Grabbing and Biting Toddler...Help!

[sept2008twingirls]

My 19 month old son has been biting and grabbing/scratching my husband's face almost every day. After that we tell him, "No", etc. and he totally cries, completely upset, etc, so we think he's understanding that we don't like it. But then he continues to do the same thing day after day. He seems to do it when he's tired, playing or wanting attention, but sometimes he just does it out of the blue. He rarely does it to me though, so he must know at some level that it's not an acceptable behavior. I'm totally new to GD, but any advice that you have would be really appreciated.

Thanks,
Sarah

[kacymoose]

Originally Posted by sept2008twingirls

My 19 month old son has been biting and grabbing/scratching my husband's face almost every day. After that we tell him, "No", etc. and he totally cries, completely upset, etc, so we think he's understanding that we don't like it. But then he continues to do the same thing day after day. He seems to do it when he's tired, playing or wanting attention, but sometimes he just does it out of the blue. He rarely does it to me though, so he must know at some level that it's not an acceptable behavior. I'm totally new to GD, but any advice that you have would be really appreciated.

Thanks,
Sarah

I remember one of my twins doing a lot of biting and pinching when he was 1. Instead of telling him "no" when he bit, I told him to give me kisses instead. That really worked for him, not sure if would work with all LOs. For grabbing or scratching, I would focus on what you would like him to do instead. Maybe gentle pat, or big hug, or something. The "no" just invites frustration, showing him what is appropriate gives him something he can do.

Karen