About a quarter of the kids bite at some stage or the other in their life. As painful as it might be, what’s worse is the fact that it will be embarrassing if your child does it in public. Children resort to biting for a lot of reasons. Some do it for attention, others do it for fun, and the rest when they get frustrated. Whatever the reason, biting is a habit that should be nipped in the bud.
Here are some ways you can get your child to stop biting:
- Teach them that it is wrong
Drill it into their brains that biting is a bad habit and should not be resorted to at any cost. Keep telling them that it is wrong and use the word ‘No’ to emphasize it as a negative act. Explain the consequences of the act and how it actually hurts someone when they sink their teeth into someone else’s flesh.
- Be prepared to intervene or stop at any time
Once you know that your kid has started biting people it’s time to take charge of the situation. Look at signs of when you child bites. Does he clench his fist? Or does he grind his teeth before he attacks? Be ready to grab him away from people he is going to bite.
- Teach them to express
Children are small. They are yet to discover the ways to properly express their feelings and wants. It’s the duty of parents to teach them how to do so. Teach them to express through words what they want and not resort to violence to get attention.
- Ignore
When kids resort to biting, pull them away and then refuse to give them any attention. They need to realize that their tantrum of biting is not going to give them even a little bit attention. Do not show any sympathy to the biter and send the wrong message of the act being acceptable.
- Praise
All of us love to be praised, especially children. Reward children for good behavior and you can even praise biters when they do not bite as they usually do.
All these methods might not work immediately. But do stick to them and be positive. You will get through this trying phase of parenting sooner than you know it.
Written by: Rasha Ashraf
