Biting

Q: My 2-year-old daughter got into trouble at daycare for biting another child. My sister says she used to bite her son back to teach him. Is that what I should do with my daughter?

A: Responding to aggressive behavior with aggression does not teach a child correct alternatives. It shows them that they should retaliate with like behavior. If bitten, bite back. If hit, hit back. If spit on, spit back. In all likelihood, your child does not understand the impact of her behavior. It is important that the day care helps her to understand by getting her involved in taking care of the injury to the other child. Follow this up by talking to your child afterwards, reinforcing this as unacceptable behavior. Find out why she bit the other child and give her some alternative things she could do if that situation comes up again. As parents, it is important that we teach our children acceptable alternative actions to aggression.

Back to Today's Family