Biting behaviour in infants, toddlers and two-year-olds is treated here as a developmental issue, with practical ways to respond calmly, reduce repeat incidents and support early communication. Parents, carers, nursery staff and early years practitioners can use it to understand why young children bite and what to do next.
When a toddler bites another child, a parent’s shoulder or during breastfeeding, it can be hard to know how firm, calm and helpful to be in the moment. The PDF gives clear wording for responding, including short phrases such as “No biting. Biting hurts” and examples of helping the bitten child first.
Reasons for biting are set out in a practical way, covering teething pain, oral-motor stimulation, exploring cause and effect, frustration, limited verbal language, self-defence, imitation and attention-seeking. It separates infant biting from toddler biting, which helps families and early years workers match their response to the child’s developmental stage.
Prevention strategies include keeping routines consistent, offering sensory play, using teething rings or safe items to mouth, reading books about biting, modelling words such as “stop” or “that’s mine”, and validating difficult feelings. These ideas are useful at home, in childcare settings and in parent support conversations.
The final section focuses on helping a child overcome biting by observing triggers, noticing warning signs, reinforcing positive behaviour and avoiding responses that can make things worse. It also lists what not to do, including biting back, shaming, forcing apologies or labelling a child as a “biter”. Adapted from the National Association for the Education of Young Children.
