age-appropriate consequences for biting. Balance punishment with positive praise when your child chooses to react appropriately instead of biting. Balance punishment with positive praise when your child chooses to react appropriately instead of biting.

About the Author, Lily Morgan: Find helpful and creative ideas for parents and grandparents while you shop a great selection of kids furniture and classic toys. Visit us online at http://www.TheMagicalRockingHorse.com today!

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Teaching Good Manners To Kids Is Not That Hard

We all have experienced one or more incidents of children crying and whining while their mothers have been searching the department store for that "fabulous" pair of shoes they saw on a television show. The truth is that you were annoyed and although you know that this was not the child's fault, you secretly disliked the kid and even more his mother, as she allowed it to annoy everyone and did not pay attention, as she should, to her toddler. That was rude and kids can be taught not to be rude.

I recall an incident that happened a long time ago when I was still a child. My parents took me to the beach since this was the only way to cool down that hot summer day; the temperature in Greece can reach very high levels during the summer. As we reached the point that would host our existence for the rest of the day, I remember my mother kneeling to assist me get rid of my clothes and help me prepare before running loose to play under the sun. I had to wear my lovely pink pair of plastic shoes, in order to avoid any injuries, my hat, which I thought it was rather funny, and a generous portion of sunscreen on my skin, to protect it from burning. That last part of the beach "ritual" I hated. I did not like the fact that I was feeling my skin being greasy or that water drops seemed to stack on my arms and legs. I immediately begun complaining while my mother was about to begin applying the lotion, when my father turned to me and said "I know you hate it. I do too. But, first nobody here wants to hear you complain. They came to relax and enjoy the sun. Second, we have explained to you that the sun is dangerous and your skin is still very white. If you do not let your mother finish the application, you will later hurt all over and you will not be able to come with us again here tomorrow."

I immediately stopped. I still remember my father's face. He was not yelling nor threatening me. He just stated the simple truth. My skin would burn and as I looked at other families on the beach I realized that kids who have burned their skin, because they did not allow their parents to protect them, were miserably looking at other kids playing while they had to stay under the shadow of an umbrella and do nothing.

Whether your child has a serious concern or is just bored and tired, you can help it understand that crying and screaming will not assist its situation. By realizing that if you treat your child as if you were speaking to an adult, using simpler wording and examples they can relate to of course, your kid will mature sooner and respect others peace and quite; yours included.

About the Author: Kadence Buchanan writes articles on many topics including Family, Kids And Teens, and Computers

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