Controlling Biting In Daycare
Why Children in Preschool Bite and How to React
In a preschool or daycare environment, daycare providers and preschool teachers may have to deal with the difficult issue of biting.
Firstly, it is important to understand why children bite other children as well as adults.
Dr. Norman E. Hoffman, highly regarded psychotherapist, board-certified mental health counselor, and author of Bad Children Can Happen to Good Parents, provides a sound explanation for the reasons children bite:
“Young children may bite due to frustration, anger, or in an attempt to gain control over another child. The young child may also be feeling powerless or frightened, or he/she may just be overtired”.
Dr. Hoffman also says that in some cases, the child may be making an inappropriate bid for attention from the child care provider, the parents, or from another child.
Biting is another form of oral behavior which usually persist normally into the second year, explains Dr. Carl Arinoldo, parenting expert and author of Essentials of Smart Parenting: Learning the Fine Art of Managing Your Children.
However, biting normally subsides after the second year. According to Arinoldo, “Once a child turns 3 years old, biting may indicate other behavioral problems, especially if the biting incidents are frequent”.
If biting occurs in a preschool or daycare setting, the adult(s) in charge must be prepared to respond to the situation immediately.
Can biting be prevented?
Dr. Hoffman says, “There is no reliable research that provides us with sound clinical strategies to prevent biting. The “biter” is probably learning to bite form the caregivers and should not be punished in the usual sense”.
Biting cannot be prevented but childcare providers do have control over how they react to the situations in which children bite other children or adults.
Reacting to biting
It is important that the adults involved not react in an emotional manner to biting, warns Dr. Arinoldo. Reacting in an emotionally charged manner may inadvertently reinforce the very behavior that you are trying to eliminate.
Dr. Arinoldo says, “They must use the situation to teach the child that biting is an inappropriate behavior and must not be done. Saying "no biting" firmly at the time of the incident can help”. He also suggests child care providers distract the child and give appropriate attention to the child when the child is not making an inappropriate bid for that attention
Dr. Hoffman also provides sage advice for reacting to biting: “Treat the “victim” and have the biter aid in this process. It should be noted however, the biter should still be firmly but gently instructed that biting “hurts” and it should not continue”.
It is also important that childcare providers then protect the “victim” from future aggressive acts by the biter. Dr. Hoffman also instructs that the biter may have to be separated from all of the children until he or she recognizes the harmful nature of biting.
Both experts agree: Never, ever use “biting back” as a technique to control biting. Never bite a child.
The Bottom Line:
Dr. Arinoldo stresses that it is very important not to let this type of behavior progress. The parents/teachers/providers must address the issue of biting immediately.
Dr. Hoffman’s bottom line: “A quick and consistent response from parents and daycare personnel can help children who bite learn to express their feelings in words so that they can become better able to control their behavior”.
Dealing with biting is a sensitive issue for the children involved as well as those caring for and teaching children, but the way childcare provider reacts is a critical element in controlling biting in the preschool or daycare environment.
When selecting a daycare, find out how they handle the issue of biting. For more information about selecting daycare, see my article How to Select a Daycare Provider.
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