Do you Term Biters?

[suehelen]

No. I've never termed a biter. The child is in my care, I'm responsible for making sure that no one in his vicinity gets bitten.

I'm sorry for the kid that you didn't give him a chance and work on the issue.

[suehelen]

The specifics of this particular situation aside, I do not think terminating child care for a older infant or young toddler who bites is always necessary or appropriate.

Biting is a very hard thing to deal with. It makes people angry and emotional, especially when it leaves a mark. However, terminating care immediately is premature is many (albeit not all) instances.

There is a great resource book called No Biting:Policy and Practice for Toddler Programs. It describes biting as an "unfortunately not unexpected" behavior in toddlers. It describes many ways to understand and help children who bite. Many times there are changes a provider can make to eliminate the behavior before it gets out of hand. What is sad is that it is easier to just term. Well, where are all of these children going to get child care? From someone who will take a "biter" and not deal with the behavior most likely. It is better (again in most, not all, cases) for the child to remain in familiar care and learn appropriate behaviors.

Toddlers bite for many reasons other than incorrigible behavior problems! They bite because they are exploring sensory stimuli, because their language is still developing and they get frustrated, because of teething pain, etc.

Spending more time outdoors, providing many types of sensory activities, giving a child a cold teether or safe chew toy, redirecting behavior that may lead to a bite (i.e. tussles over toys), responding swiftly and firmly to any biting (No biting! Biting hurts! You hurt Jacob when you bit him!), AND providing close and careful supervision when you learn biting is a possibility are all ways that will help a child overcome this behavior.

I know I will get attacked for this post but I feel that it is important that people who work with young children to recognize that terminating child care for every undesirable behavior a child displays (especially one that is not developmentally unexpected at a young age) is not necessarily appropriate. Where is the consideration for continuity of care? I am in no way implying that one should keep a child with true behavioral issues if the child needs more assistance than we can provide or put the other children in their care at risk, BUT I am saying that biting does not have to equal a term.

I won't attack you. What you said is right on.

[Blackcat31]

I know I will get attacked for this post but I feel that it is important that people who work with young children to recognize that terminating child care for every undesirable behavior a child displays (especially one that is not developmentally unexpected at a young age) is not necessarily appropriate. Where is the consideration for continuity of care? I am in no way implying that one should keep a child with true behavioral issues if the child needs more assistance than we can provide or put the other children in their care at risk, BUT I am saying that biting does not have to equal a term.

I wont attack you either but I do want to comment on what you said.

I agree that biting IS something that should be expected of toddler behavior. There ARE lots of great resources out there to help providers learn to control and manage their environments to cut down or eliminate possible biting occurrences.

However, with all that said, I still don't feel that terming a biter is wrong or inappropriate.

Child care providers work long hours for little pay and the responsibilities we all have already are only magnified by adding the responsibilities of supporting, teaching and deflecting a biter in care. I understand and respect the concept of continuity of care but at the same time, when I give that a higher priority than the care I provide for the other children here, that's not ok.

I don't feel it is MY personal duty as a caregiver to go about hiring an assistant or second caregiver just so I can provide the close supervision a biter requires. Why should it cost me to curb a biters bad habit?

That may sound cold or callous but regardless of whether it is or isn't developmentally appropriate I can NOT manage it myself.....and although I am an early childhood teacher/educator and understand biting, I am also a business woman and in order to continue running my business I must maintain a safe environment for ALL kids in my care and sometimes that means terming the one who is at the root of any unsafe or dangerous behaviors.

[MyAngels]

The specifics of this particular situation aside, I do not think terminating child care for a older infant or young toddler who bites is always necessary or appropriate.

Biting is a very hard thing to deal with. It makes people angry and emotional, especially when it leaves a mark. However, terminating care immediately is premature is many (albeit not all) instances.

There is a great resource book called No Biting:Policy and Practice for Toddler Programs. It describes biting as an "unfortunately not unexpected" behavior in toddlers. It describes many ways to understand and help children who bite. Many times there are changes a provider can make to eliminate the behavior before it gets out of hand. What is sad is that it is easier to just term. Well, where are all of these children going to get child care? From someone who will take a "biter" and not deal with the behavior most likely. It is better (again in most, not all, cases) for the child to remain in familiar care and learn appropriate behaviors.

Toddlers bite for many reasons other than incorrigible behavior problems! They bite because they are exploring sensory stimuli, because their language is still developing and they get frustrated, because of teething pain, etc.

Spending more time outdoors, providing many types of sensory activities, giving a child a cold teether or safe chew toy, redirecting behavior that may lead to a bite (i.e. tussles over toys), responding swiftly and firmly to any biting (No biting! Biting hurts! You hurt Jacob when you bit him!), AND providing close and careful supervision when you learn biting is a possibility are all ways that will help a child overcome this behavior.

I know I will get attacked for this post but I feel that it is important that people who work with young children to recognize that terminating child care for every undesirable behavior a child displays (especially one that is not developmentally unexpected at a young age) is not necessarily appropriate. Where is the consideration for continuity of care? I am in no way implying that one should keep a child with true behavioral issues if the child needs more assistance than we can provide or put the other children in their care at risk, BUT I am saying that biting does not have to equal a term.

I agree with you. I've had some biters and I've been fortunate enough to get it handled before it ever caused more than minor problems.

However, I know there are situations that I've heard about where I absolutely would have termed. Mainly because it had reached such a severe level that it would have been beyond my capabilities to deal with it.

[Play Care]

I wont attack you either but I do want to comment on what you said.

I agree that biting IS something that should be expected of toddler behavior. There ARE lots of great resources out there to help providers learn to control and manage their environments to cut down or eliminate possible biting occurrences.

However, with all that said, I still don't feel that terming a biter is wrong or inappropriate.

Child care providers work long hours for little pay and the responsibilities we all have already are only magnified by adding the responsibilities of supporting, teaching and deflecting a biter in care. I understand and respect the concept of continuity of care but at the same time, when I give that a higher priority than the care I provide for the other children here, that's not ok.

I don't feel it is MY personal duty as a caregiver to go about hiring an assistant or second caregiver just so I can provide the close supervision a biter requires. Why should it cost me to curb a biters bad habit?

That may sound cold or callous but regardless of whether it is or isn't developmentally appropriate I can NOT manage it myself.....and although I am an early childhood teacher/educator and understand biting, I am also a business woman and in order to continue running my business I must maintain a safe environment for ALL kids in my care and sometimes that means terming the one who is at the root of any unsafe or dangerous behaviors.

[nannyde]

Where is the consideration for continuity of care?

The continuity of care I'm most concerned about is the care of my own child. I have to provide continuity of care for HIM. That means I have to have an income to provide the continuity. I have to keep my income steady to pay for his care.

Continuity of care isn't just a concept for day care kids. OUR kids need that too. If any part of my job threatens my ability to provide continuity of care for MY child I have to be willing to walk away and not be held hostage to what it does to the continuity of care for other peoples children.

A biter threatens my business. I would rather loose income from the biter slot than the bitee's slots.

I have had one bite in 20 years and that was 19 years ago. I prefer the prevention rather than the termination. Even with a great record it COULD happen and I wouldn't blink an eye to term.

[Leanna]

I wont attack you either but I do want to comment on what you said.

I agree that biting IS something that should be expected of toddler behavior. There ARE lots of great resources out there to help providers learn to control and manage their environments to cut down or eliminate possible biting occurrences.

However, with all that said, I still don't feel that terming a biter is wrong or inappropriate.

Child care providers work long hours for little pay and the responsibilities we all have already are only magnified by adding the responsibilities of supporting, teaching and deflecting a biter in care. I understand and respect the concept of continuity of care but at the same time, when I give that a higher priority than the care I provide for the other children here, that's not ok.

I don't feel it is MY personal duty as a caregiver to go about hiring an assistant or second caregiver just so I can provide the close supervision a biter requires. Why should it cost me to curb a biters bad habit?

That may sound cold or callous but regardless of whether it is or isn't developmentally appropriate I can NOT manage it myself.....and although I am an early childhood teacher/educator and understand biting, I am also a business woman and in order to continue running my business I must maintain a safe environment for ALL kids in my care and sometimes that means terming the one who is at the root of any unsafe or dangerous behaviors.

The continuity of care I'm most concerned about is the care of my own child. I have to provide continuity of care for HIM. That means I have to have an income to provide the continuity. I have to keep my income steady to pay for his care.

Continuity of care isn't just a concept for day care kids. OUR kids need that too. If any part of my job threatens my ability to provide continuity of care for MY child I have to be willing to walk away and not be held hostage to what it does to the continuity of care for other peoples children.

A biter threatens my business. I would rather loose income from the biter slot than the bitee's slots.

I have had one bite in 20 years and that was 19 years ago. I prefer the prevention rather than the termination. Even with a great record it COULD happen and I wouldn't blink an eye to term.

Again, nothing I said meant that terming is never appropriate...just that often we jump to term when it can be handled before it becomes a huge problem.

Nannyde, I agree prevention is key. I am referring more to those who don't prevent & then term when we as adults can prevent/handle it in many cases.

[nannyde]

Again, nothing I said meant that terming is never appropriate...just that often we jump to term when it can be handled before it becomes a huge problem.

Nannyde, I agree prevention is key. I am referring more to those who don't prevent & then term when we as adults can prevent/handle it in many cases.

Prevention is the key. You have to teach yourself how to prevent escalation. Once you do that you don't see the end results (expression of or exhaustion of the energy) with hitting, biting, fighting etc.