Teething & Biting

In this episode we cover:

• Biting when the baby is under the age of 18months old is not a misbehavior – even up to 3 years old this should not be treated as misbehavior but as the child needing to be taught another way to achieve their goal.
• 9 times out of 10 a pēpi under 24 months is biting because their teeth are growing and there is a desire to bite down.
• A pēpi under 18 months old cannot comprehend how it feels to the person they have bitten.
• Don’t bite your pēpi back! They will not make the connection or learn from this. All they learn is that the person loving and teaching them also wants to hurt them.
• Give pēpi something safe to bite on so that it can help their teeth come through.
• There is no magic way to get rid of teething.
• If pepi is really distressed with teething take them to the doctor or seek advice.
• Older tamariki who bite may not be misbehaving either. It could be a misdirected social approach looking for interaction.
• Try not to perceive biting as a misbehavior but pēpi reaching out to communicate.
• Your pēpi develops best when you teach them strategies instead of punishing them.