Accept the presence of thorns, but let the rose inspire you.
– Steve Pavlina, American author

There are many challenges facing adults who work with young children, but biting is one of the most sensitive. In her article, “All About Biting,” Linda Crisalli writes:

“Biting is particularly problematic because it tends to elicit such a strong response from caregivers, parents and other children…There are actually many different reasons why children bite, and with enough information, the problem can often be easily addressed. The first step is to reassure the staff, parents, and children who are likely to be complaining about the biting that you acknowledge that there is a problem and you are addressing it, while taking care not to disclose confidential information.

“The next step is to track and document the child’s behavior for several days. Important: Do not make assumptions about what you believe to be the cause of the problem at this point…

“It might seem that the biting is random and unprovoked, however, if you can maintain objectivity while you are analyzing your observations, patterns often emerge that you hadn’t noticed before. Once you have this information, you can develop some strategies to help the child to be successful in the group environment.” Crisalli goes on to discuss a number of reasons that may be causing the biting, and provides strategies to consider.