Feb 11, 2008, 2:07 GMT
Munich - It's completely normal for small children to want to bite other kids, experts say.
Usually it occurs out of frustration or because the child wants something, according to the Munich-based professional association of paediatricians.
However, if the child bites often and is very aggressive about when he does it, the parents should bring it up with the child's paediatrician, said Ulrich Fegeler, a spokesman for the association. The same goes for children over the age of three who still often bite other kids or adults.
Positive reinforcement is one way to keep a child from biting. Parents should praise their child when he or she shares and when he or she is nice or compassionate, experts say.
If their child still bites other children, parents should first take care of the child that was bitten by supporting the child emotionally and by helping him express his feelings. Parents should avoid saying anything negative to the child that did the biting except to explain that biting is not acceptable and it hurts.
If parents are the ones bitten, they should demonstrate to the child that it hurts using words, body language and facial expressions.
'Often small children are themselves shocked because they are not aware that biting hurts,' said Fegeler. If bleeding occurs, the bite wound must be monitored to ensure that it does not become infected.
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