All children go through a phase of biting, however, not with the intention of purposely hurting someone. Many children start biting when teething to try and ease the pain.
Jo Baranek, an early year’s lead advisor at the National Day Nurseries Association, believes ‘biting is a natural part of a child’s development,’ after having experienced it first hand in an early childhood care setting.
She said: “Biting can be quite common behaviour in nurseries as many children go through it as a stage of their development. It can happen through frustration, because they want something from another child or because they are teething’.
As the cause of biting is unknown, it can be frustrating for a practitioner as it may continue for a long time.Depending on the age of a child, the reasons for biting may vary. Babies bite because it is something new and a way to explore new things. A baby’s mouth is their main sense, and they use it to understand textures too.
Sensitive subject
For parents, it can be a stressful and embarrassing process when they learn their child bites. The staff however, are used to it and know how to deal with the situation.Staff should reassure parents that it is just a developmental stage, and it is not their fault. Ms. Baranek wants ‘all nurseries to have a detailed action plan in place to deal with biting incidents’.
All staff needs to make a joint effort to address the situation and managers need to make practitioners are fully competent in helping the child overcome this stage. It also needs to be made clear to parents that it is a normal thing, and it doesn’t mean their child is any different to others.
Teeth Are Not for Biting
Elizabeth Verdick has written a book called ‘Teeth are not for biting’ after experiencing first hand her children biting and bite. This book is aimed at parents and nursery workers and provides tips and ways to deal with it. It shows how you can explain it to your child to help them understand why it is wrong.
Through the use of positive language, she shows children that it is wrong to bite and tells them how it inflicts pain on whoever they bite.
The content of the book is very simple for children to understand, the pictures are very attractive and bright. The repeated message “Teeth are not for biting” is repeated throughout the story, this helps relay a positive message.
Ms. Verdick suggests using a calm voice with positive words gives the child an understanding, instead of shouting or biting back. Some parents believe their child back will stop them from biting others, but it just shows them that it is acceptable to bite.
Support to express themselves
Ms. Baranek of the NDNA does not agree with parents biting their child to teach them a lesson and believes a joined up approach by parents and nursery staff is the best way to help children to stop biting.
Children need to develop an emotional vocabulary to help them express their feelings of frustration and anger verbally instead of physically. It is recommended to use sensory toys and use quiet activities, and story books to help the child regain focus and clear their mind.
Staff should make observations of who the child bites, when and why to understand whether it is a common occurrence. Children need to be shown positive role models to ensure their emotional development continues.Research suggests that a quarter of young children will bite others at some stage. Therefore, many nurseries are fully aware of how to deal with this situation.