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.