If your child bites: This is the best way to react
Your child bites another child. You explain to your child that it hurts, but he just laughs. What is going on in your child and how to react appropriately, you can find out here.
Why Your Child Bites
Many children up to the age of four years bite. There are several reasons for this. Your child is overexcited and bites out of sheer arrogance. It may bite because it feels neglected and will certainly get your attention. Or your child bites because he feels powerless and does not know how to help himself. He experiences that his wishes are not always fulfilled. This frustrates and makes you aggressive. Your child has yet to learn to deal constructively with these feelings.
It’s also possible that it’s testing boundaries and just wants to find out what’s happening. Maybe your child was bitten first, for example during an argument or a brawl, and it “only” bites back. Or it is overwhelmed with a situation and reacts aggressively. There can be various reasons why your child bites. So you should first find out the reasons for his behavior and then react appropriately. At the age of four, your child should slowly stop biting. Don’t forget to look at the wound. It could be that you need to clean the wound. If the wound is particularly deep, you should consult a doctor as a precaution so that no inflammation can occur.
How should you react if your child bites?
- React immediately: Biting is not a harmless thing, and your child should notice that. That’s why you should give him a break right away.
- Stay calm: Don’t want your child to learn that it’s okay to respond to aggression with aggression. That’s why it’s important that you stay calm yourself.
- Don’t bite back: Making your child feel what it’s like to be bitten won’t help him stop biting. On the contrary, it learns from you that adults are allowed to be aggressive and bite.
- Ask why: There are different reasons why your child bites. If it bites out of excessive demands, you should give your child more space. If it wants to enforce its will, then remain consistent and show it that it does not achieve its goals in this way.
- Speak plainly with your child: Explain to your child that biting is wrong and why. Your child should know that you do not tolerate such behavior.
- Help the victim: The victim needs comfort and perhaps medical help. Your child should not get the impression that he gets your attention for his aggression as a reward.
- Search for other solutions: Talk to your child about the situation and look for other solutions together with him. This is how you show him how to deal constructively with anger or arguments.
- Be there for your child: Show your child that they can come to you when they get upset. In this way, it learns that it can talk to you about its feelings.