When teeth brainstorm to erupt, you can be sure that your baby is going to test them out. And every bit your child adds to her drove of teeth, she may also add bitter to her purse of tricks.

Baby biting is common, and while your child is probably fascinated by your reaction (her stuffed animals don't let out a yelp when she gives them a chomp), she doesn't mean any harm with her nibbles.

Hither's how to handle baby biting, including why your infant might bite yous and strategies to redirect the behavior.

Why practice babies bite?

Babies may bite for a few different reasons, including teething, frustration, in play or for elementary exploration.

Teething

Teething, which usually starts between 4 and 7 months, can exist a painful experience for babies. In improver to biting, a baby who is teething might too drool more than usual, have a rash around her mouth, be irritable, turn down to eat, or pull on her ears or cheeks.

As a tooth pokes through her gums, a teething baby may try to ease the discomfort she feels by biting downwards on something — similar your finger, or your nipples if yous're breastfeeding.

The counter-pressure afforded by sinking her gums into something difficult can offer some relief. So, even after the offending tooth has made its entrance, your baby may nevertheless bask trying information technology out on any's handy, including various parts of your body.

Playful biting

Your babe might bite playfully or to run across if she can get a reaction from you lot — and if she does, she might think it's a game.

Exploration

Baby mouthing is a normal part of your little one's evolution and how she learns to explore her environment. Starting around the 4-month mark, your infant may begin mouthing everything she tin become her hands on — and if she has teeth, that might event in a bite to your finger.

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Frustration

Although more common in toddlers who are biting, an older babe in particular might bite as a way to bargain with frustration or unhappiness. A babe who is frustrated doesn't have the language to express what's wrong — but she does have teeth!

How can yous stop babies from biting?

Your all-time bet is to nip this habit in the bud before your babe becomes besides fond of it, and earlier she has enough chompers to exercise much damage.

  • Be calm but firm. Making a big deal of a bite, by crying out in pain or scolding her strongly, may only encourage her to try over again to encounter what yous'll do next. The best response: a house, no-nonsense, low-drama argument of the dominion ("no bitter") every bit you lot remove the offending fangs from their target.
  • Endeavor distracting her. Sing a song, offer a toy or a visit to the window to see the cars outside. Exist consistent with this routine and somewhen your infant will become the pic and reserve her bites for inanimate objects.
  • Offering something she can bite on. For a baby who is teething, the best way to handle bitter is by trying to relieve the discomfort she feels. Provide a cold teething toy, pacifier or chilled washcloth, and tell her information technology's okay to sink her pearly whites at that place. Massaging your niggling one'south gums may also aid. A infant with teething hurting may be treated with weight-based doses of acetaminophen or ibuprofen, though it's amend to try giving her something to chew on first. (And always avoid teething tablets or gels that contain belladonna or benzocaine, which can exist unsafe.)
  • Don't encourage the behavior. If your baby is biting in a playful way while playing or breastfeeding, do your best not to call out in painful exasperation or playfully seize with teeth back — this could encourage her to continue biting because of the attention she gets from you lot. Instead, evidence her another way to play and utilize positive reinforcement, praising her for good playing beliefs.
  • Watch your language. Of grade, an baby won't understand everything you lot're saying, merely beliefs and language can still influence picayune ones. For example, limiting phrases like "I merely want to eat you up!" and playfully nipping your baby's fingers, nose or toes might transport the wrong message and encourage more playful biting in the futurity.