Dr Soo Tips: When Tiny Teeth Attack! Why Your 1-Year-Old Bites?

Little ones show big feelings—sometimes with bites! 🦷❤️ Why your 1-year-old bites are often a mix of teething discomfort, curiosity, and limited ways of communicating. You’re not alone—many parents are in the same boat! It’s just part of growing up. With time and practice, they’ll trade those chompers for smiles! It’s adorable watching your little one grow, but those tiny teeth can sometimes cause some not-so-cute surprises! Biting is a common phase for many toddlers, often driven by curiosity, frustration, or the need to express themselves. While it may be painful (and a little shocking) for parents, understanding why your child bites can help guide them through this stage.

5 Reasons why toddler likes to bite

1. Sensory exploration: For toddlers, biting is a way to experience different sensations. By biting objects (or sometimes people), they explore textures, firmness, and other physical sensations, helping them understand their environment in a hands-on way.
2. Communication: Young children often struggle to communicate feelings like frustration, excitement, or anger, so they may bite as a way of expressing themselves.
3. Playing defense: When toddlers feel overwhelmed, threatened, or even scared, they may bite as a form of self-defense. It’s often an instinctual reaction, especially in situations where they can’t yet express discomfort with words, like in crowded spaces or during rough play.
4. Cause and effect: Biting helps toddlers understand their impact on others, as they observe how people react when they bite.
5. Overstimulation: When toddlers are overwhelmed by too much noise, activity, or sensory input, they can struggle to process it all. Biting can become an impulsive response to release that built-up tension, helping them cope with the sensory overload they’re experiencing.

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Tips to stop a baby from biting you

• Act quickly: Firmly say “No biting!” and redirect to a different activity. Remember, your tone matters, even if they don’t understand the words yet.
• Encourage to use words: Encourage your child with words instead of biting. Teach them to say things like “I don’t want”.
• Validate their feelings: Acknowledge their frustrations by saying “I know it feels bad when someone takes your toy,” and give them a warm hug.
• Look for triggers: If they bite when someone touches their toy, consider getting a duplicate. Remove them from overstimulating situations.
• Don’t let them profit from attacks: Don’t reward bitting, If they bite for a toy, make sure they don’t keep it.
• Pay more attention to the victim than the culprit: Focus on the victim, modeling compassion, and praise positive behavior to reinforce sharing.
• Closely monitor your biter: Keep a close eye on your child to prevent biting.
• Offer a biting constitute: Give your child safe items to chew on, like a teething toy, if they seem to be biting due to teething or sensory exploration. This redirects their need to bite away from people.
• Extra attention: Often, toddlers bite as a way of getting a reaction from their caregivers. Giving them extra, positive attention—like playing, talking, or spending one-on-one time with them—can fulfill their need for connection and reduce the likelihood of biting. Catch them being good, and praise their positive actions, which reinforces their need for attention in a healthier way.
• Be a good model: Show your toddler how to express emotions calmly and interact gently. When they see you handling situations with kindness and patience, they’ll learn to do the same.

Baby likes to bite me