A bit embarrassing to admit, but Kieran's a biter. He comes by it honestly as I was a biter as well. According to daycare all we can do right now is watch him closely and when/if he bites us remind him sternly "No biting."
He's singling out one kid in the classroom, which leads me to believe he somehow feels threatened. He also bites when another kid tries to take a toy away (or when he's trying to get a toy). If they see him and give him that stern "Kieran..." he stops.
Anyway, that's about it. I'm not pleased by this turn of events but hey, maybe he's just hungry. He goes back to the doctor to check out the ears on Friday. If he weighs enough we'll turn his carseat around. I'm pretty excited because I'm fairly certain we can turn him forward. Ken wanted to go ahead and do it but I really wanted to be 100% sure of his weight since it was 2 lbs he was behind. As much as he wants to eat (and does eat) now, I think we're good to go.
OK, back to work. If anyone has a suggestion for stopping the biting, I'm all ears.
2 comments:
Biting is a normal phase of development that some toddlers go through. As Kieran learns to communicate more and more you will see the incidents of biting lessen. Most children this age will bite the child(ren) they are closest friends with because it's those children who are around them the most often. Usually the best friends will be the ones to take toys or be wanting some attention when Kieran may just want some space. The only thing you really can do at this point (besides the stern reminders) is encourage Kieran to use his communication or even sign language skills as much as possible. Maybe if he's not quite ready to talk (most kids his age are not) you can teach him the sign for "stop" which is an easy sign to learn and encourage him to use this with the other children before he gets frustrated or as you notice the frustration beginning. Also I would recommend teaching his teachers this sign if you choose to do this so that they can be on the same page. Remember that it's nothing you're doing wrong as a parent, and the biting is not something that you will see happen at home. There is much more opportunity for biting to occur at daycare because of the amount of children and the lack of communication among all the children (not just Kieran). Kierans teachers need to be aware of what to look for (him doing) if you do teach him the sign for "stop" because the other toddlers WILL NOT listen to him since they too are just learning to communicate. In addition you can give Kieran something that is okay to bite for the times when he is feeling frustrated (after you tell him biting is not okay, biting hurts, etc.). Obviously you have to be careful that he doesn't think of it as a reward, but if his teachers can catch him before he bites and offer him this object (I suggest a frozen or cold teether) he will soon learn to ask for the teether as opposed to immediately biting his friend.
Hope this helps! Hang in there! I know it's a tough time but you and Kieran will make it through (and his friend will not hold it against him, I promise).
Here is a website that I used to go to when I needed to learn new signs to teach my one year olds at school. Just look up the word you want to learn and a video will pop up of a lady showing you how to do the sign.
http://commtechlab.msu.edu/sites/aslweb/browser.htm
Thanks so much. His teachers are keeping a close watch on him right now to keep the biting to a bare minimum, and they've been doing sign with him (he LOVES the "more" sign) but I never thought to try and teach him a new sign for this. I'll check that out. Thanks!
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