[puddinnpeanut]

So I will only be "eligible" for this board for a few more weeks, but I am hoping some other mamas can help me out! My almost one year old ds bites us a lot! It has been going on for a few months now! At first I thought well he is just testing out his new teeth but now that it has gone on for this long I really don't know what to do! I have tried natural reaction, OW! I have tried no reaction, saying no firmly, saying gentle, we do not bite, etc. I literally have had bruises the size of a golf ball on my arms and holes where he has broken the skin! It is not done meanly, he just likes to bite and he thinks it is funny! He bites me, my dh our dd which is really a problem! I am nervous when we are around other kids, like at library storytime, I am so worried he will bite another child! What can we do, anything? Thanks so much for your help!

 

[fullofhope]

It sounds like you are already doing the main things- telling him no and ouch. Maybe make it less desirable by setting him down or removing the attention from him when it happens. Tell him no, that hurts, and calmly set him down. Provide him with lots of "chewy" toys, a cold washcloth, etc. If it's the reaction he's after, maybe make sure that you are showing him other ways to get sudden reactions, like by clapping, or by peekaboo, or by saying boo! etc.... Chances are, he's discovered that he gets attention as well as an aggression "outlet" by biting. Is he a physical play kid? Provide him with lots of balls to throw, grab, pull- even playdough if you watch him really carefully. Those stress release balls are so much fun for babies who love to squish things. Around other kids, welllllll watch him carefully. This is usually a phase kids grow out of, so maybe just keep doing the things you are doing and time will work it out. Good luck!