Biting?

one of my 13 month old boys is biting us all the time! he draws blood, he's biting so hard....both boys are teething (and have been for some time, so their teeth aren't new)...but logan has NEVER bitten anyone. xavier bites us everyday...is this a phase? i've given them teething toys, but it doesn't seem like it's about teething to me...we give him tons of attention, but could it be his way of exerting his personality?

any thoughts?

 

When Xavier bites you, is it when he's angry, lovey, or does he think it's funny? Both of my guys went through (thankfully brief) phases where they were bitey, and this was mostly during the time when they were cutting their front teeth. Nate did it out of "love" (he'd hug you SOOOO hard, then bite down in your shoulder), and Jack did it more out of frustration.

Either way, I mostly try to deal with it the same way: I try not to react too much even if it hurts (Jack loves to hear you say "ouch" and will do things to elicit a response), say "no biting" and either put them down if I'm holding them, or walk away. They do learn that biting Mama means Mama goes away. I do this for hitting as well. I've also been trying to teach them the sign for "sorry" and I try to make them say it after hurting someone. They haven't really caught on to that one, but it's a work in progress! ardon:

So in short, I do think it's probably a phase, but you need to decide how you're going to handle the behavior because I promise this won't be the last time one or the other of them does something to hurt, whether it's biting or hitting or throwing things! These are toddlers, after all.

Lots of people go through this with their kids, and have different ways of dealing with it. You just need to find one that fits with your parenting style. Good luck and I hope Xavier starts keeping his teeth to himself!

 

My DS was biting when he was getting his 1 year molars in. DH and I dealt with it the same way as Valerie did, tried not to make a big deal out of it but also show him that does hurt Mommy and Daddy (oddly enough he never bit his sister) and we would also do a time out for no longer then a minute. Once those teeth came through, he stopped biting.

 

You know I think biting is a very typical second year problem, especially with twins who have each other to bite. Mine have gone in and out of biting phases. They have bitten during teething, especially molars and canine teeth. Mark used to bite when he was tired, and now they bite each other while fighting.

I've been doing both time out and spanking for biting, depending on the severity of the bite and the circumstance. However, with sleepy bites; I just took him to bed because I knew it wasn't malicious.

I guess I think it's a phase, but it's comes and goes in our house. Right now there's mostly angry bites while fighting, but it was teeth and sleep.

 

It was a phase for us. My DD was a big biter from 12-18 months, then she just seemed to grow out of it. I don't remember the last time she bit anyone.

 

My boys are 15 months and they have been doing the very same thing. It started with one...he'd give a big open mouth kiss then bite down right at the end. The other has just started doing it, but they do bite each other a lot. I just kind of ignore it, i figure they have their whole lives to figure out how to fight fair.

 

My 11.5 month old son just started this. It drives me nuts! I've been putting him down and firmly saying "No bite" and walking away, but it doesn't seem to be doing anything.