ExchangeEveryDay Past Issues

I am in need of some help with this topic as well. I have noticed that these post are about 10 years old and it is still and I think will forever be the most stressful problems daycare centers will have. I have had many biters in my years of teaching and I have hit a rock bottom today. I have a 21 month old child that bites for no reason. We have a policy that states that after biting twice in one day the student is to be sent home. Our ratio it 1 Teacher to 4 children under the age of two. One on One care is not always something that I can always do. This student has no patterns (all times of the day, any child, will remove a passy to bite, thinks its funny). I really need some advice.

I dont think biting is caused by day care, my 16 month old son bites his father and me everyday, mostly his father, and he has never seen the inside of a day care. I need to know why this is. He even bites himself sometimes. He is very aggresive aswell. He would walk up to a child and just hit her.

I believe a child/person who is put in a position where he/she feels "controlled" by some outside influence, he/she will use every power he/she has to protect his/her self.

With reference to P5 (Participatory Program Promoting Pleasurable Parenting) designed by New Zealand based psychologist Kate Birch, which considers the misbehaviour of a child has everything to do with what the parent/adult feels and believes. It is not the behaviour of the child that is the problem but the way the parent/adult feels about the behaviour. (the child is merely learning and experimenting to find out what is an effective way to meet his/her own needs).

If the behaviour gets results then of course the child will keep doing it.

In a child care centre environment there is a great deal of pressure on the carers to keep all the children safe. Therefore the reaction the biter receives is quite powerful as the carer has strong feelings and beliefs around what the child is doing, is wrong.

When will we learn the fact that children will learn how to protect themselves from harm if we, as carers, give them the oportunity to FEEL the consequence instead of blaming the child who is learning that biting surely gets a huge reaction?

Many parents who have done P5 share with me the successes they experience by simply allowing sibbling rivalry to occur. The helpless child learns the skill of protecting himself while the child attempting to gain power over the other does not get the intervention he is seeking from the parent/carer. Very quickly the behaviour dissolves.

It could be that the children feel 'hemmed in' or their movements are either controlled or restricted in an institution like the Day Care. This can cause undue frustration especially if they enjoy so much freedom at home, so they hit out at others. The Day Care hours may be rather too long for some children as well thus the signs of frustration through biitng and other aggressive behaviour.
Allow more time for children to play outdoors in the fresh air and sunshine.

I agree that biting can be an issue in group care but I believe it is a "problem" that is solved through environmental intervention. Most biting seems to occur in single age groups of two year olds where all the children are at the same developmental level and the frustration levels are high. When the group is arranged differently there is potential to reduce and in many cases eliminate the biting. In our program we use a multi age model for both preschool and infants and toddlers and have found in the five years we have done this that there is virtually no biting. We attribute this to the following: multi age groups, small groups and a staff:child ratio that allows relationships to flourish between children and caregivers. I know that developing an environment that is conducive to positive relationships, trust and feelings of comfort is expensive but we must find ways to make this happen for all of our children, not just the ones who happen to have access to programs who have those resources. It is easy to say that group care creates aggressive children, it is much more difficult to figure out how we make the group care that is essential for working families successful. This kind of rhetoric with no suggestions for what could be done is not productive in my view. It just raises parent's anxiety levels without giving them the information about how it could be better.

I would like to respnd to Alice Honig. From what I read, it seems that she feels that care givers are not giving children enough personal attention and that is why they are biting. I agree that staff need more training, we all could use more training on a variety of subjects. However, perhaps Alice has not had the experience of having a child sitting on your lap, lean over and bite the child next to them. I have! I was giving the child quality attention and it still happened. I think it boils down to language. Once the child learns to express themselves through words, biting usually subsides.

I cannot agree with your article when it says that children because they are unhappy or because they feel unprotected. I believe they bite because they do not have the ability to speak and to communicate their fraustration about something happening to them.

Biting cannot be dismissed as "normal" beyond babyhood. It must be documented and addressed honestly.It's also a really complex behaviour issue and needs to be handled in partnership with parents.

You cant completely protect children they need to learn to cope around others too biting occurs for a whole range of reasons

How can you be sure about this you need to have proof you cant prove a feeling

All behaviour in children has meaning. I would agree with the premise that these children do not feel safe. Temperament, age,previous experiences, preparation, events leading up to seperation from parent etc are all contributers to a child's adaption to their changed environment. Stratagies can hlp children move from behaviour to using words but still the cause is not found. Not an easy solution, when we know the complexities and stressors that working families experience in trying to balance work,home and childcare/parenting

While there may be some truth to the response that children bite because they are unhappy and in institutional care. I have only had one experience of being bitten by a child, which did not even occur at my current place of work but rather while I was still in college at a Montessori facility. There have been some random cases of biting but it has always been more about an invasion of a child's space and NOT that they felt unprotected. Let's not accuse institutional child care or centers of being the cause of children biting. It is NOT the only reason.

To bite or not to bite, is that the question? It is difficult dealing with biting in a classroom or group situation because of the stresses that go along with the undesirable behavior. No matter what, why or when biting occurs the blame game is inevitable and if the situation is not handled carefully the result can be less than desirable.
Within my program biting is viewed as communication. We deal with biting by keeping the welfare of the children as my main focus, and preserving confidentiality. The teaching staff and parents utilize open communication, observation, modeling, behavior modification and a great deal of positive touch to redirect the energy in the classroom.

Only rarely are male early childhood educators able to act upon “the intimate pats, back rubs, caresses and leisurely holding on laps and in arms that little ones need” suggested by Alice Honig in the April 29, 2005 Exchange Everyday. Whenever a child attempts to crawl into a male early childhood educator’s lap, he must weigh appearances. Too often, he must consciously strive to avoid the appearance of evil, and that an ever-present cloud of uncertainty tarnishes his most basic human act of nurturing a child. No-touch prohibitions are imposed on male EC educators from the moment we enter the culture of early childhood education. What men know, and what many of our female colleagues have begun to experience, are regular institutional reminders in our pre-service professional preparations, in-service trainings, and consultations with superiors emphasizing the scrutiny we will be held to. There are the unofficial mentoring, stories, and off-hand reminders from parents and colleagues promoting the adoption of no-touch practices purportedly in “your own best interests.” The spread of “No-Touch” policies forces all EC educators to grapple with a proposition once reserved principally for male EC professionals: That it would take only a serious misunderstanding to cause your careers, reputations, lives, and the lives of your dearest loved ones to be permanently desecrated.
All early childhood educators need professional safeguards to be shielded from the spreading malady of “No-Touch” policies. One solution might be a systems-wide effort to promote developmentally, culturally, and professionally appropriate “healthy touch” in all early childhood programs and to the families we serve. The promotion and dissemination of trainings, resources, policies, and procedures regarding appropriate touch would help, but prominent and open discussions on the impact of No-Touch policies must be moved up to the early childhood education professional front burner.

Biting is a toddler issue. Not just a toddler in group care issue. My first child was a biter and was not in center based care at the time. We have to break the habit of being so quick to point the finger at childcare as the "reason" for any frustration or problem we have in childhood. Too many pediatricians, who's family income gives them many choices, blame child care for every flaw from ear infections to aggression. These are societal problems. Families face many more challanges than families of 20 years ago. True, we need to continue to make sure children in group care are being cared for in a nuturing supportive quality environment. For optimal results families and care givers must work together and support each other on behalf of children. We do not need to point fingers and blame each other for children's behaviors. I totally disagree with expelling children. In that case you have lost the opportunity to educate and work together to find a solution, something that is necessary for that child to succeed.

How does an individual, group of workers or parents then really deal with a young child who continuously bites. It is an age old problem. I have seen some workers spend one on one time observing the biting child to ascertain when and why they bite at that particular time. It appears like most things that require intervention, patience, time and appropriate discipline.

Whew! What a polarizing piece of literature! My response is two-fold: Yes, unfortunately, most day care is at best fair, and yes, aggression increases in crowded, stressful environments. But secondly, and fortunately, there is such a thing as high-quality day care, and in these places there is a purposeful nurturing and teaching of empathy and pro-social behaviors; and the ratios are lower as well. In these places, biting may still occur on occasion, but rarely becomes the epidemic mentioned in this woman's book. I hope that those who read it will keep in mind that the "typical" daycare experience is not what a truly high quality center offers. It may take time and work to find such a place in your community, and there may be a waiting list, but your child is worth it. Take the time, do your homework, and understand that in spite of everyone's best efforts, the occasional aggressive act may still occur - and then work WITH the staff to solve it.

This is the most rediculous thing I have ever heard.

When you have many children in an area they communicate the best way they can.
If they can talk, they talk. I they can't talk they communicate the best way they can. Biting is a form of communication, wheather it is due to frustrations/getting attention/or getting what they want done. It's a learned behavior. if the other children see that is works they will do it too. That all it is and no more.

Biting. been employed with child care for 19 years, out of those 14 was with infants/toddlers. My experience with biting has been the child biting has digestive/bowl problems.
Looking at documentation of time the biting incidents happens, shortly before lunch and late afternoons. The child may be hungry, stomach hurting, needing to make bm, or all of the above. Thanks.

I agree! Every time a child behaves in this manner, we know they have been in childcare since they were babies. It is very upsetting to see these children & my staff & I agree that we would never leave our babies in child care.

Children at our kindergarten usually start at the age of four, with very little child care if at all, then they are ready to separate from their parents & we have much less trouble with them.

By the end of the year, we have happy little children who are self-directed & in fact, many of them get upset or cry when their parents come to collect them.

How can you blame day care for causing children to bite? Whenever people get together, (no matter what age) there are some people who aren't going to get along. Toddlers do not have the social skill or vocabluary to express their dislikes. Bitting is the fastest way to stop someone's behavior. How many play groups have been watched for bitting? Why is it day care that is being blamed for the unhappy children? Why not parents who use day care? I didn't read about any solutions for this problem. Too many people want to blame and critize other people and do not offer any solutions to me they are part of the problem as well.

Biting is one of the most difficult things for all of us to deal with. From directors to parents and from teacher to teacher it causes more stress then head lice! What we need to remember is that biting in itself is often a developmental stage and like other stages young children go through it differently. Some children chew on their fingers or hands when stressed and others chew on other children. When we see a child biting their stuffed animal when they are stressed we react very differently then when a child bites another child. Often for the child it is the same action based on their feelings of the moment and using whatever is closest.

In looking at the different ways or for what reasons children bite is crucial in determining how we act. I have often found that as we strive to maintain our equilibrium in providing group care that some feel the need for policies and strictness that beyond the reasons we do what we do. Each biting incident needs to be considered differently if we are to provide care that is both individual and real in its intent. A child who bites because they feel intimidated by another is very different from a child who bites to get a toy they want. We know this but we often forget why we do what we do and that our responses and actions have greater impact on all involved that can go much farther then the original bite!

It is my understanding that there are more reasons for biting than unhappiness. To insinuate that all child care makes children unhappy is wrong. Children also tend to bite because they cannot express their ideas with words. Obviously, infants and toddlers have limited language and therefore, may resort to biting. It is also important to remember that children have cues that their parents and other adults understand, but same age children at school may not be able to. At home, they may not bite as much because they are able to get their ideas across to adults in the home and may not have other same age children there that don't understand them.

I've been reading the responses with great interest, and join those who say that biting is developmental, with many contributing factors.

The solutions?
having fewer children per adult,
having enough $$$ resources to provide enough space for young children to move their bodies safely and freely,
having more than one of toys,
having a wealth of sensory experiences for their little sensory-motor beings,
having qualified staff who give them rich language to describe their actions, and who know how to problem-solve with children - to redirect or find another toy or grab an appropriate chewing toy or simply state their needs or begin the sharing process by helping them to take turns.

I agree with those who say that the author seems to have painted all child care programs with the same negative brush, and seems to assume that biting is only a child care problem - and one that is indicative of unhappy, traumatized children.

My daughter went to a quality child care program that had all of the above suggestions in place. She was bitten and she bit - a couple of times. It was not the end of the world. She is a sociable, glorious teenager today who learned valuable creative, verbal, problem-solving and negotiating skills in her child care program that she would never have achieved as an only child.

My goal? to have all childcare options for families be as responsive and supportive as my daughter's was.

Reading the comments from Ms. Eberstadt made me feel sad. It seems to me that it is so easy to pick an easy target and blame, blame, blame because chances are there will be no response or defense by the accused (child care field)
Bitting is not unusural among infants and toddlers. Most experts agree that children bite because they get frustrated with the lack of language. It would seem that all children would have the same frustrations from time to time. Pointing out child care as the cause indicates that the author may have another agenda. I also take issue with the authors use of the word "institutional" in describing child care. It brings to mind a huge hall with rows of cribs and sad children's faces. In my opinion use of such inflamatory language also suggests another agenda.

Once again, someone has posted a sound byte (no pun intended) that simplifies a complex issue. The real issue is how to make child care programs the best quality they can be with well-trained staff in ratios adequate to meet the needs of children. To say that having children in child care causes them to be unhappy and increases their anti-social behavior does not address the fact that families need child care to function. It only makes parents/guardians feel guilty without offering practical solutions. Families with low incomes need child care the most and are the least likely to be able to afford the highest quality programs. It is a problem that belongs to all of us since access to reliable, affordable, quality child care affects the adults' abilities to go to work to support their families and it affects the children's abilities to develop in healthy ways. Let us focus our efforts on improving the quality of all early childhood education and care programs rather than wasting our time with useless criticisms.

I agree with the author in that biting is a sign of anxiety. Babies and little ones need to bond with the parents, and in institutional situations, caregivers come and go, therefore, these little ones are left feeling lost and defenseless. Little ones belong at home with their Moms and Dads, or even with another family member, NOT in day care, unless there is absolutely no other option.

I was appalled to read Mary Eberstadt's views about childcare and her characterizing young children as zoo animals. It makes me wonder not only about her background, but her agenda.

In our childcare center, there is rarely any biting, if any, at any age level. Why, you ask? Perhaps it is because we maintain "best practice" child to teacher ratios. 1:4 for infants and toddlers, 1:7 for older toddlers 24-36 months old. But, it is not just that. We understand that young children learn through sensory experiences. We offer water, sand, paint - fluid activities- as well as opportunities to push-pull, build up-knock down, open-close, empty-fill. We understand that young children are not ready to share; so, we have multiples of the same toys and materials. We understand that young children need to hear lots of language through stories and adult interactions while being encouraged to use those emerging language skills. Our children are bright, happy, and social.

It is too bad that Ms. Eberstadt paints all of childcare with a wide, ugly brush stroke. I invite her to spend a day in a quality childcare center that puts principles of child development in action. Perhaps it would take the edge off her hostility.

I think that the person view on bitting totally missed the mark. My second child who did not attend child care until he was 2 1/2 was a bitter and it started and ended before he ever attend chilod care. After being in the field for more then 14 years I find children who are from the most part are insecure, many of these children are at the stage where they are not yet talking. This gives then an outlet to be in control of what every situation they are in. When working with children that bit the hardest aspect is dealing with parents, because for the most part children forget about it as soon as they are comforted. As a caregiver the hardest bitter to deal with are those that bite just to bite, it is a lot easier to take charge of a situation it children are fighting over a toy then if a child walks up to another and takes a bite.

Biting is done in non-child care environments too. My son used to bite us when he was frustrated because he wasn't able to communicate verbally at that age. He outgrew it. Many children need attention and biting gets it ...and quick. It is important to give positive attention to children and to help them learn healthy ways of expressing displeasure.

I forgot to mention bitting as a form of communication. We have a mixed age group of 2 1/2, 3, and 4 year olds (total group 14) two teachers, sometimes three ; and our rate of bites is very low (bites are rare in our setting)

This has to be one of the most misguided articles that I have ever read. While biting is not a desirable behavior, and is upsetting to parents, caregivers, the victim, and the biter, it is a normal stage of development for many children. Young children, who are very oral, use their mouths to eat, to explore their world by tasting and chewing, and to express themselves. Bititng can be triggered by anger, but it can also be triggered by teething and even by curiosity. One of the most frequent biters that I knew was my own daughter, who bit frequently between the age of 18 months and two years. She was not in day care, but was at home with me, baking cookies, reading stories, taking walks, singing songs, and having a happy time. It sounds as though the author of this article has an axe to grind with day care and is looking for something that she can twist to prove her idea that child care is not a good situation.

Yes, toddlers bite in group care. They are egocentric and not able to "share" space, loved ones, toys, etc. But, what we've learned as early care professionals is that there are ways to minimize this troubling behavior -- we care for toddlers in smaller groups, we arrange environments to avoid crowding, and we develop meaningful and responsive relationships with caregivers. We do what we can given the nature of 13 to 30 month olds. Perfect solution, maybe not but parents work and children must be cared for.

I can not believe anyone would come to the conclusion that children are unhappy in child care because there is a biter or two in the classroom. I have run and owned a large child care center for 29 years. Some children bite. It is very hard to stop, but it is done every day by the good, caring staff. Other parents are very upset, but we tell them what we are doing, ie letting the child bite a ring he wears or keeping a one on one for several days or redirecting and talking all the time about how good he/she is for smiling and not biting. We have had over 29 years about 3 serious biters. Not exactly a reason to conclude children are unhappy in child care!

The direct relationship example provided that 'day' care is causing aggression is faulty. If given enough space & toys, aggressive behavior rarely develops. If babies & toddlers are kept at home, exposed to no other children biting rarely occurs because therre is no one to bite.
Biting in very young children is the same as hitting, pushing, etc. It can be expressed before language acquisition & rationality. Is it proposed that children be kept in virtual or real isolation from other children until proficient in language and rational? Beginning social behavior is a learned behavior, taking turns, sharing are not natural to most.

I think that the view as presented is far too simplistic. In my experience biting doesn't happen terribly frequently, we can go months and months, even a year, without an incident. The problem is that when it occurs it is very upsetting for the adults to deal with, and that once a biter gets such a dramatic reaction from staff and parents, it may be a very rewarding experience which bears repeating. Also it must be said that biting is a normal developmental stage often resulting from frustration which is not as simple as saying unhappy, and while it is true that early socialization may create some bumps in the road for some children, many others blossom immediately.

This is the same argurment about more sickness in child care. The answer is deceptively simple....there are more children in child care. Hence there are more cold germs...and there are more peers to be upset with and bite. When you're a toddler or preschooler at home, there are fewer situations that may excellate to biting and fewer persons to bite. Becasue children develop at their own rate, group care may indeed by overwhelming to some children, and as a result, they resort to biting. Helping the child develop the language skills and problem solving skills to meet their needs witihout biting, solves not only biting, but other agressive behaviors.

Having been in the early childhood field for over 40 years, i have never heard of a child who bit regularly in the early childhood setting that was not biting at home before he or she got to the center. Of course, some youngsters are in care from a few months and biting may be a recourse babies use to aggressive acts of others. Our literature discusses this because we want to prevent it, stop it from reoccuring, and to provide other means for the child to communicate.

In a group setting, or in a large family, there are other people around that a child might interfere with the child's goals. Generally, if the child is not frustrated or does not have others take toys and so on, the biting is rare. Kids are not dumb. Other children drop toys once they are bitten and that strategy works. So do other strategies that rely on words or sign language. In quality settings, adults teach the alternative strategies while, at the same time, protect the biter from others who may be imposing on him or her, while at the same time, protecting other children from being bitten. All children need to be safe while in care.

I think there needs to be more research done on this before I would be fully convinced that children who bits are feeling unhappy, unprotected and have had to resort to animal instincts. Very interesting, mind you.

I feel that the article is totally rediculous, anyone who knows anything about child development understands the causes of biting and it has nothing to do with "institutional care"!!!

Biting is a natural behavior for young children. Obviously some bite more than others. Teacher work individually with a biting child by redirecting him/her to new activities. Sometimes it takes one on one attention until the child gets past this stage. Communication with all parents is essential. However, it is very distressing for a parent to see their child biting or to see that their child has been bitten.

I have a problem with this story because it does not allow the reader to fully understand the nature of the action. Anyone who understands child development knows that not all children bite. Those who do bite most often are either preverbal and are using the action as the only method they know for communicating or they have been taught in their environment that biting is cute(as with infants) or they are bit back. This technique, while adults think it sends a message to the child "don't do this because it hurts" actually reinforces the behavior. Children are complex and need to be understood.

Since when did biters only bite in their child care setting? Alot of our past biters come into the program at 2 as a biter with siblings at home. I believe that they simply are unable to react with words fast enough, and biting works. Even when they do use their words, the other 2 year old probably doesn't listen and react right away, if they bite, they get immediate results, I am talking about sharing and conflict among them.
To end the habit, you must be working with the parent to make sure the consequences are the same at school and home and that both are consistent. Time out usually works if in agreement.
We have found that in severe cases, when time out at home and school are not effective, bite medicine does the trick right away. (vinegar administered by the parent) If the consequence for wrong behavior is unpleasant and consistent they'll choose another route, teach them to communicate and reward them when they do. Make sure your communication is positive and clear. Our kids want to do what is right.

I agree that biting is disturbing and when your child is the victim it feels awful and spurs so many emotions. I believe that it is not necessarily an institutional issue. I was fortunate to stay at home when my children were young and participated in a play group with three moms and three children. One of the children was a "biter" and even with our close one on one supervision children were still biten. That was almost twenty years ago, I have worked in Early Care & Education for many years and and it seems that some children choose to express frustration through biting. This is not to say that the children that bite past what would seem DAP, do not have other issues. I become concerned that we lump what is rather typical child development with behavoir issues in an older preschooler.

It's been a long time since I've heard the word "institutional care" to describe the care and education of young children. You could almost substitute the word "prison" in this author's writing. Although this may certainly describe some settings for infants and toddlers, I've witnessed many wonderful environments for very young children where biting is not an issue. If these wonderful environments are rare, then we have our work cut out for us, don't we?

That's why I only put my child in child care parttime and was darn picky about who I selected to do the child care. I made a conscious decision before I even had my child that I did not want him or her to be in child care fulltime nor in a large group of children. I did not use a center until she was older. It was a very positive and workable experience for my daughter, the child care provider and my workplace and me. More parents should explore the option.

I am the teacher/supervisor at a pre-school for children with special needs. Our experiences and observations on biting seem to point to frustration in communication. Children often bite when they are unable to express what they need to say and and they have reached a level of stress, i.e. difficulty with sharing a toy. We provide our children with a wide variety of aulternative ways to communicate when they are either non-verbal, pre-verbal or at a 2-3 word sentence stage. Sign language, pictures and keen observation by teachers helps to minimize the biting in a classroom. Children will often give a physical cue before they take a bite. Look for flapping hand, clenching of teeth and a general tensing of body muscles. Thanks for letting me "Sound Off"

Being a mother of a child that went through the toddler stage of biting everyone and everything. A word of caution my son was not in child care, however he did have frequent ear infections and a very high energy child. We were banned from many houses and group activities. I had a cousin who would bite someone at every family party (we are now in our 50's) The childcare setting has brought this stage for some young toddlers in the open. Working with young children on communication skills and checking into any possible health problems are the steps to take when working with a toddler going through this stage at home or in the childcare setting.

It is quite apparent to me that the author Mary Eberstadt, has had little practical experience in quality child care programs. The bottom-line really is not what the children do because they are in child care but where they are coming from (their home environment) and what the child care program's philosophy on educating and training their staff to deal with situations like biting and developmentally appropriate behavior/practices.

Certainly toddlers may feel insecure in a group setting-they are learning about independence and socially acceptable behavior. Children learn by doing! Our roles must be to ensure that children have the necessary tools and guidance to learn about their feelings and how to handle them.

I don't think that childcare is the CAUSE of biting, most children seek pressure for a variety of reasons. (sensory processing, teething, self-soothing) Rather, I think we have more because they have more opportunity and there is more peripheral activities. At home a parent is inclined to predict their child's needs and attend to their child's wants before frustration sets in. I have seen toddlers bite their parents at dropoff and pickup - they are oral creatures & prefer to mouth, not finger things. They don't conceptualize biting causes pain to others nor have they developed the capacity to precict that it could be socially unacceptable.
The last 15 years children seem to develop language skills at a later age than when I raised my 3, and they are less competent at communicating their needs. Less one-on-one perhaps, but I don't consider that an "evil" of childcare. Larger rooms of children does create more competition but I also think that training of childcare workers in typical child development and communication between children is inadequate. When I've received "biters" who were expelled from centers and read their behavior reports it was obvious the workers were not trained in observation and had no idea there are ways to deal with biters other than timneouts and redirection. They tend to react to the situation instead of assess the environment and make changes in the setting or routine -or let the parents know theire child needs to get more sleep!

I guess I'm wondering what first hand experience the author has had dealing with more than one 1 1/2 to 3 year old? I have been managing early childhood programs for 35 years. In all those years only one child has had a "biting" problem in which they needed support outside of the program....due to his special needs. Most biting experiences dissipate quickly for children who are taught appropriate strategies for resolving problems in the classroom along with the proper reaction on the part of the faculty and family.

I raised six children and remember a couple of my sons experiencing similar behavior at that age. We used techniques that taught them words to deal with their anger and strategies for problem solving. They are adults now who teach high school and work in wildlife conservation; peaceful. successful men.

If you go back to the old way of bringing up children there would be very few children available to bite.

yes infants do bite more in daycare, where the requirement to share is more pronounced. 12 years in the field tells me that childrne bite because it gets an automatic response, I bite you let go of the toy, which I then get. Children who bite cannot and do not express them selves with words. what I have stated is common knowledge for those working hands on with children, not academics, who read reports and make horrible correleations between wild animals and our children

I agree that this happens mainly in child care or institutional
settings. The problem is that unless the government or society
is willing to pay mothers to stay home like they do in Europe, I don't see what we could do about it! We're stuck with our system and saying its wrong doesn't help us address the problems. You just make mothers feel guilty about having to work to survive. As a working mother and grandmother with working daughters, I resent this. I'd rather see writers try to help us figure out what else we could do such as lower ratios
but also how can we fund the solutions?

In my twenty five plus years of experience in early childhood, I've seen concerns like this one come, and go. Just because a stack of current articles mention biting doesn't in my experience mean that children are, empirically, biting now more than before. What it may mean is that this is the issue"de jour". And for some reason, biting bothers people. It bothers parents,it bothers staff. It's "not nice". But those in the field and most parents of more than one child, know it is developmental, and if the conditions are appropriate, it will diminish and then disappear. It does not seem, to me, to mean that day care settings are bad for children. Some may be bad, that we know. But much more often, in some settings, the personal values of the providers, or the parents are that "biting" is bad, and the children that do it are "bad" and then someone writes an opinion like the one you posted, and we all read all kinds of things into it about the state of child care, etc. etc. Let's get on with things that really effect us in todays world. Families that can't afford or find space for adequate care for their children, reauthorization of Head Start, full funding of, or elimination of the administrations no child left behind, support of Children's Defense Fund, etc, etc.

Biting only happens at day care?!? I have seen and heard of children who bite at home or at family gatherings. Of course the occurance of biting seems much greater at day care, but isn't that because there is a greater concentration of children in a certain age group? Many of us have also seen biting decrease as children learn how to communicate with others.

This is such a concern everywhere. Is this true?? Are we causing aggressive behavior by having our children in daycares? That is a very scary thought and as an assistant program director who works with toddlers, I am VERY concerned. I am very divided on the subject, part of me wants to help these little ones understand about their feelings and compassion. The other part of me, (the parent of a victim) wants to put the two biters in a playpen or some sort of enclosed area and let them gnaw on each other. Oops...did I really say that LOL
Does someone out there have a magic wand or something that will put an end to this aggressive behavior? The parent side of me still wants to say bite them back but my ECD training tells me to talk about biting hurts. What to do when you live in a Zoo? Forgive me if I seem flippant but it has been a very long day with my sweeties!

The statements of Mary Eberstadt disregard the variations inherent between quality child care and the warehousing of children in substandard care wherein biting is reportedly (according to Ms. Eberstadt) similar to an epidemic. In 20 years of child care I have experienced just two habitual biters, and in both cases myself, the parents and the child have worked together to address the issues and circumstances presented at the time the bites occurred. My experience is that it occurs most often just prior to a child's emergent language expression of frustration or a need for space; both of which occur in and out of child care situations, and both of which can be carefully monitored and controlled. In neither case did it cause even one more child to bite in retaliation or in response to having the concept of biting introduced, nor evidence of any child biting themself. Biting seems to elicit the MOST emotional response of all the physical expressions typically found in young children, and in my opinion, should be treated exactly the same as pushing, hitting, etc. e.g. teaching the perpetrator that every human (adult and child) deserves respect, and that no person has a right to cause another to feel unsafe. Learning social skills is not always easy for a child, and in situations such as this we have an incredible opportunity to teach positive lessons about respect, positive ways to express frustration, and safety. Perhaps Ms. Eberstadt might consider observing babies and toddlers "on the ground" in high-quality environments, rather than via books written on the subject before forming an opinion damning all child care facilities and providers. A PhD in education does not automatically qualify a person to care for children, nor does reading a book and sitting in judgement of "day care" (in general) support positive change and/or address the fact that great improvement is required in this critical field. She may have written a book, but this does not qualify her as a conscious and/or responsible researcher and reporter.

Toddlers bite for many reasons: hunger, experiementation, confusion of kissing with bitting, being tired, teething, excitement, boredom, TOO LARGE RATIOS, etc. I remember a child who was never in child care (One of my peers from more than 50 years ago who was the worst bitter I have ever seen. He even bit a kid though the fense as he pulled her arm through the pickets. He cut him a wide swatch of playground.) This woman has a beef with working moms. What is she going to do to help???? I'll bet she is not in favor of paying moms to stay home with their kids like they do in some countries!!! Grrrrrrr

This writer has taken a little button of a biting issue in early education and care programs, and has fantasy-sewed an entire vest on it. Where has she been? Never seen biting at a baby's birthday party? Some babies do bite, whether they are at home with mom or in a group. The caregivers are very concerned, not only because it seems to influence other babies to bite, but because it isn't safe for babies to bite, and it sends the bitees parents into a tailspin. There are diseases spread by body fluids, and if the biter bites an baby carrying such a disease it is the biter, not the bitee who is at risk. Parents of biters are unhappy, wherever they are, but the babies are not so much unhappy as frustrated by inability to communicate.

I am of the opinion that biting is a defensive mode, and once or even twice is a learning experience, after that it indicates a problem in the daycare. A biter is communicating, and not having his expressions understood. I agree with the article.

Clearly this writer has only a partial understanding of the motivations a toddler may have for biting, which can include teething, frustration with developing communication skills, role-playing and even curiosity. I find fault with her assertion that biting happens in day cares and preschools more than anywhere else. I've seen and heard of children doing it anywhere -- at home, at the park, at grandma's. But which of these places document biting incidents?

Of course biting is dramatic for the child who is doing it as it is an out croping of feelings inside that they do not understand and cannot express in words. For the child or adult receiving the bite the pain and invasion to their person is also undesired. But I really think that the enviornment in which this is happening in is important. Child care centers have too many children in a large space with not enough staff to supervise and maintain safety. They are over worked and under paid. The make up of the group child care center lends itself to providing the atmosphere in which this can happen. That with the development of the child and whatever factors at home are adding to it make the situation a hard one to have a one single solution for.

I have worked with toodlers and their families for more than 10 years and yes biting does happen. There are peaks and valleys with biting and children. We offer children teethers to chew on and are available on the floor for all of the children. We are intuned to their needs through on going observations. Yet, it still does happen. Children bite for many reasons; to see the reaction, out of frustration, being hungry, lack of social skills/language. These are all developmental areas that are typical for toddlers to experience. If their is a child who is biting we shadow that child and make sure we are their to offer the words or stop it before it happens.
It is never easy when we have to tell a parent their child has been bit. Some children bite, some push and some scratch. I think it is so hard too because it seems almost animalistic behaviour and yet we also have to worry about universal precautions to infection for both children involved. Be patient! These children are oral.....give them safe alternatives to chew on.

Unbelievable! Daycare causes biting! TEETH cause biting! Yes it can be a symptom of an unhappy child but biting occurs quite often with stay at home moms and their children quite frequently. Maybe it appears that there are more occurences in daycare because the children simply have more opportunities because they are in a social world with plenty of "victims" to try out there teeth on. I think most kids try biting at some point no matter where they are or how they are raised. In my daycare experience the children usually first bit at home, usually to their parent before trying it at daycare. I know this because I have had several parents "warn" me that their little angel has started biting them and wanted to warn us or ask if it has started happening at the daycare. Biting is a part of developmnet as far as I'm concerned. Most children will try to see what happens. It is nothing more than a simple cause and effect experiment to them. Certainly there are more serious cases that need more attention but we've handeled every biter successfully by having one staff person assigned to the biter at all times so they can see the threat before it happens and help the biter put words on the feelings instead of biting to show his feelings. Yes it is expensive to have a 1 to 1 ratio but it is much better than expulsion!

I have 3 beautiful daughters, all attended either centre-based and/or home based child care part time, one still does. Only one of my 3 children ever bit another child in care, she did it once to one child (who had bitten her). But at home she bit her older sisters every night in the bath. She is in nature, more fiesty than the other two, but I can't hold child care responsible for that!!

My philosophy of working with young children has always been that children do the best they can with the skills they have. As infants and toddlers the skills they have to get their needs met are often physical. Biting is the one most unacceptable behavior. Yes, it does seem animalistic to some, but I can't accept it that way. I do my best to understand the motivation of the behavior; spacial issues, need for a toy, adult attention etc. and devlop a plan to help that child. Remembering they are only 1 year old. My question is, though it is developmentally appropriate for children to bite and there are plans to stop the behavior what do you do when the child just doesn't get it? A one year old will look at you dumbfounded as to why you are telling her biting is not ok and why she can't just go about her business. Then what? Developmentally that child doesn't understand.

I believe that Eberstadt has made some ridiculous statements in order to "prove" her idea that public child care is bad for children, when in fact many children benefit from such care. Many children use biting as a coping mechanism regardless of what type of care they receive. Children bite others because they have not yet learned self control, not because they have been turned into sociopaths at child care centres. Most (if not all) of the strategies used in regulated child care involve teaching children how to cope without using biting or other behaviour that hurts others, and also teaching children positive social skills. It's true that biting can be a problem, but it is hardly the social travesty that Eberstadt claims.

Biting is a natural form of expression for infants/toddlers who do not possess the words to communicate their feelings and needs. It's not a moral dilemma; it's a developmental issue. When a child occasionally bites in our child care center, I am glad we have observant, well-trained, thoughtful caregivers in place. When the adults really know the children in their care, they can offer the help needed in the moment. Close observation helps caregivers meet needs that, if unmet, can lead to biting -- such as providing food when children are hungry, or having beds ready when children are tired, or taking children outside when more space is needed.

When biting does occur, we focus on safety & providing soft touches and words that demonstrate gentleness. This type of modeling helps children learn to be gentle, over time. We also offer teethers to children, especially biters. We want to show children that their behavior (biting) is natural, and while it's okay to bite food or a teether, it's not okay to bite a person. This type of respect is the foundation of good early care, whether at home with mom or in a center.

Only when biting occurs too often is concern warranted. Sometimes it’s due to illness, fatigue, a parent's absence or other changes from the norm. Sometimes long hours in child care, even a high-quality program, create frustration & an inability to cope, which can lead to biting. That’s when we sit down with the parents & talk about a variety of strategies that will help, including picking their child up earlier or spending a day or two at home together. Children need to have their emotional batteries recharged -- special, one-on-one times with parents are often just what they need.

I think preschool programs are an important socialization process for young children. The emphasis this author focuses on biting is a common behavior in young children whether the child stays at home or is in a quality program. This author has an obvious bias and slant to her writing. It sounds a lot like sensationalist journalism.

Yes, being in group care inthe first two years of life is indeed stressful for little ones. Blood chemistry stress indicators (cortisol tests) show this. But, the value for a parent in poverty to be able to gain paid employment and have her youngster taken care of safely and well has proved a positive benefit for families in poverty. However, far more support for quality care is needed. Many caregivers do not provide the rich turn taking talk, the intimate pats, back rubs, caresses and leisurely holding on laps and in arms that little ones need!. So our solution for decreasing aggressive actions in group care is more training for staff, more loviing touches, more holding in arms, more intimate one-on-one interactions, more genuine focused attention to each baby and toddler. Support for high quality care will ease the problem of Aggressive actions in groups, though they will never totally disappear.

Biting is natural toddler behavior whether or not they are in group care. Most bitters come into our programs with a propensity for biting, usually because of conflicts with older siblings or because parents encourage biting as "play." In my 28 years of experience, I find families are more upset by biting because of fears of infection and AIDS, which is why we all have biting policies which were not necessary before. Like most childhood behavior, biting is a complex issue and usually stops when we discover why children bite (often because of lack of communication skills) and when parents do their part at home to discourage it.

It is a naive assumption that biting does not occur anywhere else except in day care. Children that have never experienced day care may bite siblings. Some inidividuals have chosen to stay home, not enroll their child in day care, but still want the stimulation that a small play group offers AND their child bites. Perhaps the question becomes why is it reported more from day care settings that children bite instead of from home or small play group type settings? Parents are less likely to report aggressive or socially unacceptable behavior that occurs at home. So, logic would say that considering proimity and opportunity alone, children may have more liklihood to bite in day care. It is incorrect to assume that the only children that bite are in day care. Is there really any evidence to support that any child that bites has long term mental illness?

Biting is a problem in the child care setting. However not all children bite. Most children have wonderful experiences in childcare settings and never bite another child. Mary Eberstardt insinuates that all children exhibit "survival of the fittest" behavior in the childcare setting. There are a few children who may feel that way. After all we don't know for sure. In my experience most biters have limited vocabulary skills. The parents, teachers and directors of childcare centers must decide if an individual child id suited for group care. Each child is an individual and each biting situation should be judged on an individual basis.

I feel this article is very haphazard about a large and troubling issue in childcare and preschool. Since the world is the way it is...meaning parents are forced to put their children in care at a very young age, and for longer periods of time than ever before...I suggest finding a solution that works and helps rather than blame an already trampled-through-the-mud profession/system.

Biting is the worst issue I deal with as a director of an employer sponsored, on-site child care center. However, surmising that child care is a bad environment for children based on biting behaviors is very shortsighted.

Biting is just one of the many "primitive" behaviors very young children exhibit when they do not have language skills to express their needs, anger, love or excitement. Some children pinch, push or hit when their needs are not understood by their peers or caregivers, behaviors equally disconcerting to all involved. Biting just happens to be the one that adults find the more abhorrent. As an example, no adult ever commented on how terrible it was when Mike Tyson would severely beat his opponent, but when he bit an opponent, well, suddenly Mike Tyson's behavior was unacceptable!

Perhaps stay at home parents are not surveyed to find out if biting is a behavior that occurs in the home. I would venture to say that children that stay at home with a parent will have fewer biting occurrences than those in child care. However, if those stay at home children attend a play group or other social setting with children in their approximate age group, a higher percentage of biting incidents will occur because they are in a setting where conflict will arise. When conflict arises, the toddler will use whatever means they have to get what they want until they have the ability to use language to express their needs.

In the 16 years that I have worked in child care, I have found that the children who bite are those that have trouble communicating with others with words or gestures. It is not because they are in a day care setting. It occurs more often because there are more children together and we have to document every occurence. Who documents it when it happens with stay at home Mom's? (and yes, it happens there too!) A "GOOD" day care center can provide a wonderful experience for the children who attend!

I will begin by saying I believe we need to take another look at why children bite. Children at this age may have some language but do not have the communication skills to verbalize all of their wants and feelings. Biting can simply be due to teething or even another child being in their space. It does not mean a child is angry if he/she bites to obtain a toy or bites to say I'm tired. We must realize that it is not typical for a child this age to be in a setting of all children at a similar stage of development. This is a time of learning and developing skills...this means that children do not have all the social skills to interact appropriately in this or any other setting. It is the job of the child care provider to support the child through this time and encourage socially acceptable behavior. This is a journey not a one step cure. The animal instinct these children are displaying is expected when they have no other means of communicating...obviously biting is effective. These incidents lend themselves to the opportunity to teach! Biting can occur in any setting. Thank goodness this happens in the care of loving people. When biting occurs, not only is the bitee scared, but so is the biter. I applaud the work of the child care givers and thank them for creating a safe, predictable, and loving environment for young children.

Biting occurs both in day care and in the home. It is a problem in day cares because the "victims" of infant and toddler biting tend to be the other children rather than the parent or older sibling, both of whom respond differently than an age cohort would respond. I believe that twin studies show that biting is an issue regardless of where the child is cared for. Twins and multiples also bite each other. I do not think we can "blame" daycares for this behavior; it appears to be a natural response to many different factors and can not be attributed to learned violence.

As a director of a large child development center, where ratios in classrooms are lower than those usually found in home care, I am curious to know what the writer has to say about toddlers who bite that are not in any kind of group setting. Though I am sure that there are many settings that create adverse behaviors, there are also many settings that help young children grow and thrive. In today's world, we are faced with the reality that people must work to put a roof over their head and food on their table. In our setting, we serve working parents. Our parents are not working to have "extras", they are working to provide basics. We strive to provide families with a quality setting, with low ratios, wonderful learning materials and great staff.
We do face the "biting issue" now and then, but certainly wouldn't agree that it is because children are in child care, or because they feel "caged" in.

I sincerely hope that this does not lump all childcare centers under the 'institution' heading. Anyone who knows early childhood education knows that all of these behaviors are normal for toddlers. There has been much research and believe me I have witnessed many toddlers and the behaviors are not animalistic or for fear of their surroundings. The children here are just as comfortable as they are in their own home, they have true ownership here and feel loved as well. The behaviors are normal and should not be categorized with animals at a zoo!

The problem centers around the "bitee" as well as the "biter". Families of children who are bitten can become irate and blame the provider for non-supervision, even when nothing could be farther from the truth. In our case, we've had parents threaten to withdraw their children from our center, feeling it was an unsafe environment if their child can be bitten. No matter how much you try to reason with them about how biting is normal developmental behavior and how you are working hard to keep their child safe, they are not convinced. Biting is a very emotional issue.

I would like to extend an invitation to Mary Eberstadt to come and visit our child development center. It seems that Eberstadt needs to do a little less "browsing" of the literature and a little less concluding based on what she refers to as "clear evidence". Eberstadt would benefit from field observation and possibly a little more research into human development. Biting is a NORMAL part of a child's development. Chidren bite to relieve the pain of teething, to relieve the pain of an ear infection, to show affection, to protect their space or belongings, because they are tired, and because they are mad. Biting happens more in a group setting for the mere fact that there is more children than in a home setting. Our children develop communication and social skills very early. These skills continue to develop and serve these children well. We are not "parent substitutes". We are part of "the village" it takes to raise a child.

First of all, I hate it when someone refers to childcare as being an institution. When children attend school, is it referred to as an institution?
Of course, biting does not occur so much at home because there aren't as many, if any, other children there. Biting often is a natural stage of development resulting from a child's need to communicate. For the majority of our children, it is a brief stage through which they quickly pass. For some children, biting is a symptom of a deeper problem and for these children, biting does not just occur at school.
To indite the whole system of childcare because of biting is as inappropriate as saying all sports are bad because some people have chosen to take steroids to boost their performance levels.
The fact that there is a lot of literature concerning biting simply means that childcare personnel are constantly in search of ways to improve the care of their children.

As a daycare director I wish biting did not occur! However, biting is no worse an agression than hitting or pushing, but parents get upset because of saliva and possible blood transmission. I believe biting is mostly caused by young children teething and the sensitivity they feel in their mouths at this age. Some children bite and other hit. All of it requires that we train the child what we do with our mouths and hands. Naturally a child at home with just Mom is not going to get bit, but to say biting is caused by daycare is not accurate. As the oldest of 5 children growing up I remember small children in the neighborhood biting each other and my mother squabbling with the neighbor over it! Does that mean we ignore it? Definitely not! We begin teaching children from the youngest age to be kind to others, no matter what the issue. We also use preventive measures to prevent it from happening to protect the other children from the biter.

It has been my experience that even amongst siblings (attending child care or not) bitting can be an issue. I agree with the author that the child's initial reason for bitting is a defensive reaction. However, it is my belief that after the initial bite the reaction of all involved is what encourages consectutive occurances. I am not sure what the author is refering to when using the term "institutional day care". In my family child care where we have a small group not all children will bite. However, if one does bite then it can become an accepted reaction to an upsetting situation. Teaching compasion and other acceptable reactions has always worked for us in ending this aggressive behavior.

Yes I have come across many biters in my years of experience in early childhood education, however by no means did any of this children appear to be unhappy with their surroundings. Their biting was usually a way to express their anger about a particular incident or dispute with another child. When the child was not biting he/she had great relations with the teachers and other children, participated in activities and overall was very happy.

We have a Parents as Teachers Program that serves Childcare Providers in our county in Michigan. They have reported that their number one concern is biting and we seek to find ways to help them.

Highly recommend the book No Biting-Policy and Practice for Toddler Program by Gretchen Kinnell available through Red Leaf Press. This insightful read of only 55 pages includes why toddlers bite, what to do when then do and has information and samples of biting policies.

Most babies and toddlers bite at least once during this period of growth. The reasons are varied. Certainly they may be expressing frustration or confusion, but never in my 24 years of experience working with children of this age did I label a biting baby or toddler "aggressive" or viewed it as a "habit".
We need to be the adults in these situations and recognize that biting is a form of communication, albiet poor, but after all, these are babies! It is up to us to stay vigilant with a biting baby or toddler and teach them more effective ways to communicate when biting happens. We need to come to a place in our raising up of humans in this society to recognize children's behavior as their language. Their behavior is telling us something. I don't believe that biting behavior in a child or group of children is an indictment on group care.

PLeeeeaaassseee!!!! While the issue of biting in child care is most unpleasant, why do we need another reason (and "expert") to make parents feel bad about working and using child care? Biting does occur. Are the children who bite unhappy? Maybe? Is group care for under 3 year olds the ultimate experience? No. Would all of us in this profession like to change things? Yes. Let me be President for the week, and a National child care and parent policy would exist. Would biting stop? Probably, cause most children would be home with parents or in a program with incredible staff to child ratios.

I would suggest a multi age environment for children. I group of two year olds - in the same room - all preverbal would have a higher tendency to get frustrated and bit - than a age group of 2's, 3's, 4's, and 5's mixed in a group. It is much more natural and healthy for the children to be in these mixed age groupings!

Mary Eberstadt could succeed as a comedian if she were not so ill informed. She paints the ludicrous picture of child care as a place where little children stalk around teeth bared as they feast on one another and the adults in charge. Too bad she didn't at least research her information. Biting in very young children is not uncommon, whether it be in child care, at home or in Sunday School. I remember my own babies who had to learn that if they bit me when they nursed, I would stop nursing for few moments and then try again. They learned very quickly. When toddlers or even three year olds play together there are times when one child bites and the other is bitten. This is not a sign that child care teaches aggressionn - it is just one more part of growth and development, and learning. We as adults are responsible for supervising children so they don't get hurt, and for guiding children in social skills. Parents have this responsiblity at home and teachers at child care. Iin child care we must strive for communication that is excellent between the child care provider and the parent, to build trust with the parents so they are ready to form a team to help with the issues that arise, and to carefully supervise the children in our care. Beyond that there will always be times when one child bites, or hits, or otherwise hurts or injures another child. The same thing happens in any situation where there is more than one child. Child care is a profession. We study, we work hard, we care deeply for the chidlren and families we serve. Quality child care is the goal. Help us achieve it Mary, don't undermine it.

Biting may not represent deep psychological problems, however, a human bite can transmit disease, althought very rare. In fact, I know of only one case in the literature where a case of Hepititis B was transmitted in a day care setting. However, under the Bloodborne Pathogens Standards, a lot of steps and money are needed to ensure that the biter has not transmitted Hepatitis or HIV/Aides. Written incident reports, blood work, doctor visits over several months are all required, plus the parent of a child being bitten will have little sympathy for a child development program that allows this behavior to occur. On this issue, logic and emotion have a wide gap and it is a "hot button" issue, similar to head lice.

Given our work day world for both parents, child development programs will be needed for the foreseeable future. Perhaps it would be better to have children reared by parents in their homes but unrealistic. A better solution is to provide quality care with qualified teachers that have low child/staff ratios, and maximize parent involvement.

Respectfully,

Stuart Reynolds PhD
Health Coordinator
Child Inc.
Austin, Texas

I agree that biting in a childcare center can be very troublesome. I don't see bitng necessarily as a sign of aggresion but of development. Young children are very oral and put everything in their mouths. They are alsop not very verbal and biting can be used as a typwe of communication tool. I feel that the reason biting is noticed more in childcare settings and not other settings is because more children are now in childcare. Also, parents get very upset when biting occurs because it is animalistic behavior. People don't bite animals do!! When my son was about 2 we had a period where he bit others and he wasn't in any type of childcare setting. Biting has always been around with young children, it's jujst more of an issue today because more children are in childcare.,

To me, babies and toddler age children are biting most often due to lack of language development. They can't yet express in words what their needs or wants are of another child (or adult). Most children who I have seen be considered "hibitual offenders" of biting others has over come the habit once they are able to express themselves in words, words that their childcare providers teamed together with their parents must role model for them.

I can't say that I agree with the comparison of the animals in the zoo. I don't feel the children in our center are treated as such. We provide a great environment for our toddlers and every now and then we do have a child that bites. We work closely with the parents and we get through the issue.

In classes I teach and trainings I provide I am constantly amazed at EC educators response to biting. I see biting as a normal developmental behavior which some but not all children exhibit. We may see it more in group care because it can be a reaction to children sharing toys or materials when their aren't "ready" for that or because it gets a big reaction from children and adults. While it can become a "problem", if staff is aware that a child is going through a biting phase I think the best strategy is to observe the times and situations and help the child mediate these situations with close support. I do not believe that children should be excluded from care and ceratinly not expelled.

And exactly how many "studies" have been done about those children not in a child care setting that have issues with biting? This still happens among siblings and playmates not involved in Daycare. To suggest daycare is the only cause is way off base.

Having been an early childhoodeducator for over 30 years, I believe there are certain children that have an initial response to stress or frustration by biting. I am not sure I believe that it is indicative of a child care setting or just an inate behavior for some children who have low frustration levels, poor language skills, sensory issues etc. I think a group setting may bring these behaviors to the forfront more readily- however I do believe the behaviors would show themselves even if the child was at home with a parent or one provider. I believe the quality of the care is relivant not necesarily the size.

Great day care does not cause children to be more aggressive and bite more frequently. The high energy children are the ones that child care attracts most frequently. These children are always challenging to keep on task and they are frequently the children who need more "one on one" in the classroom. As a result, they sometimes become frustrated and then can bite. All children, at certain stages of their lives, can bite. It makes no difference if they are in group care or at home with their parents.

It seems pretty obvious that a child might bite less at home (if such is in fact found to be true) because there are simply fewer people to bite! Biting is not a reflection of happiness but a way children communicate frustration or show immature impulse control. Both are developmental - not institutional factors.

We limit our rooms to no more then eleven children, with two and three providers. When we have a child who bites we make a concerted effort to fill this child's need for oral stimulation. If they are a pacifier user we keep it in their mouth (with paret permission) as much as possible. We also give the child many cold chew type toys or pretzels as we can get them to accept. We also talk to them about how it hurts their friends. We have the parents work with us, by continuing our practice at home. It sometimes takes a few weeks but they get through the oral stage and everything is fine. It is wrong to make such blanket statements that day-care causes agression. If this is true how do you explain that out of one-hundred children in my center; three were biting. The rest were happy, healthy and well behaved. Most likely the people making these rash judgements, know nothing about development of young children and have never owned or worked in a child care center.

Bravo to everyone who is pointing out that "biting" is a normal developmental stage. I would only like to add - does the fact that my son bit me while he was nursing make me a bad mother or nursing a bad form of nurturing my child? Child care is a wonderful place for social and emotional interaction - if all you ever do is read a stack of literature, how will you ever know what real child care is like? If you haven't been to a child care lately - go visit a few and make a decision about this "problem" after.

A child may bite because they don't feel safe, but do they have enough toys to play with so there isn't fighting over the same doll or the same bike? My most positive 2-year old classroom experience was with teachers who had been working with little ones for 20 yrs. each, and biting was very, very rare. Each activity had AT LEAST two of the same item available, and there were plenty of options for the children so that they wouldn't get bored. I feel boredom is a key element in most behavior problems for all ages, but especially little ones. They were also always working with the children on using their words. When one child would bite another, especially if it started to "spread," they would bring all the children together in the circle area and practice saying "NO!" The teachers would be very animated and they had the children say it loud, in whispers, and in silly voices. Then they would talk about biting and how to use their words and what the emotions are that they are feeling when they want to bite or have been bitten. The children who had bitten would be spoken to outside the circle, but their actions were never mentioned in the circle. We need to create a constructive, supportive environment for the children so they feel safe. Too often children are blamed for our lack of willingness to change our tactics and go out of our way to change our teaching style to suit the needs of the children.

I find this information intriguing and as I ponder the idea I believe the real concern is how to make care for very young children higher quality - better teacher child ratios, better educated and trained teachers, less turnover in order to create better continuity of care...and the list goes on. The reality is that young children are in out of home care- parents work and go to school. We have a responsiblity to ensure that programs help children have safe, secure and happy experience.

Very young children who are developing language and social skills in group care depend on having highly qualified and caring adults to guide their learning. In your reference to Mary Eberstadt's book, you say that she is using a "stack of advisory literature" to provide strategies for coping with biting as a troublesome behavior. Research on high quality child care programs supports the view that this behavior is manageable if the program structure and culture within the program is developed with an understanding of young children's needs and developmental expectations. Biting is found as a rare occurrence in programs which go beyond "institutional care" and provide an understanding of child development and an appropriate environment which nurtures and meets the emotional learning needs of young children as they move through this developmental stage. While biting is seen as aggressive behavior, it must also be understood as natural in the progression of learning that takes place in the early years. If the reaction to this behavior is to "expel" the child rather than to teach and guide the child, how will this young child learn how to react to his/her frustrations? The answer is not to blame "day care" as the reason we have aggression in children, but to fund improvements to quality in the care provided during these early years. Research shows that quality counts as a determinant to prevent biting and other aggressive behaviors; however, quality costs! Our country has to understand that we must increase the educational level of those who provide "institutional care" so that they become aware of how to solve these situations through learning about child development. Young children need a voice to cry out and tell about "how institutional care is experienced" by the defenseless; but, that voice has to be reasonable and clearly know that it is up to us to fight for improved quality in their care programs to reduce aggressive behaviors.

Biting is a totally developmentally appropriate, of course it is not socially acceptable. Children in child care appear to bite more because they are with their peers, children of the same age or developmental level. It is not common to have six or eight children the same age, humans generally don't reproduce that way. For this reason, people generalize to find "institutional care" at fault. It's human nature, not child care. Once the children do learn to verbalize, biting usually stops.

The fact that biting is the most serious behavorial problem is true. However alarming there are reasons for this type of action, teething is probably the most common reason why children bite. Also note that biting can become a behavioral
issue if it reinforces attention to the biter, and not the victim.
One solution is serve hard crunchy foods during snacks and meals, others would be put a chew toy on the child to use when the need arises for them to bite on something. I find these work very well in my daycare home setting.

I work with 22 toddlers age 12 months to 36 months every day and "biting" is NOT an issue that is troublesome. Yes - A toddler will occasionally bite when another child takes his toy because the toddler can't talk - so what better way to make a point that the toy "is mine"? We always address the behavior by reminding the toddler it is not OK to bite and to use "soft touches" and we remind the child who was bitten that it is not OK to take toys from another child. We have these children up to 10 + hr. a day and "biting" is NOT a major problem. Daycare is NOT a problem and it annoys me that we are continually blamed for inappropriate behavior. Our children are NOT overly "sick" and NOT any more "aggressive" than any other 2-year-old who wants a toy and our toddlers are definitely NOT "unhappy". I can't believe children are "expelled" for biting. If toddlers are kept busy with fun activities and a classroom has enough developmentally appropriate choices to interest the toddlers - then biting is very rare. We provide a "safe" environment filled with "love" and "enrichment educational" activities. The alternative is for some of our children to be at home in unsafe and poor neighborhoods with often very negative living environments. Daycare & preschool is a good thing and has been proven a success! (Early Head Start Program)

Tis is an example of narrow mindedness and misinformation. Babies and toddlers bite at home and nobody else hears about it - so are they all unhappy. Bitting is used to communicate but not always unhappiness. Children who don't have the vocabulary or verbal skills bite just to say HI! The person SHOULD check out DAP literature.

I'd like to relate a humorous story about my son growing up that might elucidate why children bite. My son was at the playground climbing up the ladder of the sliding board. Another child was in front of him dilly-dallying at the top step. Being impatient, my son bite the closest part of the other child's body. The point I'd like to make is that biting is not necessary an example of aggression, but a form of communication for a child who has not become proficient or comfortable with language. Yes, biting happens in child care, but it also happens in any situation in which two or more children are together that want something from another and are not capable of communicating with language.In fact, if a child does not have this social experience with other children, how does he develope this essential skill of communicating.

AARGGHH!! What a frusrating piece to read. I understand that the issue of biting may seem on the surface to be a "group care" issue that solves some inner frusration young children have with being in "day care", but REALLY- let's look at the whole picture here. Our mouths (adults and children alike) have some of the strongest muscles in our bodies. At a time when children are learning the ebb and tide of power and control, AND happen to be doing alot of brain development orally they USUALLY try biting- whether in group care, or at home with mom or dad, or an individual provider. Depending on the child and the way the specific incident is handled from the get go, the child may or may not go further into the "biting stage" that can be so frusrating and dangerous in the group care environment. As a director of a large center (45 kids per day from 3 months-6 yrs) I can assure you almost all of the children that have bitten here have done so at a young age when EMOTIONALLY and physically it feels GREAT to sink your teeth into something soft that screams. THAT's how to exert power at a young age, that's how to get immediate and dramatic results from your actions, and it is NOT more likey for an 8month-18 month old to do it in group care than it is for them to do it at home- as I can attest by my own son, my best friends son, and each and every infant parent that has come into our center with the story "HE BIT Me this WEEKEND!!" "I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT!!" Mom's and Dad's can appropriately check their reaction, control the shock and pain, and react appropriately- peers can not, and THAT's what causes the NATURAL tendancy to testy out the power of their mouths to turn into a more dangerous issue.

I recall biting as an issue in our neighborhood when I was a young child... and the "solution" (which did not work) was for an adult to bite the child back!

Toddlers bite when they are frustrated, before their language ane other skills allow them more effective means of expressing themselves and getting what they need.

Before we dismiss Eberstadt's piece for its anti-child-care bias, we should stop and think about how we can make these toddlers' experience less frustrating. And observe carefully to see what leads up to the biting and use our most creative thinking to change the situation to improve their experience.

Toddlers seldom bite their siblings at home, and biting is much less common in family child care than centers. I think it is because of the mixed-age group. Family child care providers say that god never gave one woman many toddlers, and I think there is a wisdom to this. Do toddlers do better in mixed-age groups? I would like to hear from teachers in centers that combine toddlers with babies and two-year-olds on this idea.

Life happens and biting happens! Obviously knowing something about child development would be left up to the ones who work with children. What kind of propaganda does America have to endure with child care vs. stay at home? Parent should not be made to feel guilty for choosing to go to work. Children are not animals in the zoo. Children in child care are growing and developing with others socially and emotionally, the behavior of biting is normal opportunities for learning acceptable behavior and social interaction. Common sense is missing from Mary Eberstadt new book.

I often see biting taking place during times of the day in which children feel "out of control". Transition times mainly are a key indicator during which we see this "animal like behavior". My role as a program specialist is to put individual plans in place for the children as well as work with the teachers who are working with the children. We many times look to see when the behavior is taking place and try to appropriately make that child feel in control during those times. For example if we are going outside, we walk with the child holding their hand, saying "We are going outside, what are we going to do out there today?" Even though most children are too young to answer, they understand what's being said to them and thus are thinking about what they are going to do. They also feel safe and "in control" because they have been transitioned slowly. Most teachers who get frustrated at children who are biting are unintentionally causing the children to feel "out of control". They provide too many transitions or don't validate feelings, once teachers change some of their own behaviors, you see a decrease in the biting.

I found this excerpt on biting very frustrating! In my 18 years of experience working with infants and toddlers, I can say I have NEVER experienced an "epidemic" of biting, and I have also NEVER expelled a child for biting. Biting can be a developmentally appropriate behavior for young children, and happens for a variety of reasons. One of these reasons could be that they are unhappy, but the reasons also include teathing, oral exploration, and their inability to use language to solve their problems. Another primary reason biting can become a problem in an infant/toddler environment is poor ratios. Programs that are experiencing extreme problems with biting and aggression, are typically programs of low to poor quality, and poor teacher/child ratios. When is society going to understand that we cannot generalize and say problems children are experiecing in later childhood are not simply due to day care, but are due to POOR QUALITY child care. In addition, I also feel that it is not only the poor quality child care, but also comes down to the family and the parents. There are certainly going to be exceptions, you are going to have children who are non-typically aggressive. In these situations, it is the teacher's responsibility to do all they can for this child and family, and get them any help/support they may need!!

I completely disagree with the author. Biting is an imitative behavior, and children in groups will tend to imitate others in the group. This author's assertion that biting happens in day care disallows that biting ALSO happens with children with mothers that stay at home with them. Children at home NEVER bite? When I did own a child care center many times parents (who were at home with their child) asked for advice about biting and/ or begged for their child to be enrolled because they were the victim of their child's bites!
There are proven strategies for biting and for preventing biting. Yes, it can be a problem in group care - until we work with the child, staff and parents to curb (redirect) the appetite of the biter - then biting is no problem. This author is biased, no amount of talking is going to change this fact. Wow, what a negative person looking for a negative topic and creating a negative outcome! Very sad.

Where I feel Ms. Eberstadt's opinion becomes short-sighted is in the fact that, yes, biting reflects a child's need to protect herself, and, yes, a parent or caregiver's job is largely to provide protection for a young child. However, even in the "wild" one thing that is observable in any species is that once a young animal reaches a certain age even the parent will actually seemingly attack the young animal. What is actually happening is that the parent is simply teaching the animal to protect himself. People are no different. At some point, we must teach children to protect themselves. Children bite because they do not yet have mastery over language. What a great oppportunity to teach them to use words rather than aggressive behavior to solve their conflicts. I believe, as with anything, the earlier they are exposed to this opportunity, the more successfully they will ultimately assimilate the lesson. At daycare, as in any older child's school, a teacher's job is simply to de-escalate the conflict situation as much as possible. When my daughter was in daycare she was bitten and scratched and did her share in return. Such is life. We need to stop thinking we can or should protect kids from life, rather just help them deal with it in the most constructive way.

I have worked in the childcare field for 23 years, 10 years as a director, and I have never expelled a child for biting. Has biting occurred? Yes. Is there any specific event that causes it? No. The teachers work very hard, however, to miimize the causes and also the action.
I have been a parent for the past 29 years. One of my children was a biter, and he was not in childcare. He bit for a number of reasons, sometimes even to show affection. His biting was not caused by being in the childcare setting. Conversely, evey child who comes to childcare will not be bitten, nor will they bite.

This article uses the old tactic of setting up a straw man and then knocking him down. Babies and toddlers do exibit biting behavior in other situations than childcare. Many parents of toddlers have asked me for help with this very problem. However, it is in the childcare arena that professionals can observe, gather data and address the issue. Some stay at home parents are somewhat isolated and don't have the resources available to the childcare community to help deal with routine concerns that come up when raising children. A community of people who care about children and are dedicated to providing love and stimulation for their growth and development can be a great resource for parents - even those who do not choose to (or need to) use childcare. An article like this clearly has an agenda to promote and is not worthy of serious consideration.

This article uses the old tactic of setting up a straw man and then knocking him down. Babies and toddlers do exibit biting behavior in other situations than childcare. Many parents of toddlers have asked me for help with this very problem. However, it is in the childcare arena that professionals can observe, gather data and address the issue. Some stay at home parents are somewhat isolated and don't have the resources available to the childcare community to help deal with routine concerns that come up when raising children. A community of people who care about children and are dedicated to providing love and stimulation for their growth and development can be a great resource for parents - even those who do not choose to (or need to) use childcare. An article like this clearly has an agenda to promote and is not worthy of serious consideration.

I can't wait to use this new feature to rip on the next EED !

While some of Mary Eberstadt's opinions on biting might apply to child care centers ie children unhappy/upset, her opinion that biting is a day care problem is wrong. I have personal experience with a nephew who bit my child. These 2 boys are 5 weeks apart in age and as young mothers my sister and I spent much time together in a HOME setting yet this child bit for many of the same reasons that young children in child care settings bite; he wanted whatever toy my son had. My nephew quickly learned that if he bit his cousin, his cousin would drop the toy. While this was not the action either my sister or I wanted, this action was effective for the toddler. People need to face the fact that some young pre verbal children do bite whther they are in group care or with stay at home mothers. No one likes this behavior but it should not be blamed on child care. Thirty years ago when I was in college studying early childhood/ elementary education, biting was discussed. Child care centers were really just beginning, yet biting was taking place in your typical nursery school settings. Were the nursery schools to blame? Should young children never be exposed to group settings ie Sunday schools, story hours, play groups, neighborhood friends? I can't believe that even Mary Eberstadt would advocate keeping children isolated in their own hoes. All toddlers have difficulty sharing and sometimes communicating. We as parents and educators need to help children learn acceptable behaviors.

Biting happens. When I operated the child care center, I drew all staff into the necessity of helping the biter feel valued in spite of this horrible action. (We also removed and cared for the victim, first). No staff was allowed to ostracize the biter or"point fingers". We were firm but fair and loving. We tried to draw parents in, too. No child failed to improve with the staff's support.

I haven't read her original article, but I'm suspicious of Ms. Eberstadt's logic on biting as reported in EED. To argue it's prevalent because it receives attention is spurious at best. A problem like biting is worth discussing not only for its frequency but also because it's dangerous, challenging to deal with, raises strong emotions, etc. Perhaps those are the reasons we have so much literature it. We need solid data, rather than a pamphlet count, before we can argue the merits of Ms. Eberstadt's broad conclusions about aggression in daycare.

I was the Mom of a biter. I was also the Director of the center in which she was a biter. For her, her small size, lack of verbal ability led to the most effective social statement she had - a bite! But she tended to bite her best beloved friends. And yes, she nipped at me and my husband too.

If one takes the authors ideas further - are lion cubs unhappy when they nip at one another? Are they on the path to lion moral degredation? No, they are babies learning skills. Our babies learns skills in the same trial and error ways. Aggression happens in our society - whether it is a bite, or a shove, or a lego thrown in your direction. How ECE professional adults model for ALL involved - children, parents, co-workers - is what is the crux of the matter.

If children aren't in group care, they aren't in groups...and so they don't feel tensions in the way we feel them in groups. So the author is right to a degree... if the child were home with Mom the probability of biting would be much, much lower. But this doesn't lead sensible people to the conclusion of the author...that childcare is bad. Rather it reminds us that child care situations should be warm, comfortable, and supply children adequately with what they need so they don't express their frustrations in such a scary way.

Children in groups get more colds, too... they are simply exposed to more germs. We could isolate them and avoid this. But they also get to sing and dance with others, to use materials that are rarely offered in the home, to find out about the world in many ways. It's a tradeoff, not a moral issue... except that we should always be offering our youngest the very very best care we can imagine, and funding that care so the workers stay and become enormously skilled and mature.

I have no resolution for biting. When I owned and operated a center that served infants through 5 years of age, biting was the number one concern. The victim, families of the victim, the biter, families of the biter, and the staff all suffered greatly when the incidents would occur. The number one guide that I used in decision making regarding the biter was:
does this child require one on one care for the protection of the other children? Answering this question usually cleared the heartache and settled the issue within myself that all children, the group as a whole, were worthy of the same consideration as the biter.
I am delighted to work with older children now and prefer dealing with the challenges that their age presents!

Biting is a natural response for infants/toddlers in any environment where they are trying to make sense of what is going on around them. There is a reason behind their responses and it is our responsibility as caregivers to help resolve the problem. Even parents deal with biting but they are not expelling their children. There is not a simple fix to biting however, expelling a child is not resolving the problem. This age is very fragile and are trying to develop attachment that will determine how they form relationships throughout their lives and if we toss them around for a natural response then we are just as responsible for contributing and frustrating their behavior even more. It is not just the setting. There are specific aspects of the classroom that must be addressed first before attacking the child. How did the conflict arise? Is it with a material, space, or another child? First, look to the environment to make sure that it is supportive of children’s development to lessen conflicts with materials and space. Is it engaging enough to stimulate learning (e.g., materials that appeal to all senses). Second, when is biting occurring? Look to the schedule to make sure that it is consistent to give children security and predictability of what will come next but flexible enough to meet individual needs (e.g., child napping earlier). Overlap activities in order to lessen waiting time or whole group transitions. Third, look to the adult behavior which matter the most at this age. They need to be supportive, responsive and attentive in order to observe individual cues to know when a child is frustrated, hungry, wet, or tired which leads to biting. Lastly, look to the child to see what might be causing a problem with their normal behaviors and temperaments.

We all know that biting is an unforturnate yet natural behavior among toddlers. The first thing a director (not a Zookeeper) should do is to evaluate the situation by peeling back the onion at the first incident. Figure out what it is about the program that has caused the bite and how it could have been prevented (intervened). Where were the staff positioned, what were the staff doing, what were the children doing etc.? Developmental changes within the children at this age take place daily. What worked today within a toddler or two year old classroom may not work tomorrow and could cause stress to a particular child. The analogies used in this article were quite alarming. Scratching is also another sensitive topic and should also considered and handled the same as a bite!

I am a toddler teacher who does not see biting as a horrible epedemic. Many of the kids are only w/ us for 4 hours (not long days as far as child care is concerned) and we have the occasional biter. I would never send a child home for biting nor do I make it a huge deal w/ the parents.

biting has been a big problem in our one center. We have a 2 year who bites almost everyday. We have document when the child does bite. What is going on in the classroom at the time. It was interesting to look at the documentation. We have use the book"No Biting" by Gretchen Kinnell. It has help us as a guide to set a policy on biting.
The only thing is that this child has been several times. I have had parents ask us to have this child withdraw. However, do I then ask every parent child hits alot or have other behavoirs that are not ok to withdraw too. I know that I need to speak with this parent. Which I have not yet. Planning on it. I feel that she will not do much or feel that this is a problem. This is hard for my staff and me. How many times do we allow a child to stay in a center when he bites or trys to bite once every day.

I would like to know what directors and teachers feel about Preschools versus daycares. I am a director of a Preschool and we do have biting from time to time but not epidemic. I wonder if class size has to do with it and/or higher educated staff?

In my experience I choose to inform rather than punish. The first thing to do is have a meeting with the parent to explain your concerns while letting them know that is a normal reaction in some children. It matters on the way the reaction is to the child whether he/she can overcome the biting. Teach the child alternate ways to handle their frustration such as squeezing a pillow etc. During this time the providers need to be very close by to watch his/her interactions and catch them when they occur to show the child what is right and what is wrong. Support for the child and parent is needed at this time but close supervision is a must to avoid other children being biten and other parents becoming upset.

Biting is a normal occurance that occurs in the home as much as it does in the child care center. One reason that there is not as much attention focused on biting in the home is because of the decrease in the numbers of children in the home. Family size has simply decreased.

Infants and toddlers and some preschoolers bite for a variety of reasons; frustration, inability to communicate, exploration, curiosity, among others. These same reasons are present in other settings as well, there just is not the availability of other children to interact with.

Child care centers certainly do not make children more aggressive, nor are children "unhappy" as the article suggests because they are in a center during the day.

In my ten years as a center director, I've noticed some correlations between 2 year-old recidivist biters. Of course, all of these children were in child care, so that is obviously a basic correlation. However, there were three most-frequently-associated factors with these biting children: #1 teething, #2 ear aches/infections, and #3 absent/inattentive primary caregivers or unsettled circumstances at home. One or more of these factors were present in all cases of biters at my center. Obviously all children in the 2 year old group were not biters. Those without any or all of these factors did not bite at all, even when some of these factors, such as teething or earache were present. The exacerbating factor seemed to be absent/inattentiveprimary caregiver or unsettled home atmosphere at home. It maybe that strong supportive relationships at home had an ameloriating effect for some children when they were teething or had earaches, reducing their impulse to bite. Of course, my "research" on this subject is limited to my 2-year-old students over my 10 years at my center. It would appear to me that this would be a good subject for further research.

Biting is normal. The overeaction here is on the part of the Mary Eberstardt-laying another guilt trip on parents who have to work and work hard to find good, caring programs for their children.

I disagree with Mary Eberstadt's assumption that children in child care centers are like "zoo animals" caged up and unhappy. She obviously has never been in a quality early care envrionment. The main reason most children do not bite in other settings, is that there is usually no other children around for them to bite. I have been in the early childhood profession for 22 years and know that occasional biting is a normal defense mechanism in some cases, but in other cases, it is because they are teething or may even have inner ear itching, or fluid on the ears. Isn't it better to teach the child at an early age that biting is unacceptable rather than wait until he/she enters Kindergarten, after possibly 5 years of no socialization skills experience with being in a group of children? The social benefits of children being in childcare rather than sitting at home in an unstimulating, mostly adult environment far outweighs the few occasional negative aspects. If children are becoming more agressive, the blame should not fall on one of the most important positive areas of early childhood experiences. We should look instead to diet and exposure to violence on television and movies.

I have been a director of child care, college teacher of child development and now a curriculum specialist. I have seen and read the literature on biting, and had to face parents myself.
My professional stance was always to soothe the parent and advise staff to be one step ahead of the toddler who is trying to bite. However, after much soul searching, I realized what a primitive response biting is--often to aggressive behavior of others, to protect territory (as perceived by the child), and in frustration as they are unable to make needs known verbally.
I finally decided that the group situation itself is often responsible---this kind of behavior is not observed to such and extent within a family, as the child realizes the parent or caregiver is much larger and powerful, and not someone they can defend themselves against. While this may sound extreme to others, it also makes sense. Adults (most often) are more powerful than the child but also look out for them , while in a group children of toddler age--often barely verbal--thjey are all so full of their own needs that biting will occur.
Eventually I left a position as a child care director because I became convinced that these situations were not healthy for anyone's children. I realize some people feel they have no other choice but I will never choose that kind of employment again. Also, I have always been a working mother--my own children had in home care, preschool level child care, family day care home experience, and after school programs. So I am not against child care per se, just what happens when toddlers are grouped together for too long a day!

They make it sound like all children in day care are voracious biters. This is absolutely not the case. Our program has very few instances of biting. When they occur, the staff is knowledgable in handling these incidents in a caring and supportive way for the child bitten, as well as the biter, who usually gets through this stage quite quickly and successfully.

BITING! IS a develomental stage! Even though unappropriate it is developmentally appropriate for children with limited vocabulary to use their only means to get their point, their way, or a reaction. To blame the child care centers is arbitrarly outrageous! They turn these children away after the 3rd incident. Teachers need to be given the tools to help children cope and let them express feelings more appropriately.

When we have standards that protect the social-emotional development of infants and toddlers, like we protect the animals at the zoo, we will indeed have less issues of biting!

Come on, all kids bite at some point in their life whether or not they are in preschool. For example, my kids are not and have not been enrolled in preschool and they still bit each other or me at some point. Biting is a way kids vent frustration when things are not going their way. Children have not yet developed the ability to express their feelings so they may act it out. When they do bite though you must teach them that biting hurts and there is a better way to express feelings.

I just wanted to stick up for the daycares I know who work endlessly to keep thier kids feeling safe .I had 2 biters in my daycare. The problem was they were more bonded to me then the parents. These 2 would cling to me and bite whoever crossed the zone .It was realy bad after the weekends when parents spent both Fri/Sat nite away from them- anytime when their lives were too busy with parent activities .
While I agree that some daycares are too full and some providers maybe in it for the $$'s and keep their numbers up
but not all of us.
I have even had angry kids I helped to express themselves and be less aggressive .

If biting is, as the author states, a "self-protective animal instinct" from feeling unprotected and unhappy, then why did all of my children begin biting when nursing? Biting is a normal part of children's development - whether they are at home or in group care. It is the reation and actions of the adults that turns it into a "problem".

I am reminded of a statement made by a child psychologist at a gathering of Early Childhood consultants: "Every behavior is an attempt to communicate. Our job is to discover what the child exhibiting the behavior is trying to communicate to us."

The author of the article about biting in childcare programs has some validity but is not completely accurate. We have extremely low adult to children ratios because of the number of volunteers we have and biting is less prevelent than in other centers I have worked in. However, it still exists.

What the author doesn't point out is that all young children who cannot communicate what they are feeling have the potential to respond by biting. Even young children who stay at home with their parents will sometimes bite.

Is it a response to stress, definitey. Is it limited to childcare-no way.

xx

We have a little girl (24 months) that enjoys to give good bite into her little friends. I don't believe it is the day care that encourages this kind of behavior, but more her family situation. In this case, her parents travel a lot and she is often found alone with a grand-mother. So it is important to take the entire environment of a child in consideration.

As someone who has consulted to numerous toddler classrooms about biting issues, two words that came to mind for me were "quality" and "temperament". Biting epidemics are most common in classrooms that have a lot of stressors: high staff turnover, large group size, harsh or inconsistent discipline practices, lack of individualized attention, poor room arrangement, overly regimented and/or disorganized transitions, and teacher-centered curriculum. According to a recent study "Cost Quality in Infant Toddler Care in Massachusetts" too many children, especially those from low income backgrounds, spend time in poor quality care. Add family stressors and separation anxiety to the mix and biting happens. So biting is a key indicator that we need to work towards quality infant toddler programs.
But biting happens even in good quality programs. Often there is one child who gets stuck in a pattern of biting. I can usually pick out this child before teachers identify him or her. The child usually has an intense (spirited) temperament: resists change, intense reactions, easily triggered, sensitive to stimuli, irregular body functions. Loud noises, need for sharing toys, multiple transitions and separations involved in ECE can build up and trigger biting reactions in these children. The other key ingredient that can contribute to biting is a language delay. The frustration in not being able to communicate (common for all toddlers) builds to the point where the only way to communicate is to bite. Biting can be a sign that the child needs other services or support.

I am the parent of a now 24 year old biter, who did not participate in day care. Children bite for numerous reasons including teething, which was my daughter's motivation. The children who are not in group care may not have access to other children to bite. Where is the documentation comparing children in different settings? Have there been any studies of children who bite adults? I have worked in child care for many years and have often been asked by parents how to stop their child from biting them(the parents). Childhood frustrations of boredom, pain, lack of language and lack of control may be present in all children. Pointing a finger at one situation and claiming it to be the cause of all biting is unreasonable.
Thank you for this opportunity.

The children in our centers that have the most aggressive biting habits also have them at home. Parents have acknowledged that their child was biting in other settings as well. I have seen the happiest child turn on another when a toy is taken from them.

I don't think that biting suggests the feeling of being unprotected. These children often do not have the language skills they need to express what they are feeling. I have found that children bite most often when they are frustrated. It usually helps to give these children the words for what they are feeling, and possibly using some sign language starting at infancy. The animals in a zoo have other behaviors that let the other animals know what they are feeling. We need to help our children find the right words or behaviors to express.

There is a need to determine the circumstances of the biting. The reason there is so much attention given to this issue is in an effort to prevent and discover any underlying problems. Children bite for a variety of reasons. If it is occuring on a regular basis, we need to know why. In my experience, a chronic biter may bite when other children sit too closely (space issues) or in an effort to get a desired object ( another child will let go of the toy when bitten). Close monitoring of the situation will provide feedback and will allow the caregivers to develop a plan of action to prevent repeated occurances. The more successful the staff are at preventing an actual occurance, the more quickly the child moves out of that phase. The fact that a child makes that attempt however, does not mean that he/she is always going to be aggressive. With attentive staff, a child can be successful in finding the appropriate resolution to his/her social conflicts.

This is absurd. I have a toddler in my care who is almost two years old. He is an only child and bites more at home than when in my care. In the past he most often bit as an expression of affection. Much more research needs to be done before casting stones!

The perspective presented here is logical and the example of animals in a zoo may pursuade some. Much is dependant on the approach the observer chooses to take. Biting for infants and toddlers is also associated with oral fixation and development. Their mouths are their tools for exploration and they watch each other for examples and modeling of behaviors. I would agree that the grown-ups need to examine their behavior and the amount of energy that goes into attending to biters. Perhaps biters need more cuddling, something oral for their tongues and gums to explore and less attention on the biting behavior. Lots of hugs and singing and stroking could help a great deal as well!

I think that Mary Eberstadt article is awful and will give parents another reason to attack the child care industry. Child do bite in child care but they also bit at parties, church, family functions, etc. Children bite because they do not have words to express their anger, frustration or space issues. We need to help children develop their language skills using words, sign language, and emotion cards. I bit as a young child and never attended a child care. So how would Ms. Eberstadt explain that?

I do not agree that the children are biting because they don't feel protected and that they are not happy. There are many babies not in child care that bite and they are at home with their family. I do believe however that biting is the most unacceptable behavior for most parents and staff. WHen biting occurs no one is happy. I've been in the business for 25 years working in the same center. We've seen plenty of biting but a child was never "expelled" for biting. We have gone to extreme lengths to work with the parents and babies and as you say it eventually ends...

I have long held the belief that my chosen profession will, in years to come be held to blame for all sorts of social woes and having read this person's comments I see that the process is well underway. To fully understand the problem of biting in group care, one has to consider the different types of biters we come across.
Curiosity biters - What will happen if I..... ouch' Generally the reaction is a big one which feeds the toothy terror to greater heights and more victims.
Affectionate biters, 'Come on, give me a cuddle, I love you so much I could just eat you..............ouch' where is the aggression?
Ownership biters - 'I really want that toy but the words escape me at the moment.............ouch' and finally probably the most common, the textural biters, we give small babies teething rings to chew their teeth through but the two year old molars are left to the environment. I have a bucket full of toys for disinfection at the moment that were just the right shape and size - what about that nice juicy shoulder I'm sitting behind?, because after all I am the centre of my universe aren't I? It strikes me that all this occurs in the home environment as well, the difference is that siblings or parents are usually the victims and it is all part of growing up. I like to think that we are the extended family of all our children and if we are to truly serve that purpose then we have to take the frustration with children's misdemeanours alongside the pride in their achievements, isn't that what families do?

Bitting is a stage that some toddlers go through. Thoughtful, attentive teachers can stop this behavior by providing enough activities, equipment and space for toddlers to explore. I don't believe there is somthing "wrong" with these toddlers. They are in groups and are learning to share space and attention.

Yes, group care by its very nature causes the social stressors that may cause a child to communicate her/his needs through biting. Asking a child to be in a group of children, often without time alone or an adult that they are bonded with is ALOT to ask of a little one.

However, as the field of early care and education has worked hard to prove, HIGH QUALITY group child care does a much better job helping children learn the social skills and life skills that help them with the rest of their lives. It matters so much what KIND of experience they have, and HOW the biting that inevitably arises from being in a group is handled.

"Day Care" is not the enemy. Rather the enemy is any group care that doesn't use children's behaviors as messages to be listened to. The enemy is low quality child care that doesn't help children communicate their feelings in other ways than biting (sign language, using words, etc.). They don't see these things because they don't invest in hiring great teachers at good or great wages. They don't get it...yet.

Children must be in group care, we owe it to them and to their teachers to make it a wonderful place to be.

It sounds as if Ms. Eberstadt has no personal experience with infants and toddlers. Biting occurs in children of that age whether they are at home or in a day care setting. Parents of children who do this at home understand that it is part of the developmental progression -- it is sensory and oral-motor in babies and generally due to frustration and an inability to communicate well in toddlers. Parents help their baby and toddler find other ways to fill the need being expressed while they gradually learn that biting is unacceptable. The same learning goes on in day cares. However, the risk extends to other children who are not present in the home while that learning is going on in day cares. Ms. Eberhardt is misunderstanding the effort in day cares to teach pro-social behavior.

In our center biting is a major problem in our toddler room and we feel is cause by stress. The children aren't talking yet. And have a hard time getting the teacher to understand them. By working to resolve the communcation gap between the children and the teacher we have slow down the biting problem.

Bititng may be an indication of unhappiness and insecurity, and if this is the case a caregiver can be of great help to a child. Sometimes a child is given so much attention and security within the home. They come to expect the same in a center setting and get angry and unhappy when the attention must be shared with other childeren. Then they use biting as a tool for dominance. A caregiver has to have a lot of patience and understanding to deal with the unhappy angry child.

It seems that our author needs to dust off her child developments texts! There are MANY reasons linked to development that explain why biting is a prevalent behaviour in babies and toddlers ...

And why is the incidence of biting higher in childcare?

The answer is MORE. More problems to solve, more decisions to make, more peers to interact and communicate with, more adults to model behaviours from, more toys and equipment for challenge, more environments offering stimulation ...

And are these children unhappy?

No, I believe they are merely problem solving, being mentally stimulated, solving conflicts, interacting, role modelling, communicating, being challenged - and therefore learning in every domain of development and experiencing LIFE.

And why is there so much literature on how to 'manage' biting in child care settings? Because it is so emotional and stressful when a biting incident occurs. Lots of people are affected. The 'biter'. The 'bitee'. Mums and Dads. Other children's Mums and Dads. Other children - not to mention the staff. For this reason it has to be managed sensitively and sensibly and not be blown out of proportion; meanwhile preserving the health, safety and self esteem of all involved. It's quite a management challenge - believe me I know!

Oh - I'll give you a heads up Ms Eberstadt .. biting occurs in children who are NOT placed in child care settings because those children go through exactly the same stages of development - the statistics and the effects of those biting behaviours are just not so public.

Give the kids, their families and their hard working child care workers a break - and don't let your personal value systems get in the way of objective reporting.

Oh - and I don't much care for the zoo analogy. Bad choice.

It seems to me that the writer has limited (if any) experience with young children who bite. Over the years I have worked in children's services, I could agree to some extent with the writer that some children who bite are indeed unhappy. A variety of factors affect the child's unhappiness, and it is possible that it is the environment of the children's service which is causing grief. However, I am currently working with a young child (1.8) who is a constant, hard, repetitive biter. He is however, extremely happy, affectionate and loving. His biting will occur as he runs over to cuddle my legs, and his mouth will latch onto my knee if I don't prevent it. He is laughing and smiling as he does this. I don't know this child well enough to understand this harmful habit he has, but it is extremely stressful for all his teachers, who must follow him like a shaddow to prevent other children being bitten as he goes about his play. Biting comes across as such a problem for teachers because like no other bodily function, even a small baby can do significant damage to another's skin if biting is their thing. It only takes one biting child in a large centre to cause significant stress and worry. Once another child is bitten, their parents are usually quite upset. The issue escalates because staff, parents and children become increasingly conscious and worried. Mary Eberstadt has oversimplified a complex issue in children's services, and from what I can gather, has not experienced working with a child who bites.

Not limited to but including biting....Just some brief anecdotal evidence... Children who attend our preschool who have already been in long day care since they were very small or who attend our service as well as other long day care services are on the whole much more aggressive and attention seeking in their behaviour than the children who are at home with parents until their first expereinces outside the home at about age three. I know we can't make generalisations but this has been quite evident to me over almost twenty years of early childhood experience. My feeling is that children are reacting to the hectic and sometimes very selfish lives of their parent(s). I know some families feel they have to both work - for some there is no choice, but for so many the choice is possible, but instead of putting their children first for a few short years they choose self and money money money above all else. A social trend that we have not seen the full effects of as yet.... the jury is still out on what these children will then do when they become parents....

Your article on biting suggesting that it is a result of young children being unhappy in childcare perpetuates the adult values placed on the action of biting another human. Biting is an age appropriate response of many pre-verbal students. It is a way for that child to communicate such things as "I'm not done playing with that toy!" "My new tooth is bothering me!” etc., when they are not able to do so verbally. The reason there is so much literature on biting in child care centers is because it is so disturbing to parents who do not understand child development, place their adult perspective and values on the incident, and because they naturally react in a protective capacity of their child. In a quality child care program, with experienced teachers, low ratios, and an appropriate physical environment, biting is manageable and never a reason for expelling a child from the program.

I have worked at the same preschool with over 200 students enrolled per year, ages 1 through 5, for 13 years and have never expelled a student for biting. I assure you that if you poll stay at home parents with very young children not enrolled in a formal program, you will find that many of these parents have been bitten by their child. If you are going to suggest that the young child who bites does so because the child is unhappy in preschool, what about the one who isn’t in preschool yet bites a parent’s shoulder while being held or while nursing at mother's breast? Are they unhappy too?