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When Tots Bite
Curbing Toddler Biting
By Judy Molland
"While words may fail to get a reaction, biting never fails to get a reaction. And with a young toddler, negative attention is better than no attention at all," she says.
"They are also entertained by these reactions -- it's funny, or intriguing, to see mom jump up, or for a playmate to start crying." Toddlers may also bite because they're teething or because they put everything in their mouths anyway, so why not someone's arm? Or it could even be that they are hungry.
"It was at her preschool, and they had this one particular child who was a biter. It wouldn't even happen necessarily in the middle of any confrontation. Sometimes, during naptime, he would sneak out of his cot, and go over and bite other children," states Elston. "He bit Lauren one time and she ended up with a horrible bruise on her arm. I, of course, was furious and quite upset with the teachers, that they hadn't managed to prevent it."