AnonyMouse_35577 Posted August 10, 2011 Posted August 10, 2011 We have an 18 month old boy who bites the other babies. He is one of a twin (his sibling doesn't attend the setting) and his mum works in the 3-4 room away from him. She is happy for us to try anything to get him to stop Any suggestions for management techniques bearing in mind his age
AnonyMouse_3735 Posted August 10, 2011 Posted August 10, 2011 what is the reaction he gets from the biting.. does he get attention afterwards.. ours were older but we used to have the biter ignored close by to where the child being comforted well over the top , such a fuss was made of this child in sight of the other one who had no attention made .. if possible we turned our back on them but if not they were kept close by. all really depends on the reason for the biting.. a few observations to see why, what happens just before, and after..
AnonyMouse_35577 Posted August 10, 2011 Author Posted August 10, 2011 what is the reaction he gets from the biting.. does he get attention afterwards.. ours were older but we used to have the biter ignored close by to where the child being comforted well over the top , such a fuss was made of this child in sight of the other one who had no attention made .. if possible we turned our back on them but if not they were kept close by. all really depends on the reason for the biting.. a few observations to see why, what happens just before, and after.. he is told in a stern voice not to bite and then put in the cot and ignored for a couple of minutes
AnonyMouse_30147 Posted August 10, 2011 Posted August 10, 2011 We found our biters either did it due to teething issues or frustration with sharing. Does he bite at home too?
Guest Posted August 10, 2011 Posted August 10, 2011 Could there be any issues with the sibling attending without their twin or has this always been the case?
AnonyMouse_35577 Posted August 10, 2011 Author Posted August 10, 2011 Could there be any issues with the sibling attending without their twin or has this always been the case? His twin has never attended but he does bite him at home. It started in nursery with a child who looks like and has the same name as his brother but has extended to any child in the baby room
AnonyMouse_37030 Posted August 10, 2011 Posted August 10, 2011 Firstly I think its important to remember and to reassure mum that biting at this age is entirely age appropriate and often more linked to sensory stimulus than aggression. I think as a practitioner you need to asses the trigger points for these incidents...is there a pattern and then be proactive in intervening. From a parental point of view my eldest son was like this (though not a twin) wherever we went he would seemingly pick on someone and bite them if they got in his way...I despaired and was sure he was going to get in so much trouble when he was older. My health visitor told me to make sure that when i discussed it he was out of ear shot because if they hear you talking about it they think you expect them to do it and so will do it (does that make sense...not sure if Ive written it clearly enough). He often did it when another child encroached on his space or snatched a toy..as his communication improved the biting disappeared. I also completely cut out foods with red/orange colourants which also seemed to set him off (smarties/cheap fish fingers etc). However being very firm (I used removal from activities...even birthday parties...he had one warning and if he tried again then we simply went home)...after two weeks when we did nothing I asked him if he wanted to go and play at toddler group and he said yes....I then explained that we hadnt gone anywhere because he had been biting and it hurt the other children.....and that if he did it again then we would stay at home and do nothing again.....It took about three weeks of consistent talking and removing until he got the message and stopped. At 18 he is the most delightful gentle young man and I never had any issues with him being aggressive again.
Guest Posted August 11, 2011 Posted August 11, 2011 We have an 18 month old boy who bites the other babies. He is one of a twin (his sibling doesn't attend the setting) and his mum works in the 3-4 room away from him. She is happy for us to try anything to get him to stopAny suggestions for management techniques bearing in mind his age Hi Rachel, Biting seems so awful and staff often feel useless and it often isnt their fault. Observations are helpful, to see what is going on at the time as sometimes biters pick the time when staff are busy and when they want something and cant get it. Use the same response each time, a clear no - move away and give the other child lots of attention. Encourage your staff to be extra vigilant. Talk to mum and reassure her that the situation is being dealt with and ask her to respond in the same way at home. Also reassure other parents and explain the responses that will be given. Is biting included on your behaviour management policy - it helps if it is to give to new parents and go through with staff.
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