13 month old biting and pinching

[cg]

I have a 13 month old boy who has been biting and pinching for some time now - we have tried all the suggested methods i.e. ignoring him, crying when he does it, distracting him, putting him in his cot/highchair without any toys and saying "no biting". nothing seems to work and whilst everyone says it is only a phase it is really getting me down and obviously hurts quite a lot.

Does anyone have any suggestions about how to stop this?

thanks

[linzkg]

Yay - glad I'm not the only one with a little terror!! He bit one of his little girlfriends on Sunday and the poor child left our home with not only theBCG scar but my son's teeth pattern (top and bottom!)

We too have tried everything - I've even bit him or pinched him at the same time he's doing it to me .. hoping he'd think ouch better not do that again .. I've cried, said no sternly .. but he just thinks its funny and goes for it again and again .. he's like a little rhino and even if I'm in the kitchen he'll bite my ankle or leg ..

2 more teeth popped through today - so not sure if its linked somehow .. but I'm also loosing the will now - its embarrassing and painful!!

My mom reckons I should fill a syringe with that powder you put on kiddies thumbs to stop them from sucking and as he's biting me I should shoot a little in his mouth so he gets a bad taste in his mouth ..

I think it is just a phase though

[????]

Our little boy still does this with us when he's tired and he's two and a half. My mum says 'Bite him back'....I've been tempted.

[apenn]

My 11 month old leaves bruises on my arms. He generally does it when he is overtired or frustrated. I've been told that this is sometimes babies express themselves because they can't speak. It's getting very tired, as is the hair pulling.

[Helen GV]

asked a similar question myself, link here: http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?29,352952,353920#msg-353920

sometimes he still bites me or hits me with something, usually i just say NO but once he hit me quite hard with a wooden drumstick and i pretended to cry, but then he got so upset as he thought he had hurt me that he required a LOT of cuddles to calm him down, and I felt so guilty that I haven't tried that one again. Although, he has never tried to hit me like that again either so...

[cg]

Thanks for all your posts and comforting to hear i am not the only one. As you say gets very tiring and I have already had a number of bites and pinches this morning! Hopefully they will all grow out of it soon as it seems that we have all tried all the options!

[Smiler]

My daughter did this for quite a long time, though she only ever bit me and her own arms and hands, think it was teething related. Ouch.

Didn't find a solution, just lots of "no", putting her down immediately and saying "don't bite", and calpol / teething toys when it was obvious she was in pain. One of her first words sounded like "dirt bag": she'd go around chanting it, and as her language improved it turned out to mean "don't bite"!

She did grow out of it.

She has now (aged 2 and a bit) started hitting, which is much more deliberate and we punish that with the naughty step!

[elderflower]

We've had some biting problems recently with our 15 month old. He started just after he turned one and it was during teething episodes. My partner and I have both disciplined him by a firm no, crying in pain response etc

My son still does it to his dad but not with me. He behaves much better with me one the whole and is quicker to respond to my commands. His dad is still struggling.

I think all these different techniques can make it a muddle and inconsistent which then cancels out the actions. If you twig on to which thing your child dislikes the most and then just do it again and again it sinks in eventually. I also found I reassessed what level of attention i gave him in regards to all his actions good and bad, significant to mild and mundane and encouraged the good and distracted from the bad. So, sometimes I think children act up or repeat negative actions as they get the most attention whereas they can get a mild well done for good deeds and what they love is attention from mum. Its working out well for now at least.

[linzkg]

Just to add .. on Monday I noticed 2 teeth had popped through .. so I do think his biting was a little to do with his teething. He is still biting but my hubby and I have both taken a strong stand and when he bites we immediately sit him on the floor holding both arms and directly and firmly say no biting - it seems to be working actually!

[GinaG3]

My daughter has done this for months (started around 13 months too), the ignoring used to work but no its terrible. I am stuck as to what to do with her. Last night, because I wouldn't give her my mobile she attacked me, just bit me and wouldn't let go, laughing whilst doing so. Was not funny to me, I have teeth marks where it was so hard. Not to mention I get woke up at 7am to her sitting on my head pulling my hair.

You do everything for them, and this is what we get. Pah!

I hope it gets better for your soon. There is light at the end of the tunnel, somewhere!

[cg]

Gina - i can emphathise re the teeth marks. My little man has been a little bit better today so hopefully my tears yesterday hit home a bit. Hope so re light at the end of the tunnel - this has been going on for about 4 months now so when people say it is just a phase i am worrying that it is going to be a rather long phase!

[nicolemodesti]

Just a phase but it may be a long one!!!! Our boy did the same thing at that age and we are sure it was teething as it was mainly when teeth were on the way or cutting through. I was his main target and would be bitten on my breasts or shoulders, then occasionally Dad but never at his nursery, which I was thankful for. The nursery staff would look at me incredulously when I mentioned it. It did eventually ease up after a few long bruised months,and the laughter too GinaG3 even with trying all the above that has been mentioned. Funnily enough he was bitten on his back by another child at nursery which seemed to resolve it. Although now at 22 months and cutting four 2 year molars at once he has bitten my hand but seemed to understand better the consequences of what he did! My only light at the end of this tunnel is that after these 2 year molars that should be it for awhile so the biting will cease!! Good luck to you all and your mini gnashers!!