FAQ About Toddlers, Biting, and Daycare

Does your child bite? Even though this behavior may alarm you at first, biting is a common issue in early childhood. Take a look at what parents need to know about biting, behavior, child development, and the daycare environment.

Why Would a Young Child Bite?

You won't find one universal or standard answer to this question. But there are some common threads between the ages and developmental stages. Again, biting is common in the early years.  According to the American Psychological Association (APA), nearly one-third to one-half of toddlers are bitten by a classmate in daycare. This means your older infant, toddler, or young preschooler who recently turned three may bite.

While your child may bite for other reasons, it's likely you see this often-typical behavior because:

• Your child feels overwhelmed. Bright lights, lots of noise, a crowded room, and other overstimulating experiences can result in toddler biting behaviors. Young children may not have the cognitive or emotional skills to handle their feelings. They may act out and possibly bite in response.
• Your child doesn't have the right words. By 24 months of age, many toddlers have a spoken vocabulary of at least 50 words and can use simple phrases, according to the Mayo Clinic. But if your child doesn't have the words to express their emotions, they might bite.
• Your child doesn't have fully developed social skills. Your toddler may not have the social or emotional skills necessary to share, take turns, or engage in other group behaviors. As these skills emerge, your toddler may bite to resolve conflicts or express frustration with another child.
• Your child wants to explore. Some biting behaviors don't come from frustration or negative emotions. Toddlers may bite to explore other objects (and people) through their senses or simply to better understand cause and effect.

Along with these reasons, some children may bite to get attention or act in self-defense. If you're not sure why your child bites, talk to their daycare teacher. The early education professional can help you to learn more about when your child bites (during the school day) and what they feel is the cause behind the behavior.

Can You Change This Behavior?

Will your child always bite as a way to express or defend themselves? Chances are the answer to this question is no. Many toddlers simply outgrow this behavior. As children develop new communication, social, emotional, and cognitive skills, they will learn new, acceptable ways to express frustration and powerful emotions.

Even though your child may still need time to build more complex emotional or social skills, you can take steps to stop (or at least decrease) this behavior right now. To help your biter gain control:

• Talk to the teacher. Your child's daycare teacher may have expert insights and tips to stop biting behaviors. Open a line of communication and talk to the teacher daily or as needed. Constant communication can help if your child mostly bites at school or it's a common classroom problem.
• Stay calm. While it's tempting to lose your cool when you see your toddler bite, this may reinforce their lack of emotional control. Act as a role model for your child and handle the situation with a calm, firm response.
• Give your child new words. If your child doesn't have the right emotion words to express powerful feelings, help them to build a new vocabulary.

What should you do if these strategies don't work? Don't give up. It's possible your child needs more time to outgrow this behavior or develop new skills; some developmental changes are gradual. Your toddler may not stop biting overnight. But with help from the adults in their life they can change this behavior.

Is your child ready to start daycare? Contact Riviera Daycare & Preschool for more information.