How to keep a child from biting

Biting (for Parents) - Nemours KidsHealth

Reviewed by: Shana L. Boyle, PhD

Psychology (Behavioral Health) at Nemours Children's Health

en español Hábito de morder

Toddlers do the most adorable things: Give unexpected hugs, squeal with laughter, and cuddle up to you when they're tired.

But as any parent of a toddler will tell you, they also do some not-so-adorable things, like kick, scream ... or bite.

Biting is quite common in kids this age, but it can still be rather frustrating and difficult to manage at times. There are ways to get to the bottom of your toddler's biting habit. Here's how to help curb this type of behavior.

Why Do Toddlers Bite?

Biting is very common in early childhood. Babies and toddlers bite for a variety of reasons, such as teething or exploring a new toy or object with their mouth. As they begin to understand cause-and-effect, they also might bite a person to see if they can get a reaction.

Biting also can be a way for toddlers to get attention or express how they feel. Frustration, anger, and fear are strong emotions and toddlers lack the language skills to communicate how they are feeling. Instead, they may bite as a way of saying, "Pay attention to me!" or "I don't like that!" Toddlers may also learn that biting can be used as a tool for accessing a desired item.

Biting is slightly more common in boys and tends to happen most often between the first and second birthday. As language improves, biting tends to lessen.

What Can Help Kids Stop Biting?

Parents should have a zero-tolerance rule for biting — at home, daycare, and elsewhere. If it does happen, be sure to deal with it right away.

The next time your child bites, try these steps:

Step 1: Be calm and firm. Address your child with a firm "no biting!" or "biting hurts!" Keep it simple and easy for a toddler to understand. Make it clear that biting is wrong, but avoid lengthy explanations until your child is old enough to understand. Remaining as calm as possible will help resolve the situation more quickly.
Step 2: Comfort the victim. Direct your attention to the person who has been bitten, especially if it's another child. If there is an injury, clean the area with soap and water. Get medical care if the bite is deep or bleeding.
Step 3: Comfort the biter, if need be. Often, toddlers don't realize that biting hurts. It's OK to comfort a child who feels upset about hurting someone. An older toddler might learn from being allowed to comfort or apologize to a friend after a bite. But if the biter is using the behavior to get attention, you don't want to reinforce this behavior by giving comfort and attention.
Step 4: Offer alternatives. When things have calmed down, suggest alternatives to biting, like using the words "no," "stop," and "that's mine" when wanting to communicate with others. For example, show your child how to approach a peer, put out their hand, and then say “please” to ask for an item.
Step 5: Redirect. Distraction works wonders with kids this age. If emotions and energy levels are running high or if boredom has set in, help redirect a little one's attention to a more positive activity, like dancing to music, coloring, or playing a game.

Discipline usually is not necessary, as most kids don't realize biting hurts. Never hit or bite a child who has bitten, as this teaches the child that this behavior is OK.

If you try these steps and the behavior doesn't stop, time-outs may help. Older toddlers can go to a designated time-out area — a kitchen chair or bottom stair — to calm down. As a general rule, about 1 minute per year of age is a good guide for time-outs. You might need to supervise your toddler during a time-out, but be careful to not give them any attention. Your child should be calm and quiet before leaving the time-out area.

To keep your little one on the right track:

Be consistent. Reinforce the "No biting" rule at all times.
Use positive reinforcement. Rather than reward negative actions with attention, make it a point to praise your child when they behave well. You can say something like, "I like how you used your words" or "I like how you're playing gently" to reinforce positive alternatives to biting.
Plan ahead. Toddlers might be more comfortable and not feel the urge to bite if they know what to expect in new or high-energy situations. If biting happens at childcare, you might consider putting your child in a calmer, smaller setting.
Find alternatives. As language skills develop, you can help your child find better ways to express difficult emotions. For example, asking kids to "use their words" when they're frustrated or upset can help calm them. If you need help, a doctor, counselor, or behavioral specialist can discuss ways to teach your child to manage strong emotions and express feelings in a healthy way.

When Should I Call the Doctor?

Biting is common in babies and toddlers, but it should stop when kids are about 3 or 4 years old. If it goes beyond this age, is excessive, seems to be getting worse rather than better, and happens with other upsetting behaviors, talk to your child's doctor. Together you can find its causes and ways to deal with it.

Reviewed by: Shana L. Boyle, PhD

Date reviewed: June 2022

Strategies and Tips for Parents

Written by Stephanie Watson

Why Children Bite

Kids bite for a number of reasons -- and most of them aren't intentionally malicious.

They're in pain. When babies bite, typically it's because they're teething. They're just doing it to relieve the pain of their swollen, tender gums.
They're exploring their world. Very young children use their mouths to explore, just as they use their hands. Just about everything infants or toddlers pick up eventually winds up in their mouths. Kids this age aren't yet able to prevent themselves from biting the object of their interest.
They're looking for a reaction. Part of exploration is curiosity. Toddlers experiment to see what kind of reaction their actions will provoke. They'll bite down on a friend or sibling to hear the surprised exclamation, not realizing how painful the experience is for that person.
They're craving attention. In older kids, biting is just one of several bad behaviors used to get attention. When a child feels ignored, discipline is at least one way of getting noticed -- even if the attention is negative rather than positive.
They're frustrated. Biting, like hitting, is a way for some children to assert themselves when they're still too young to express feelings effectively through words. To your child, biting is a way to get back a favorite toy, tell you that they are unhappy, or let another child know that they want to be left alone.

How to Stop Biting

Practice prevention so that your child will be less likely to bite in the first place.

If your baby is teething, make sure to always have a cool teething ring or washcloth on hand so they will be less likely to sink teeth into someone's arm.
Avoid situations in which your child can get irritable enough to bite. Make sure that all of your child's needs -- including eating and nap time -- are taken care of before you go out to play. Bring along a snack to soothe your child if they get cranky from being hungry.
As soon as your child is old enough, encourage the use of words ("I'm angry with you" or "That's my toy") instead of biting. Other ways to express frustration or anger include hugging a stuffed animal or punching a pillow. Sometimes, shortening activities or giving your child a break can help prevent the rising frustration that can lead to biting and other bad behaviors.
Give your child enough of your time throughout the day (for example, by reading or playing together), so they don't bite just to get attention. Extra attention is especially important when your child is going through a major life change, such as a move or welcoming a baby sibling. If your child is prone to biting, keep an eye on any playmates and step in when an altercation appears to be brewing.

Even with your best prevention efforts, biting incidents might still occur. When your child bites, firmly let your child know that this behavior is not acceptable by saying, "No. We don't bite!" Explain that biting hurts the other person. Then remove your child from the situation and give the child time to calm down.

You might have heard from other parents that if your child bites you, bite your child back. This isn't good advice. Children learn by imitation. If you bite your child, the child is going to get the impression that this behavior is acceptable and they will be more likely to do it again. The same goes for hitting a child for biting.

If you are unable to get your child to stop biting, the behavior could begin to have an impact on school and relationships. You or another adult might have to closely supervise interactions between your child and other kids. When biting becomes a habit or continues past age 4 or 5, it might stem from a more serious emotional problem. Talk to your child's health care provider, or enlist the help of a child psychologist or therapist.

Biting Injury Rx

The first thing to do for any biting injury is to wash the area with soap and water. Even little teeth can break the skin. If the bite is bleeding and the wound appears to be deep, call your child's doctor. The bite may need medical treatment, which could include antibiotics or a tetanus shot, or both.

90,000 protection of children from insects

Home

Protection of children from insects

Useful Articles

All Articles of Categories Useful Articles

{TEXT} trips with children to the street and nature become regular and lengthy. Fresh air, a huge space for outdoor activities, beautiful landscapes - all this brings exceptionally positive emotions. Small but uncomfortable creatures - insects - can break the harmony.

Mosquito bites

Neither adults nor children like mosquitoes. Buzzing and striving to land on open areas of the body, they leave unpleasant bites that itch unbearably. The bites themselves are not so dangerous - at least on the territory of Russia. However, active scratching of the skin can lead to infection, and this is already fraught with serious consequences. The wound can become inflamed and fester, causing severe discomfort to the child. An increase in temperature and a noticeable deterioration in the condition are sure signs that an infection has been introduced. In this case, it is necessary to urgently take the child to the hospital so that he can receive medical assistance.

Of course, it is impossible to explain to the baby the need to endure the desire to scratch the bite site - even adults can hardly restrain themselves. Therefore, it is better to take care of how to protect the child from insects in advance. The following tools will help in this:

Repellents . Repellents are represented by ointments, sprays, creams and lotions. Sprays act within 1.5-2.5 hours, and a longer effect is observed when using creams and lotions. When choosing a product, it is important to carefully read the instructions for use and age restrictions.
Mosquito net . The best option for cottage or home. The absence of insects in the room - the absence of bites on the body.
Anti-mosquito wristbands . The modern way to use repellents. It does its job perfectly - repels mosquitoes and other insects. The only negative is the unpleasant smell, which may not please the child and nearby adults.
Fumigants. It is good to use such drugs at home or in the country. On sale you can find special children's fumigants that are odorless and do not cause allergies.
Folk remedies. Vanillin mixed with baby cream is almost as effective as repellents. In addition, this ointment does not cause an allergic reaction and smells very tasty. You can also drop eucalyptus or clove oil on your clothes.

If the mosquito still bit the baby, it is necessary to treat the wound with alcohol, calendula tincture or a special ointment. You can also make a soda lotion or attach a plantain leaf to the bite site.

Tick bites

Tick bites are a serious danger. As you know, these arachnids are carriers of encephalitis and tick-borne borreliosis. Both diseases affect the nervous system and can be fatal. This is why protecting children from ticks is so important. Among the known means preventing the bites of these insects, the following can be distinguished:

Clothing The best way to protect your baby from tick attacks is to leave a minimum of exposed skin. A turtleneck, a zip-up jacket, sweatpants tucked into socks, a tight cap - such outfit, of course, will look ridiculous on a child in a city park, but it is extremely necessary for a trip to the forest.
Inoculation . Unfortunately, many parents oppose vaccination. However, it is the vaccine that can save a child bitten by an encephalitis tick.
Anti-mites . We are talking about special repellents that are strong enough to protect against tick attacks. Mosquito repellents will not work - they do not repel arachnids. Only clothes can be sprayed, because. they are very toxic and can cause an allergic reaction in a child.

Unfortunately, detecting an insect is not so easy - the bite occurs painlessly and imperceptibly for a person, especially for a baby. It is important to check the child's head and body after walking in parks, squares, fields and forests. If a tick is found, you can try to remove it yourself using vegetable oil and tweezers. However, it is better to immediately contact a doctor who will safely remove the insect and conduct tests for the presence of infection.

Bites of stinging insects

Unlike tick bites, bee, wasp, and hornet stings cannot go unnoticed. Insects sting like a needle, causing severe pain. In most cases, the inflammation caused by a stinger's bite goes away within one day without causing much discomfort. You should not be afraid of any infections - insects are not their carriers. However, their bites are dangerous to others - the possibility of an allergic reaction and even, as a result, anaphylactic shock. If the child feels a deterioration in general well-being, and the bite site becomes very inflamed, it is necessary to consult a doctor.

Protection of children against insects in summer and spring is represented by the following means:

Mosquito net . This is a universal remedy for all flying insects, including stinging ones.
Control . It is very important to keep an eye on the child, especially if you take a walk through the forest and field. It should be explained to the baby that wasps or bees can sit on the flowers, the bite of which will be painful and unpleasant. At the summer cottage, it is necessary to conduct an inspection for the presence of wasp nests. If any are found, you can get rid of them with the help of special aerosols.

Unfortunately, no sprays or creams can protect a child from stings. It remains only to carefully observe the actions of the child and, in the case of an already perfect bite, help the baby reduce pain.

Of course, it is very difficult to protect children from insect bites. It is hardly possible to find a person who has not experienced discomfort from close contact with a mosquito or a bee. However, elementary means of protecting children from insects in spring and summer are simply necessary.

Products from Rastishka

Other articles in the category Useful articles

The Origami Miracle: “Assembling” a Christmas Tree with a Baby

So attentive: concentration games

A tale for the observant: who are the Pathfinders?

Invite your child on a fabulous journey: let's go to the Arctic!

This site uses cookies to collect information about you. This is necessary to improve the site. By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies and their provision to third-party partners. You need to accept this or leave the site.

How to protect your child from bedbug bites - 5 protective steps

Childhood is a happy and carefree time. The child should not overshadow his acquaintance with bed bugs. But unfortunately, bedbugs appear even in the nursery. In this article, we will discuss how to protect children from bedbugs and show how to protect them from bites before cleaning the apartment.

Where does the threat of bites come from and why the children were not saved
How to protect your child from bedbug bites - step by step

1. Inspecting the room
2. Installing quarantine
3. We focus on the baby's bed
4. Making traps and barriers
5. Use the power of nature: essential oils

Where does the threat of bites come from and why didn't they save the children?

Let's dwell on a common misconception. Bed bugs, supposedly, are found only in dirty apartments, where sloppy owners do not keep cleanliness. Parents who are captivated by this idea are convinced that frequent and thorough cleaning is a guarantee that how to protect the child from bedbug bites .

Unfortunately, protecting children is not easy. Bedbugs are not indispensable companions of dirt, and do not feed on food waste like flies or cockroaches. Their only reason for survival is human blood. Hence the disappointing conclusion: bloodsuckers will breed even where it is sterile, like in an operating room.

Taking into account the ability of bloodsuckers to hide in hard-to-reach places, how to protect a child becomes a major problem for the family.

Of course, cleaning and maintaining order is important. In a dirty and cluttered apartment, bedbugs are at ease - in this they find a lot of options where to build nests, while remaining unnoticed for months. However, the cleanliness of the home in itself will not insure against bedbugs.

To understand how to protect your child from bedbugs, find out how they get into the apartment:

From neighbors, along the routes of house communications: sockets, ventilation shafts, etc.;
With used items that end up in your home: old furniture brought from friends or relatives, household or electrical appliances purchased from hand, up to a microwave, computer and TV. All these things may turn out to be a board on which new and not the most pleasant neighbors will arrive in your home;
You can bring bed bugs into your home. After we visited friends, went to a rest home or a sanatorium, returned from a business trip, during which we lived in a hotel.

The tragedy of the situation is that the bugs skillfully hide their presence, and the skin allergy in a small child is written off by parents and doctors for dermatitis, which is characteristic of this age.

How to protect your child from bed bug bites and what to do: a video of a doctor to protect the child living in the house from bedbugs and protect him from bites.

Imagine how bed bugs get in from your neighbors. If these are sockets, disassemble them, check if they communicate with neighboring rooms. If so, put the plugs and eliminate the gaps.
Check all ventilation ducts, install a fine mesh on each of them. Treat potential bed bug penetration sites with a long-acting insecticide.
If bedbugs have already been found, make sure that they have as few opportunities to hide as possible. Carefully examine all the rooms, and especially the nursery. Think like a bug. Where they will hide after landing into the apartment: cracks in wooden floors and old dried out furniture, gaps between skirting boards and walls or skirting boards and floors, places where wallpaper peels off, behind a carpet, etc.
After the examination, eliminate the "weak spots" by sealing the cracks and new wallpaper.

Leave bed bugs as few chances as possible for a carefree life in the house.

2.

If there is a child in the house, it is especially important to keep track of what gets into the apartment. Try not to buy furniture from hand and be vigilant about the choice of housing and goods

If you cannot do without it, carefully inspect it before you bring the purchase into the house. It is best to treat it with steam or insecticide.
If you have returned from a trip or guests, check your bag and clothing suspiciously. It is better to wash things immediately at a temperature of at least 60 degrees. Inspect the bag and, possibly, treat it with an insecticide.
Pack potentially contaminated items and toys in airtight bags. If there are bedbugs inside, then they will not be able to get out.

3. We focus on the baby's sleeping place

The appearance of bedbugs in a child's room does not mean that you should throw away an infected mattress or bed. This does not guarantee any protection. In the case when the bugs have already been poisoned, getting rid of the objects inhabited by them will only provoke the remaining ones hiding under the baseboards.

If the children's furniture is in good condition, clean the seams with a vacuum cleaner and heat treat it by going over the joints and grooves with boiling water.

Partially it is possible to protect a child from bedbug bites with the help of devices that generate steam. However, only powerful steam cleaners are effective for this purpose. Household clothes steamers, or those commonly used to remove old wallpaper, will not work and will not help with bed bugs. If there is no steam generator at home with a power of 1500 W or more and a steam temperature of at least 110 C, use a hair dryer.

And do not forget: the temperature method loses to the insecticidal one in the absence of a residual effect.

Heat treatment can successfully get rid of bedbugs on items that cannot be washed and sprayed with pesticides. For example, some toys or special accessories. If you decide to try to protect children with hot steam, then be careful with electronics, clothes made of delicate fabrics, as well as other objects and surfaces sensitive to heat.

Keep children away from bed bugs where they sleep. If you try to perform as many protective measures as possible, you will be able to secure the baby.

Move the crib away from the walls. If the baby's bed is wooden, it is important that it is varnished. Pay attention to where the bed is. It should not come into contact with unvarnished wooden products.
Make your child's bed so that the linen does not hang on the floor. Then the bugs, even if they are indoors, will be more difficult to get to the baby.
A protective cover for a baby mattress will come in handy. If the infestation is localized in the mattress, then the mattress pad will become a suitable barrier that will block the way for the bedbugs to the child.
Change your baby's pillow and bed linen daily. This is recommended to be done, among other things, in order to reduce the likelihood of finding a child with bedbugs. After all, these insects detect a person, focusing not only on the carbon dioxide that we emit when we exhale, but also on the smell of the skin.
Pay attention to the clothes in which the baby sleeps. It is better to use tight-fitting pajamas with fasteners, such bugs will not bite through. It can be impregnated with a natural repellent. What? More on this below.
Remember to check your child's crib regularly between 2 am and 3 am or one hour after the baby has fallen asleep.

4. Making traps and barriers

If the risk of bed bugs is high, make it difficult for them to move. Individually, these measures will not save the child from bedbug bites, but in combination, they will restrain their bulk.

Place traps under the legs of the crib. To do this, place all four legs in small containers filled with trapping liquid (any viscous liquid will do). The trap will serve as a barrier when the bugs want to get close to the child.
For the same purpose, cover the perimeter of the crib, walls and ceiling with double-sided tape. This will keep the bed bugs out of the way.
Another option is to use a homemade dry ice trap. The carbon dioxide that this ice gives off attracts bed bugs.
It will be easy (although not very reliable) to protect the child from bedbugs if you smear the back of the bottom of the crib with vinegar.
Sprinkle the perimeter of the crib with mountain flour (diatomaceous earth, kieselguhr) or insecticidal chalk.
And if you spread the sachets with lavender or cloves in suitable places, this will also be a good help in how to protect the child from bedbug bites.

5. Using the power of nature: essential oils

Essential oil sprays are great for kids because they are natural and non-toxic. Let's face it, many products on the store shelf contain ingredients that are undesirable for children. But only this does not apply to natural products, which include essential oils.

Essential oil sprays are a great way to use oils because they are easy to make, use and take.

We only use proven and correct recipes. We made a spray by mixing 3 different essential oils with distilled water. The youngest, who is afraid of bugs, likes to spray it all over his room. There were bedbugs in the apartment, but he was never bitten.
Natalia, 27 years old

Children have many fears, they won't be able to sleep for a long time, especially if it became known that there are bed bugs in the apartment. Arm your child with this spray at night to help them sleep soundly:

5 drops of clove oil
5 drops of peppermint oil
5 drops of lemongrass oil
5 drops of frankincense.

Warning!

Be careful as your child may be allergic to some of the plants. To prevent it, put a little essential oil on your wrist. If no reaction is observed within 3-4 hours, feel free to use this component in the recipe.

Essential oils of wormwood, orange, rosemary or lavender are suitable for protecting children from bed bugs. Other herbal essences can be used, although most of them have not been proven effective.

At the time of writing, there are no independent studies documenting the effectiveness of any bed bug repellant. However, despite this, the essential oils of orange, as well as some plants (wormwood, tansy, chamomile, eucalyptus) - can hold back bedbugs for a short time, provided they do not have strong hunger.

In each case, essential oils have different or no effect on bed bugs, so don't be afraid to test:

Apply a few drops of essential oil to exposed areas of your child's skin, or soak gauze pads under pillows, mattresses, etc. .
With these oils, you can make a homemade protective cream based on glycerin or petroleum jelly. The cream is applied to the child's skin.
As a means of protection, a spray prepared at home based on an alcohol solution diluted 1/5 with water and adding 5-7 drops of essential oil is suitable.
Hand bracelets made of fabric or thick paper are also suitable. It is enough to sprinkle them with a couple of drops of essential oil to reduce the likelihood of hand bites in a child.
Oils are also used in aroma lamps. Before sending the child to bed, light an aroma lamp in the room for 20-30 minutes, adding 7-9 drops of essential oil.
Another option is aroma candles. By themselves, they are practically ineffective, but in some cases they act as an aid.

Protecting babies from bedbugs is important at all costs. The child's immune system is still being formed and cannot always respond to bedbugs without harm to health. If bedbugs have bitten your child, take steps to prevent further attacks, as repeated bites are more severe.