Child Bites Siblings And Leaves Bruise. How To Deal With Behavior Issue?

Posted on Mon, 13 Aug 2012

Question: i have a 22 mts old boy who has just started biting his sisters (all older than him) he does it when he is cross with them or doesn't get his own way, quite bad bites and leave a bruise, usually on there chest or back. when i see it happen i swiftly pick him up and say firmly 'we don't bite in this house' and i put him on step of the stairs for a minute, not sure if this is working as he still goes and bites again maybe a few days later, its not everyday maybe twice a week, i worry that if he keeps this up with his isters and i don;t stop it now he will bite someone else otherside of our family. apart from this behvaviour issue he is otherwise a gr8 kid and very pleasant. thanks

Answered by Dr. Divya Kuttikrishnan (6 hours later)

Hi XXXXXXX

Thanks for writing in.

Don't worry. I feel this is just a phase and will fade away with time.

You are doing the right thing by giving him a warning and time out by saying 'we don't bite in this house' and leaving him on the step of the stairs for a minute. With time, this should work. After a while, when you just utter the words "we don't bite in this house", he will think "uh oh , it is back to the step of the stairs for me. I'm going to miss out on all the fun things I could have done".

Do not yell/hit your son which will only teach him that it is okay to be aggressive. "Mama is hitting me ,why can't I bite my sisters". Just be firm with him, the way you are now.

Another thing you could do is react before he bites his sisters. In case he has already bitten them, give him a time out like you usually do. After the time out , talk to him about it XXXXXXX Why did you do it ?Your sister got hurt real bad XXXXXXX or something like that.Tell him" it is okay be angry, even mama gets angry sometimes. But, it is not okay to hit/bite someone when angry XXXXXXX

You say that otherwise he is a pleasant kid. So, reward him for his good behaviour by saying good boy or getting him a toy that he really likes.

In case you find nothing works, please consult a child psychologist. I'm quite sure that won't be necessary.

All the best. Happy Parenting.

I hope I have answered your question. In case you don't have any further queries, kindly accept my answer. Any reviews are welcome.

Have a great day :)

Regards,
Dr. Divya Kuttikrishnan

Note: For further queries related to your child health, Talk to a Pediatrician. Click here to Book a Consultation.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar