Biting
According to the American Academy of Adolescent and Child Psychology, these are suitable steps when a child bites:
1. Say no , immediately, in a calm but firm and disapproving tone.
2. For a child aged one to two, firmly hold the child, or put the child down.
3. For a young child (two to three years) say, biting is not okay because it hurts people.
4. Do NOT bite a child to show how biting feels. This teaches the child aggressive behavior.
5. If biting persists, try a negative consequence. For example, do not hold or play with a child for five minutes after he or she bites.
According to the website, Fact for Families, here are some other useful steps:
1. Follow up with logical consequences. If your child gets into the ball pit at the indoor play center and immediately starts throwing the balls at other kids, take him out. Sit down with him and watch the other kids play, and explain that he can go back in when he feels ready to join the fun without hurting other children. Avoid trying to reason with your child, such as asking him, How would you like it if he threw the ball at you? Toddlers don t possess the cognitive maturity to be able to imagine themselves in another child s place or to change their behavior based on verbal reasoning. But they can understand consequences.
2. Keep your cool. Watching you control your temper may be the first step in a child learning to control hers.
3. Set clear limits. Respond immediately whenever your toddler is aggressive. He should know instantly when he s done something wrong. Remove him from the situation for a brief time-out (just a minute or two is enough).
4. Discipline consistently. As much as possible, respond to each episode the way you did last time. Your predictable response ( Okay, you bit Ivan again that means another time-out. ) will set up a pattern that your child will recognize and come to expect.
5. Teach alternatives. Wait until your toddler has settled down, then calmly and gently review what happened. Ask him if he can explain what triggered his outburst. Emphasize (briefly!) that it s perfectly natural to have angry feelings but it s not okay to show them by hitting, kicking, or biting.
6. Reward good behavior. Rather than giving your child attention only when he s misbehaving, try to catch him being good for example, when he asks to have a turn on the swing instead of pushing another child out of the way.
7. Limit TV time. Cartoons and other shows designed for young children can be filled with shouting, threats, even shoving and hitting. Try to monitor which programs he watches, particularly if he seems prone to aggressive behavior.
8. Provide physical outlets. You might find that unless your toddler gets a chance to burn off his abundant energy, he s a terror at home.
9. Don t be afraid to seek help. Sometimes a child s aggression requires more intervention than a parent can provide. If your child seems to behave aggressively more often than not, if he seems to frighten or upset other children, or if your efforts to curb his behavior have little effect, talk to your child s doctor, who may in turn recommend a counselor or child psychologist. Together you can determine the source of the behavior and help your child through it. Remember, your child is still very young. If you work with him patiently and creatively, chances are that his pugnacious tendencies will soon be a thing of the past.
– American Academy of Adolescent and Child Psycholog