When Toddlers Bite: What Do We Do?

Hey Reader!

You hear a loud wail from Silvia. You turn around and see Taylor chomping on her arm! What now?!

If you’ve been in a toddler or twos classroom for very long, you’ve probably encountered biting! Children bite for many different reasons so today I’m just going to give you a couple of underlying causes (not all of them, just some of them) and a couple of tips for helping these little chompers learn healthier social skills!

Why do toddlers bite?

1. They are so curious about their world and they are at a stage of development where they explore everything with all of their senses. They will put everything into their mouths – including their classmates – just to see what it feels like and tastes like.
2. They don’t know appropriate ways to express their needs. A toddler is still learning how to ask for a turn or how to say “stop” when someone else is taking a toy away from them. So…they bite instead! It’s a very natural reaction.
3. They might be bored or anxious or overwhelmed! Remember, they are still LEARNING what do to with uncomfortable feelings.

What are some strategies for the classroom?

1. In the moment…stay calm but quickly separate the child who bit from the child who was bitten. Use simple words like “No, biting hurts” and then keep your main focus on comforting the child who was hurt rather than giving lots of attention (even though it’s negative) to the child who bit.
2. Start tracking the time and circumstances of biting – is it happening during diaper changes where the toddlers aren’t fully engaged in activity because the teacher is distracted with diapers? Is it happening just before lunchtime and maybe the toddler is just hungry? Is it happening just before naptime and the toddler is just tired?
3. Once you see the pattern, make adjustments! Serve snacks or lunch a few minutes early, provide a teether for teething pain, bring in an extra person during diaper changes so that the children are engaged in activity.
4. Be patient! For most children, as they learn language to properly communicate their needs, the biting diminishes. It’s such a hard phase for teachers and parents, but it is usually short-lived.

​HERE is a great printable resource with more information that you could share with parents.

​HERE is a short video (9 minutes) talking about aggression in toddlers and how to help!

​HERE is a blog post with some links to resources that might also help in the classroom or with parents.

We also have THIS course in our Learning Library that goes much more in-depth on underlying causes of biting as well as specific, targeted strategies for intervention and training.

Cheering you on this week!

-Your ECCN team

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Colossians 3:16

“Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.”