How to keep a toddler from biting?

United States
April 16, 2009 1:49pm CST
My 18 month old daughter bit my husband the other night and he told her not to do it again and spanked her and then she tried to bite him again. How can I break this before she bites another child at school? She has been biten a few times at daycare from the other kids.
2 responses
• Canada
16 Apr 09
HI first of all i wouldnt have spanked her that basicaly teaches the child that if someone hurts you you in turn hurt them. It also teaches aggression. I went threw this with my daughter to. She was always biting everyone! What I did was when she would bit I would tell her no dont bite and put her on what we called the naughty chair. You sit her on a chair away from everyone else and get down to her level and calmly tell her that biting hurts and its not nice. Tell her she is to sit in the chair for 1 minute! set a timer. Show her what the timer sounds like and tell her when she hears that she can get up. Another thing you can try is to sit her on your lap and and firmly but not yelling say NO biting. Oww! If that doesnt work try the mustard on the tongue! Tell her if she bites you will put mustard on her tongue. Not alot just a bit. Hope this helps
• United States
16 Apr 09
thank you for your advice. God Bless.
• United States
16 Apr 09
I have to agree with the not spanking issue. Why replace one hurt with another. I have to disagree with the mustard on the tongue though. With my experience with my girls, they are such picky eaters that I would hate to use anything food related for a punishment. Although I have heard at times that the children usually begin to like it. Unfortunalty all kids seem to go through the biting stage. We tried just saying, ouch, no bite in a calm but firm voice as well as a lap time out for 1 minute. Good luck.
• United States
2 Jul 09
Okay, so I know this is bad but it worked. The first, last and only time my daughter bit her dad, her dad bit her back. Not that hard but I dont think she was expecting it so she cried. He asked if she liked it when he bit her and she said no. He asked if it hurt and she said yes. He asked are you going to bite again and she said no. She never bit him again. I cant say that I agree with it but it happened so fast and once he started the teaching, I wasnt going to stop him. That would just show her that she didnt have to listen to him. And like I said, it worked.