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My baby got bit at daycare
I'm totally freaked out. I went to pick up my 7.5 month old daughter from daycare and I guess right before I got there another child bit her in the head. It didn't break her skin but it's very red and bruised.
My concern is that another/older toddler bit her, one that is supposed to be in an older area. While they aren't allowed to tell me which child did it, they did tell me the child was a little bit older and that the child went in time out after it happened. How old would this child need to be if they can understand time out! The daycare tends to mix up the infants and toddlers at the end of the day if the staff/child ration allows.
I am going to talk to the director tomorrow, but any advice out there...has this happened to you?
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Re: My baby got bit at daycare
Biting is not uncommon with older babies. I would talk to the director and find out what the daycare policy is on biting.
DS was bitten at daycare, three times in 3 weeks (which is freakin' ridiculous). We were willing to let the first incident slide, it was questionable whether the bite was intentional or whether it was an accident. The second incident we were more suspicious, and by the third incident, we were pissed. The incidents happened at the same time of day, when the same teachers were on duty and there are only a few babies still at daycare.
Daycare could not tell us which child was the biter, but DH and I had it narrowed down to one kid. We spoke with the director and demanded that they supervise DS more carefully (he is not mobile yet) and come up with a plan with the teachers to avoid the problem in the future. The teachers keep DS within reach so they can move him if the biter is in the area.
The director told me that if a kid is a repeat biter, they work with the biter's family to address the behavior.
ditto the others. It sucks but it happens. A lot of older babies/toddlers bite out of frustration until their verbal skills catch up more. I know my DD has bitten me before.
My DD has be doing time outs since age 1. They do understand, trust me.
I wouldn't freak just yet. As long as they handled it that's all they can do. I know my DD got bit several times by the same child and it turns out my DD was hitting the other girl....so really she was the instigator to some extent.
My DD is the biter. She's not even 18 mos, so there isn't much that can be done about it. Her daycare doesn't believe in time outs at her age, which I agree with. IMO, these things happen when the kids aren't being properly supervised. I know that my DD only bites when provoked. I'm guessing this child bit your DC out of curiousity (i.e. cause/effect) or jealousy (not getting enough attention from DCP). So, my concern would be not with what they are doing to discipline the child, but what precautions they will take to make sure that the babies/toddlers are properly supervised at the end of the day when things tend to be a little chaotic.
DD was a bitee, then became a biter. She's gotten bit a couple times in the past few weeks, but nothing like at the peak of the bitee/biter stages.
The bite itself wouldn't bother me, as much as the age of your child being around a biting toddler. I would be pissed if my 7.5 month old was left unsupervised enough for a toddler to bite. Toddlers don't really know how to be gentle yet, and the bite could have been something else. We've been working with DD for months on being nice to our cats, but she still pulls their tails. They just don't get it yet.
Just remember - someday, it will likely be YOUR child that bites another. It's a normal stage that most all toddlers go through.
Yes, my child has been bitten before. Apparently, he tried to take a toy from another child and that child retaliated by biting him. Biting has little to do with "proper supervision"........all it takes is two seconds and two babies sitting next to each other. I sure as hell didn't blame the caregivers for DS getting bit.
And my daycare tends to do the same thing at the end of the day. Really, I suggest that you just let this go unless the biting becomes a routine thing.
While I understand that this happens at daycare toddler on toddler; a 7-month old baby should not be bitten by a toddler, nor should those classes be combined.
The stimulation needs between toddler and baby are very different. I would certainly mention something and if possible be picking up my kid before they combine classes.
my dd was bit twice in one day by the same biter. even though she's a toddler, i was still pissed so i don't blame u for freaking out.
i asked the center to inform the biter's parents so they can nip the problem in the bud at home. i really don't understand parents who say it's just a phase. sure, it's a phase, but there are things parents can do to address the problem. altho our center wouldn't tell us who the biter is, it's patently obvious who the kid is as she's constantly shadowed. sad, the biter gets more one on one attention than the bitees. sorry, this turned into a rant. obviously i'm still pissed.
As much as it sucks, don't freak out, especially on the biter. My DD was a biter and after moving her twice, she is now in a daycare where she is getting what she needs and is thriving. The daycare providers should be able to watch over your child and take necessary precautions to keep both children happy. The reason she was biting at the first place was because the other children were trying to discipline or correct her and they would try picking her up or teasing her and she didn't like it. The second daycare, she had no other children her age to play with. Either the 4 years olds wanted to play bigger games or the younger babies were getting the attention and DD was left alone. The new daycare, they ALL play together and we haven't had a single issue.
More than you care to know, but I just wanted to say, that the directors are the ones you really need to watch.