DS thinks its funny to bite etc.

[mommabear207]

My DS loves to bite and cause typical 16 month old toddler unruliness. However all attempts to stop these behaviors just doesn't work. saying no or even gently restraining him only results in laughter and usually more of same behavior. ignoring it doesn't work either and i can't ignore the biting cause he really chomps down. redirection is ok sometimes but he is really determined once he decides to do something. any ideas this kid has a lot of teeth and it hurts!!!

[Magella]

I've never had to deal with biting, so while I'm inclined to say that at 16 months you just work at preventing it, stopping it and telling him some variation of "biting hurts, be gentle," giving him words for his feelings, and distraction/redirection (rinse, repeat 1000 times) because this is (imo) just the way to deal with young toddlers-maybe someone else has more ideas.

I do want to say, though, that ime just because a child is laughing doesn't necessarily mean they are enjoying what's happening or think it's funny. Sometimes kids laugh when they're feeling uncomfortable-nervous, scared, overwhelmed, overstimulated. So it's possible that his laughter is simply the result of uncomfortable feelings that he can't otherwise articulate. Then again, there may indeed be something about it that he finds thrilling-I know that my kids in toddlerhood did laugh when they realized that they had control over their bodies, not me, and that was a thrilling realization. So they'd do (or try to do) something, I'd say no, they'd laugh and do it anyway because they'd discovered that they could--totally normal, not malicious at all. Just delight in a powerful discovery. It passes.

[mommabear207]

oh i know its not malicious and its a ha ha this is funny/ getting attention laugh. i usually redirect and say don't bite it hurts however he doesn't take it as a no /this is something i should stop and i would love a way to get that across. i'll prob have to just hope he gets over it, thanks though. and of course if anyone has been able to get across (nicely) that its not funny i would LOVE to know how you did it

[lunaliss]

Ds got into biting when his molars starting coming in about 2 mos ago. He's 17 mos now. It was really hard, and it took consistency and time, but I would say "Biting?! I don't think so, mouths are for kissing!" Now, when he has the urge to bite, I see a fleeting moment of change and he leans over and kisses... I can't believe it worked, but I'm so glad!

[Carlyle]

The book "Becoming the Parent you Want to Be" has some great suggestions for dealing with biting. They say that kids bite for a number of reasons (all of which I can't remember right now--but things like, it feels good, they're frustrated, they're feeling crowded, they're excited to see someone, etc.). If you can figure out WHY your kid is biting, you can help them figure out a more appropriate way to show that emotion. For example:

If biting feels good (pretty common if they're teething!), find something that they CAN bite and redirect there. "Ouch, biting hurts. You can't bite me/your friend, but you can bite this apple/toy/etc"

If they're excited, you can say "Wow, it looks like you're excited to see X. I can't let you bite him, biting hurts. Why don't you give him a hug?"

If he's feeling crowded, try "It looks like you need some more space--I can't let you bite, biting hurts, but you can say 'NO' and move away."

This was pretty effective for my dd's friend who has a bit of a biting spell there.

ETA: The book says it way better...

[mamavanholmes]

I am having a similar issue with DD but with hitting at 10mos. This just started 2 days ago...and have no idea why??? But I do like the re-directing, and giving her other actions that may better express her feelings, becaues at this point all no gets is laughs and harder hits. So far I have just explained how hitting hurts and also had to take her away from playmate. Any other suggestions?