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Steps for responding to toddler biting:
- Express empathy for the biter using words like "Uh-oh, how sad you decided to bite."
Avoid acting in ways that draw the child's attention away
from his poor choice:
- Yelling at the biter or showing anger.
- Giving a mini-lecture about the evils of biting.
- Biting the child back.
- State the consequence using words like "Time for a little bedroom time" if the consequence is a brief timeout. Remember it's not the
severity of the consequence that matters, it's the certainty of a consequence.
- Gently pick the child up and place him in his room.
- Allow the child to rejoin the group after a couple minutes.
- Use this time to comfort the bitten child.
- Welcome the biter back using words like "It's great to have you back!" Things to avoid:
- Warning the child: "You know if you bite again you'll be in timeout again."
- Giving a mini-lecture about why he was in timeout.
- Scolding the child: "You should never bite. It was very mean of you bite."
- Repeat these steps if the child bites again. The child will soon learn that biting is never acceptable and results in removal from a fun situation.
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