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Biting at Daycare

Bizzy80Bizzy80 member
in Toddlers: 12 - 24 Months
Since my DD has moved over into the toddler room around 2 months ago she has been bit several times.  I honestly haven't kept count but it averages around twice a week that she has been bit.  I know biting at this age is normal but doesn't that seem like a lot? One day last week she was actually bit 3 times by 3 different kids!  I couldn't believe it. The daycare director stopped me on the way in to let me know what happened that day and apologized for it.  She said they have several biters in her class and they are trying to work on stopping it but that it is normal for this age and not much they can do about it except for removing the child and telling them we don't bite our friends.  I've also spoke to the lead teacher and other teachers in her room various times and they all say the same thing.  Does this sound normal or does this seem like a lot of biting? 
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Re: Biting at Daycare

  • BabyHope2013BabyHope2013 member
    That does seem excessive. We are going through the same thing. For the last three weeks, my son has been biten once a week for three different kids. Yesterday, he somehow got bit in the face. I was upset about it yesterday. And even this morning DH had a conversation with our provider about the concern over it. 

    I understand that it is a phase, but that does seem like a lot. I would continue to express concern to your director. I have always asked if there is something that my son is doing that we can work with him on, versus attacking the other kids first. I feel like that has been a positive way to start the conversation. They always tell me that he is just in the wrong place at the wrong time. We have been a little more aggressive with "this needs to stop" and I was told that they would 
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  • dunlapbriggsdunlapbriggs member
    IMO I think things like that happen when you get a bunch of toddlers together all learning how to deal with their emotions at the same time. A few months ago my son was bit once or twice a week, and the next month he was the biter for a week or two. Since then - nothing. Kids change so fast - maybe wait it out a little and see if the director/teachers are able to handle it internally. 
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  • Bizzy80Bizzy80 member
    I always ask if my dd is doing something that is causing the biting and sometimes she does do things like stick her hand in the other kids mouth, etc. She has 11 other kids in her room so I know that biting is going to happen at some point.  The day she got bit 3 different times though was upsetting.   
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  • ashiscuteashiscute member
    I would be upset if it were excessively by one kid.  I probably wouldn't be if it were 3 different kids.  I think it will get better.  
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  • valeriegpvaleriegp member
    I agree that if it is three different kids I wouldn't be too concerned. It is normal.

    I'd also ask if your DD is doing anything to "draw the attention" of the biters. I'm not saying that it is ever okay for one kid to bite another, but both times that my son has been bitten at day care he contributed to the situation. Once he took another kid's food and the other time he sat on the kid because he wanted his chair (both of these are completely believable, so I'm sure he did them exactly as described!). I am less concerned about that than if some kid is just randomly biting mine, if that makes sense.
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  • Anne MommyAnne Mommy member
    I would see what they do on response. DS was bit a few times. The kid biting him always got attention for it. They switched it so DS got the attention. It stopped the biting in a few days.
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  • kjsmith9kjsmith9 member
    dunlapbriggs said:
    IMO I think things like that happen when you get a bunch of toddlers together all learning how to deal with their emotions at the same time. A few months ago my son was bit once or twice a week, and the next month he was the biter for a week or two. Since then - nothing. Kids change so fast - maybe wait it out a little and see if the director/teachers are able to handle it internally. 
    This for us too - a few months ago I was bringing home 2-3 incident reports per week because DD was bitten, and then we had a few weeks where she was doing the biting herself.  I haven't heard anything in a month or two.  Even though it's a one year old room, her current room has a lot of children very close in age (all +/- 1 or 2 months from DD) and I think they all hit the phase at the same time (and then egged each other on).  It'll pass.
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  • amberdt03amberdt03 member
    We are going through the same thing right now. My son has been in daycare 4 weeks now and has been bitten 3 times, once on the face. He only goes 2 days a week. I've been told that he is trying to steal food from other kids, which I totally believe because my kid can eat. It's frustrating but I hope it passes soon.
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  • tig594tig594 member
    edited September 2014
    DD doesn't bite but gets bitten all the time at daycare.  Last week there were 2 instances for the first time in about a month.  Before that it was about once a week.  Yes, it can be upsetting and I know who it is that's usually doing the biting.  The biter has 2 older siblings and from what I hear they rough house a lot.  Regardless, it still bugs me on most occasions.  When the little girl bites at daycare they try separating her by putting her in a crib or something for a little bit.  Last week, while the little girl was in the crib for biting DD, DD went over and stuck her arm in the crib and, guess what!, got another bite mark on her arm.  The day before that DD stuck her arm in someone's face and acquired yet another bite mark for it.  A few weeks ago, DD was trying to stick her fingers in other kid's mouths.  No bites from that, surprisingly enough.  I usually ask the teachers how DD reacted to being bitten.  If DD pretty much shrugs it off, which she usually does, then I do, too.  If she were to start getting really upset and crying because it really hurt I'd be more apt to address it again with the director and insist something more be done about it.  

    The dumb part about the whole thing is that the biter is also the same little girl who HAS to give DD 48 hugs and some high fives when I pick her up every day.  It's so stinking cute (and yeah, sometimes annoying on days I just want to get home)!!
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  • cwallin500cwallin500 member

    I will agree with most of the other posters.   When my DS moved into the toddler room, he got bit 2-3 times a week the first month.   My husband was really upset, but I knew that its par for the course at that age.  Certain kids are biters and after awhile, our son became the biter for a few weeks.   Fortunately the biting has subsided in his room, but now my DS bites himself when he gets frustrated because he knows he shouldn't be biting his friends.   We're now trying to get him out of that habit.

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  • GillianB32GillianB32 member
    This does not sound good to me...I am alwayd upset when I see kids picking up on bad behavior from their fellows..
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