• Oral exploration
• Teething
• Hunger or fatigue
• Lack of awareness that biting hurts
• Frustration, anxiety, stress
• Inability to express feelings or needs verbally
• Mimicking behavior
• Inexperienced peer interactions
• A way of showing affection
• A need for autonomy or control
• Exploring cause and effect relationships
What Can I Do If Biting Continues?
• Document biting in a log, noting patterns (time, child involved, area of room, activity child is doing)
• Observe for possible causes of biting.
• Say a firm, “No, Biting hurts.”
• Model empathy and caring for the child who was bitten.
• Implement solutions to possible causes of biting:
o Provide sensory activities, teething items.
o Reinforce “gentle touches.”
Click Here for a Printable Version
