What Can Parents Do About Biting in Preschool?

Understand Why

• Understand why a child bites before jumping to the conclusion that the biter is bad. One of the primary reasons that young children bite is a lack of self-control, according to NAEYC. Preschoolers may have difficulty sharing toys, taking turns or interacting nicely with peers at times. Their lack of self-control may result in physical aggression such as biting. Additionally, some kids may bite in an effort to attract attention from adults. If your 3-year-old sees you showering his little sister with love and attention, he may bite her to turn your focus to himself. Find the root cause of the biting first. Knowing if you're dealing with regulation issues, attention-seeking or an entirely different cause -- such as another child bit him, and he decided to bite back -- can help you to better deal with the situation.

Talk to the Teacher

• Getting the call that your child has or was bitten is never the child-rearing highlight that any parent is looking for. That said, talking to your child's teacher is a necessary step in solving the aggression issue. Ask the teacher what she does when the biting occurs. She should respond immediately, get down on the child's level and firmly tell the biter that the action is not acceptable. Discuss having a conference with the other child's parents or bringing in the school director for further help if needed. If the biting problems are transferring into the home environment, ask the teacher about what you can do with your child to help her stop biting at all times.

Role Model

• If your child sees you acting aggressively at home or behaving in an out of control manner, he may follow suit at preschool. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests on HealthyChildren.org that all adults in a young child's life act as role models and set examples for the child to follow. Show him how you handle difficult, challenging or frustrating situations by remaining calm and using a positive strategy -- such as talking -- to smooth over the situation. You can also use pretend play to act out "biting scenes." Have your preschooler use two teddy bears to create a dramatic version of the biting incident that happened at school earlier in the day. Ask him what he would do differently to avoid the aggression and stop biting.

Consult the School's Policy

• Instead of jumping to the conclusion that your child was bitten, or has bitten someone else, due to improper supervision, consult the preschool's aggression policy. Most preschools have specific policies that dictate how to handle biting incidents. Teachers must follow the school's guidelines, which are typically created in an effort to protect and discipline all of the children involved. For example, the policy may say that teachers must use a firm "no" directed at the biter, comfort the bitten child and separate the two children. Additionally, the policy should include guidelines for notification such as calling the parents of both the biter and bitten child right after the incident and supplying medical attention if necessary.