How do I stop the biting???!!!?

Question

My son has taking up the habit of biting me! Pretty much only me, I don't know what it is. And it hurts. Plus at times he bruises me from biting me. I don't know how to stop him. I think its b/c his teeth are hurting, the last time he was biting he was working on some teeth. But that got better. But I believe his teeth are bugging him lately and he's starting biting me again. My mom says I should bite him back, but I don't know if I can do that!LOL. What do you do or have you done to stop the biting?!?! He'll be 16m tomorrow.

Answer 1

my son did it at that age it was so embarassing

a neghbour advised me to ask him  him bite himself to see how much it hurts . i never bit him it would of said biting was ok and its not

it worked i only asked him twice

u gotta be cruel to be kind sometimes

Answer 2

well i have a neice that does that and she bit me one time and i bit her right back then she cried and she never bit no one again

Answer 3

My son had a problem biting he bit his cousin and would leave bruises and some times break the skin. My ped. he said to as soon as they bite pinch their cheeks together and say no biting. he said that then he would know that we don't do that with our mouth. It seemed to work pretty well. I have also used soap in his mouth and told him that here were germs on the skin that are now in his mouth and when he bites we have to wash them away. I have also heard of a Kindergarten teacher used to spray dilated vinegar water and would say that she had to use it to kill the germs. No harm just a bad taste. Hope this helps.

Answer 4

Hes cutting teeth DUHHH!!!!that hurts they make toys to bite on 4 that get some and take him to the dentist

Answer 5

There's a couple ways you can handle it, not all are ideal. I think the first thing would be to see if you can figure out the reason for the biting-

Is it emotional frustration? At 16 months, I'm sure he's trying to communicate things to you, and if he's even a little bright, that inability to communicate could cause him frustration. See if you can start him in Baby Sign classes- He'll learn a simplified sign language so he can express his basic needs- hungry, drink, tired, dirty bum, etc....

Is he teething again? Personally, I don't remember cutting teeth as a baby, but I've had tooth-aches, and they HURT!!! If this is the cause of the biting, try getting a teething ring, or freeze a piece of banana (after you peal it!!). The cool can help soothe his painful gums.

In the meantime, there are ways to discipline him*

Bite him back. Whether it teaches him that it's ok or not is an issue, but it WILL teach him that biting hurts.

Have him bite himself. This won't cause possible ethical issues and it will still teach him that biting hurts.

Where he's only 16 months (almost) old, talking to him won't work too well. If he was 3 or 4 years old, a talk on Mommy's lap about how it hurts when he bites Mommy, and hurting people isn't ok could be effective, but...

* Remember that the words "discipline" and "disciple" come from the same Greek root that applies to teaching and learning, with a lot of effort thrown in for good measure. Disciplining kids isn't about punishment or being mean- it's about teaching the child. Learning isn't always fun or easy.

Answer 6

Oh man, biting HURTS so bad! Especially when they get a good grip for more than a second... youch!

As mean as it may sound, the only thing that got my boys to stop biting around teething time was to flip them in the mouth (not HARD, but enough to shock them a little bit) and tell them NO in a stern voice. You have to get the point across that it's not an 'ok' thing to do... because it's not! Don't bite him back - he won't understand that. He doesn't understand that he's hurting you or why you're hurting him until you teach him that what he's doing is hurting you in the first place. If you don't teach them now, they'll continue doing it as they grow older, and not just from teething, but when they get angry or fight with a playmate... and that's the LAST thing you want - an angry parent mad that your child left a teeth-mark bruises on their baby. Be gentle but stern, consistant, and offer him something cool and chewy to nibble on. My sons happened to like a wet washcloth left in the freezer for an hour or so. Soaking it in watered down applejuice or another favorite drink before freezing it also helped, too. They would chew on it and it would soften up while remaining cold and soothe their gums. Hlyand's teething tablets are helpful to some little ones, too, though they can be a little pricey at some stores (averaging $8 for a tiny bottle)... but some mothers swear by them so it might be worth it.

If this happens to be going on during breastfeeding, be sure to delatch him before scolding him (put your finger in the side of his mouth and between his jaw in the back of the mouth to get him to open up), and then wait a few minutes before allowing him to continue nursing again.

Biting is a rough stage, but I promise, if you are kind and gentle in return he'll pass it up quickly! ;) Good luck!

Answer 7

You need to be stern with him. When you see him trying to bite you slightly raise your voice "NO BITING" and set him in a playpen for a couple of minutes. He will get the hint after a couple of times. Make sure you are giving him something to chew on that is safe, and give him Tylenol. At that age I used the Orajel Swabs on my son so I didn't have to put my fingers in his mouth.

Answer 8

The only way for him to stop is BIT HIM BACK....When you do it, make it good and he will never bit again.  I did that to my son and he has never bitten again.  You have to show him it hurts.  When you do it make sure you tell him "hurts don't it so stop bitting or mommy will bite you back harder"

Answer 9

I had tried many things when my kids were small but the fastest way to get them to stop is to show them how bad it hurts. They usually bite out of a type of frustration and don't realize how bad it hurts. If you let him keep biting you he will not stop if he knows he can get away with it. Which is fine as long as he is not biting others but if he starts biting others you will have to get the guts up enough to love him enough to give him a little tough love. It's not about what you can't do it is what you have to do to help your child know right from wrong. Good luck