Healthy Kids, Healthy Care:
Biting and Other Aggressive Behaviors
National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care
• Why do children bite and show other aggressive behaviors?
Feeling frustrated.
Limited ability to communicate with words.
Feeling threatened.
Testing limits.
Experimenting with senses.
Wanting power and control.
For older infants, it is part of normal feeding behavior (Example: Nursing
or breastfeeding).
• What elements should be included in the program's procedures/
policies for handling aggressive behavior?
Separating the children involved.
Immediate attention to the child or caregiver who was hurt.
Distracting and redirecting the aggressive child.
Letting the aggressive child know that this behavior is NOT OK.
Documenting (in writing) if an injury occurred and if first aid or medical
attention was given.
Informing parents of the children involved in the incident.
Parents of the recipient and the aggressor should both be notified.
If the problem is chronic, does the program take prompt steps to solve the
problem?
Reviewing what happens before and at the time of the incidents. Caregivers
should try to understand the reasons behind a child's behavior, looking
first at factors that could be controlled by adults.
Were there enough adults supervising the children?
Were caregivers distracted with diapering, serving lunch, getting out cots,
etc?
Was there too much waiting between and during activities?
Are there enough toys and supplies?
Looking for, and writing down, the connections between the child's behavior
and environment:
What time of day?
Does the child bite the same child?
Are children tired or hungry?
Does stress trigger aggressive behavior (thunder storm, room is noisy,
parent is late, etc.)?
Planning and implementing behavior management techniques and program changes
that may help to reduce this behavior in the future.
Working with the parents of the aggressive child to obtain professional
evaluation and/or services for the child if the aggressive behavior
continues after implementing positive behavior methods and program
environment changes (listed above).
• What type of training has the staff had on positive discipline
techniques and redirecting a child's behavior?
Ask them to show you how they would react to a child that bites or hits.
Have them share with you methods for positive guidance or redirecting the
child.
Have them list the different reasons a child might bite, hit or scratch
based on the child's age.
See Additional Resources section for Positive Guidance Methods.
Note: Biting is a common behavior in the infant or toddler who is expressing
a feeling or unmet need without words. It is also one of the first senses
through which infants experience their world. Infants and toddlers who are
cutting teeth are also more likely to bite. Hitting may be an immature
behavior with no intention of causing harm. It is important to keep
perspective and work with the caregiver in both helping to reduce the
incidents again and teaching children appropriate ways to express themselves.
TO BE CONTINUED...