Biting is a common phase many toddlers go through, but it can be challenging for parents, caregivers, and daycare staff to handle. One moment your child is playing happily, and the next, they’ve sunk their teeth into another child. While biting can feel alarming, it’s often just a sign of a young child learning to deal with emotions, express needs, or respond to their environment.
Developing an understanding of why toddlers bite and taking proactive steps to address this behavior can help promote a positive and supportive environment for everyone involved. Whether it’s frustration, teething, or the lack of words to express feelings, toddlers bite for reasons that are rarely intentional. This guide explores practical strategies to stop toddlers from biting at daycare, helping children express themselves more effectively and build better social habits.
Why Do Toddlers Bite at Daycare?
Biting is a natural, although sometimes surprising, behavior in young children. Toddlers are still learning how to handle their emotions and express their needs. This lack of communication skills often underpins biting. A toddler might bite because they feel scared, frustrated, or overwhelmed and don’t know how to say so.
Teething is another common cause of toddlers biting. For younger toddlers, the discomfort of new teeth coming in can drive them to bite objects—or even people—for relief. Others might bite out of curiosity, exploring the world around them with their mouths, which is a natural development stage.
Sometimes, biting is a reaction to their environment. A crowded daycare or difficulty sharing toys can create situations where a toddler uses biting as a way of asserting control. Additionally, toddlers might bite to gain attention, especially if they notice a strong reaction from adults or peers. While biting is rarely intentional harm, it can cause stress for both the child biting and those around them.
What to Do About Toddler Biting at Daycare?
When biting at daycare occurs, address the situation calmly and quickly. Reacting with frustration or anger can escalate the problem and confuse the child. Here’s how to handle biting effectively:
- Address the behavior immediately: Use simple phrases like, “No biting. Biting hurts.” This makes it clear that biting is not acceptable without overwhelming the child with lengthy explanations.
- Focus on the victim first: Give attention to the child who was bitten. Clean the bite area and provide comfort. This shows that biting doesn’t result in extra attention for the child biting.
- Help the toddler biting understand: After addressing the victim, turn your attention to the toddler who was biting. Explain in simple terms why biting is wrong—“Biting hurts people. We use words to say how we feel.”
- Identify the trigger: Try to determine why the child bit in the first place. Were they frustrated, tired, or hungry? Understanding the cause can help you prevent further incidents.
- Model positive behavior: Show toddlers how to handle similar situations differently. If the biting stems from frustration over a toy, for instance, demonstrate how to use words like, “Can I have a turn?” or “Stop, I don’t like that.”
- Be consistent: Children thrive on consistency. Make sure teachers, caregivers, and parents all respond to biting in the same way, reinforcing that it’s never acceptable.
Tips to Get Them to Stop
Working out how to stop a child from biting at daycare requires proactive strategies that help toddlers express themselves and manage their emotions more healthily. Here are 10 tips to help you achieve this:
- Teach alternatives: Help toddlers learn words or actions to express their feelings. Teach them to say, “I’m mad”, or “I don’t like that” instead of resorting to biting. Practice these phrases with them during calm moments, so they feel comfortable using them when emotions run high.
- Use positive reinforcement: Praise your child when they handle situations without biting. Comments like, “I’m proud of you for sharing”, or “You used your words so nicely!” encourage them to repeat positive behaviors. This approach builds their confidence and reinforces good habits.
- Provide teething solutions: If your child is teething, offer safe alternatives for them to chew on, such as teething rings or chewy toys. These can help satisfy their need to bite without harming others.
- Monitor triggers: Pay attention to patterns. Does your toddler bite when they’re tired, hungry, or overstimulated? Addressing these triggers can dramatically reduce biting incidents. Ensure your child has consistent naps, meals, and downtime to prevent frustration or exhaustion.
- Redirect their attention: Toddlers often act out when they’re bored or overwhelmed. Redirecting their energy toward a fun activity like coloring, building with blocks, or dancing can prevent biting before it starts.
- Avoid labels: Never call your child “a biter”. Labels can make them feel that biting is part of their identity, which may encourage the behavior instead of stopping it. Focus on the behavior, not the child, and remind them that they’re capable of making better choices.
- Set clear expectations: Explain the rules in simple, toddler-friendly terms. For example, “We don’t bite our friends. We use kind hands and words.” Revisit these rules regularly to reinforce their importance.
- Collaborate with caregivers: Work closely with daycare staff to ensure consistency in how biting is addressed. If your child bites at daycare, ask about what led up to the incident and how the staff handled it.
- Be patient: Remember, learning to communicate and regulate emotions takes time. Avoid punishing your child harshly for biting, as this can increase their frustration or confusion. Instead, focus on guiding them with understanding and encouragement.
- Seek professional help if needed: If biting continues beyond age 3 or becomes frequent and intense, consider consulting a child behavior specialist or pediatrician. Persistent biting might indicate underlying issues, such as difficulty with emotional regulation or sensory processing challenges.
Get Help at Cadence Education
Biting at daycare is a common challenge, but children can learn better ways to express themselves and interact with others with the right support and environment. Choosing a daycare that promotes positive behaviors and healthy emotional growth can make a big difference.
At Cadence Education, our Toddler Care program is designed to help children thrive during this critical stage of development. By encouraging creativity and teaching social skills through engaging activities like art, music, reading, and play, Cadence imparts confidence and emotional intelligence in young learners. With a focus on empathy, tailored support, and patience, Cadence programs provide a nurturing space where toddlers can grow socially, emotionally, and physically.
Accredited and nationally recognized, Cadence Education ensures your child receives high-quality care and instruction from experienced professionals who truly care about their well-being. Find a Cadence Education school near you and discover how they can support your child’s development with kindness and expertise.