Biting and Feeding

D

dhirsh

Registered User
My son is 13 1/2 months old and likes to bite people. I believe he does it when he's teething, when he wants attention and sometimes when he's angry. I have tried say no and move him away, but my little shark smiles and comes back. I am currently trying to say no and then give him something else to bite. Have any of you had a similar experience. I am finding this age very difficult. He is very independent and doesn't take no for an answer. (I know he understands me.)

Also, how do I start teaching him to use a spoon? He eats with his fingers. I am currently putting the food on a spoon every once and a while and giving it to him to put in his mouth. He's interested for a little while and then wants to go back to using just his hands. Is this normal? Any suggestions?
 
hey D! holy cow, baby boy is 13.5 months now???? time really flies!

1) every child tries to get their own way somehow. for some it is biting, others it's pushing, hitting, kicking, screaming. all you can really do is continue what you are. maybe remove him even more from the situation? he sounds a lot like my girl with the whole independence thing. what we had to do was pick and choose our battles. she had/has a temper on her to rival anyone on the planet. but with constant correction and talking, she is getting better at asking for what she wants instead of screaming for it.

2) using a spoon... finger eating is perfectly normal at this age. don't push the spoon, but continue to do what you are and eventually he'll "get it". our youngest continues to mix using a spoon and fingers (and she's 28 months now!). remember, your boy is still VERY young and he's just starting to figure out this whole "using the hands for something other than sucking" business.

good luck! hope to see you soon!
 
My son went through a short biting stage at the same age. I have been following the advice in the "Toddler Taming" book. The book suggested that there is nothing a toddler hates more than not getting attention. Therefore, if your son bites you it suggests that you say firmly "no", put him down and walk away depriving him of your attention. If your son bites another child the book suggests that you say firmly "no" and then lavish attention on the child who was the recipient of the bite to the exclusion of your son. I tried these techniques and they worked well to cure the biting.

I hope this helps!
 
That's it except mine is the 2006 edition (and cost me $220 rather than $104!). It's written by an Australian paed and is really just a common sense guide. It covers tantrums, toilet training, biting, hitting, feeding issues etc. It doesn't promise to turn your your toddler into the model of good behaviour but rather helps you to deal with some common problems and also reminds you that certain behaviour you might perceive as "bad" is just part of being a toddler. Some of the advice is pretty obvious but it's good to be reminded....
 
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