No Biting

This episode talks through really challening behaviors including biting, hitting, and spitting.  Most of us understand this behavior is somewhat normal but often don't know how to respond in a way that is helpful.

If you're not familiar with typical childhood brain development, go back and listen to this episode. This is important when thinking about many of the negative behaviors our kids display in early childhood.  Our young kids are unable to take the perspective of others, which means they can't understand that just because something hurts them it will hurt others if they do it to them. 

Kids explore their world a lot when they are very young by putting things in their mouths, which means biting is developmentally appropriate and often a way to explore.  Other reasons kids may bite are:

TeethingExploringAttentionControlOverwhelmAnger

Young kids are often not intentionally hurting other people, even if they laugh after the behavior.  As kids age they should quickly grow out of biting, and when older kids are biting, it should be seen as a regressive behavior and a sign of some other feelings or thoughts. 

What can you do if your kid is biting others?

Attempt to intervene before the biting happensGive alternatives to biteImpose a boundary: "I can't let you bite, so I'm going to put you down/move you away/leave the park."Monitor your own reaction

Believing punishment is the only way to get kids to stop biting misses the fact that this is a developmental stage that simply needs to be experienced.

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