Biting - please help

[Anonymous]

Ok, I got a report that my DC bit someone at school today. No skin was broken but still it was a bite. Apparently, the other child was trying to take away a toy and DC bit him/her. She was put in time out and talked to. Afterward, DC hugged the other child. My child is 20 mos. and has never bit before, nor shown any inclination to bit. I'm not sure what to do? Any advice? I'm surprised b/c DC is generally pretty easy going.

Also, the day care would not tell us which child was bitten and said they were writing up an "incident report"? This all seems a little over the top but am trying to determine if this is normal procedure in VA. I'm a little freaked out by this.

[Anonymous]

don't freak out. some kids bite, and some don't. The daycare will do their best to prevent him from biting again.

The incident report is required by licensing, and it's not a big deal either. They can't tell you who he bit, nor will they tell the parents of the kid who was bit, who bit him.

[Anonymous]

i think it's normal procedure across the board.

[Anonymous]

Anything I can do to prevent in the future? We read books about no biting and use time outs for the -rare- instances of hitting, etc. She has never shown a tendency to bite previous to this. Other than dealing with it when she is with us -which hasn't happened- what can I do?

[Anonymous]

My first was never a biter, my second is a biter. It is a preverbal thing that needs a proper balance between attention and ignoring. Make too big of a deal and they will start to do it to get your attention. Totally ignore it and you are sending the message that they can bite away.

We say, a lot, "TEETH ARE NOT FOR BITING." And then we remove him from situation. No yelling. No lecturing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My first was never a biter, my second is a biter. It is a preverbal thing that needs a proper balance between attention and ignoring. Make too big of a deal and they will start to do it to get your attention. Totally ignore it and you are sending the message that they can bite away.

We say, a lot, "TEETH ARE NOT FOR BITING." And then we remove him from situation. No yelling. No lecturing.

My DS bit a few kids over the course of his toddler/early preschool yrs. I agree w/ the PP about what to do. Also, if they are teething, tell them what they can bite "If you need to bite something, you can bite this frozen bagel, etc." I was a bit horrified when my son bit another child for the first time but it isn't unusual in group care situations.