Today when I picked up my 3 year old daughter from daycare, they told me she had bitten a child. They weren't sure what precipitated it but that the boy had put his arm in front of my daughter and she was mad at him for something. They put her in time out for a long time and she later apologized to the boy.
She bit a child once before when she was one and I wasn't too concerned about it as I know that's a very common thing at that age. Plus, it never happened again so I didn't think much about it. However, at three it's more worrisome. She's extremely verbal and typically doesn't have a problem communicating her anger or frustration. Should I be worried about aggressive behavior or is this something that occasionaly happens, even with older toddlers like her?
Totally normal. Remind her to use her words and why she should not bite. She is still learning. She just got so frustrated and/or upset that she used her teeth to bite instead of her mouth to talk.
I wouldn't be. She isn't going to be perfect, she will bite or hit occasionally, its normal, she's three. As long as it isn't how she deals with frustration on a regular basis, I wouldn't worry.
One bite since she was one? I would not be worried about this. I doubt the daycare is, either. Not for one infraction.
Three is still very young. I wouldn't worry about it. There are books out there on the topic that may help. Our son was a hitter and we got the "Hands Are Not For Hitting" book. There's one for biters.
She might be a great talker and usually able to communicate her anger and/or frustration, but at 3 years old it's still very, very common to not be able to do that always. Many 3 year olds do not truly know what they are feeling in the moment. Meaning, it's because she is angry or upset that she might have trouble identifying it. Heck, I have trouble doing that sometimes when I'm upset with my husband. I can go to him a few minutes later and apologize for getting upset and let me know that I realized i was really upset about something else and took it out on him. But in the heat of the moment I don't always see it.
She's 3. It's frustrating that this happened, but it's nothing to get too concerned over. Take the opportunity to talk to her and remind her of how to handle something better next time, but don't worry. She'll grow out of it.
Only be worried if she continues to do it. There are biters and there are the kids who are the ones who get bitten. It's frustrating to both sets of parents, I promise you.
The thing about your particular child is that she isn't biting out of frustration for lack of communication skills, like so many children do. Even so, say to her over and over "Use your words" when you see her get frustrated, or have a flash of anger. Work WITH her to learn to say what she feels in an appropriate manner. Another thing you can say is "Hands are for helping, not hurting."
My children's daycare said these sentences all day long, even with a child whose verbal skills were just developing. They eventually "get it" when they hear the reminder to use their words. Hands are for helping is great for a child who just hauls off and hits. Both sentences are great to use overall for every child, though.
Good luck.
I don't think it's anything to worry about.
A little sister of one of my dd's friends bit her. She bit her face (she was trying to bite her mole off). They were in the health club day care at the time and she was put in time out and was given a warning.
It never happened again.
Not a big deal, just impulsive behavior.
Was she pretending to be an animal, or something to that effect? Sometimes when biting bubbles up for a 3 year old, it can just be a game gone awry. It also sounds like she might have felt cornered. Either way, I would not be too concerned about one incident. I would keep the line of communication open with the school, and notice if she seems 'off' at all. Sometimes even older kids bite when their ears hurt (ear infection?) or if they are teething.
It happens. Since it isn't a normal thing for her, I wouldn't worry. Just talk to her and find out what happened---be calm and let her talk and then go from there....
Good for you for not blaming the day care workers. I would not worry. That boy will not put his arm in front of her again though!
If it was an aggressive bite I would say worry but that sounds like a defensive bite. Just work on telling her better ways to defend herself.
Right now, I wouldn't worry. If it keeps happening, then you might have a mild cause for concern, but if it's a one-time thing .... nah. 3-year-olds are just unpredictable like that.
BTW, it sounds like the school handled it quite well. You can try to back the message up at home ("We never, ever bite"), but no cause for alarm.
I wouldn't be worried at all. 3 year olds can't help but be impulsive. The daycare did the right thing and put her in time out ASAP. Plus, she told you about it herself and knows she was wrong. Sounds like you guys spoke about it too. She sounds very verbal!
Biting is only an issue if it is done repeatedly. Remind your little one to use her words and to never hit or bite. It will be fine. Don't make too much of it.
If aggressive, biting behavior was a pattern, then yes, you should be concerned.
But once, in over 2 years, sounds like a non-issue.
I wouldn't worry too much about it. However, I do think 3 is a little old for biting. You can talk with her and teach her better ways to handle her frustrations (especially since she is verbal) and possibly prevent another bite. But it's not like she's a serial biter or anything. It happens.
I would be concerned that she feels like she has to bite someone to get attention to know that she is unhappy about something, when she can communicate well. To me, that means the adults are not listening to her so that she feels things will be better. I would check into that.
I would not be too concerned, and more than likely she will do it again, I have seen this so many times I lost count. As long as she is reminded that it is wrong, she will stop. At age 3 kids aren't able to express anger appropriately so they react by biting, throwing tantrums, hitting, kicking, ect. Just take a deep breath and be consistent with time out, or what ever works for you. I promise you she will stop. It's very rare for kids to bite after the age of five. Hope this helps. -E.
