My 18 month old won't stop biting her sister. She does it because she is jealous of her sister and thinks it is funny that her older sister is scared of her. I have tried everything I can think of. Is there anything else I should try?
by 
cosgirl17
ANSWERS: 18
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If you have tried everything, then maybe she just needs to know how much it hurts, and have her sister bite her back. A little unorthodox, yes, but it will make her think twice next time and make her realize the "do unto others as you would want them to do unto you." I raised 4 kids, and now have 3 grandsons that are going through the same thing... the bite back rule works if it is by permission only from the parent to the other child.
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Well, I seriously doubt that she is feeling such a thing as jealousy at that age. She is acting aggressively and enjoying the results - it's a exercise of power thing - we all like to have an effect on those around us. This is not an uncommon age for biting to be a problem - the child does not have any verbal skills to express any anger or frustration she may be feeling. Unless you tell us what you have already tried, we can't suggest 'anything else' because we might be suggesting things you already tried. Have you spoken to her doctor about it? Is she usually tired and hungry when she bites? Is there tension/stress in the household? Have you tried separating the children during their playtime? no access to sister = no biting sister- Does the older girl avoid contact with the younger one? What do you mean by 'jealous?' You just haven't given us enough info to be able to make constructive suggestions.
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Did you try removing her from the situation when she bites. For instance if she is playing in the corner and she bites her sister, pick her up tell her no bitting in a stern voice and take to a different room to play. Also depending on the age of her sister you can teach her when her sister bites to tell her no, walk away, and ignore her. It may very well be true that her little sister in enjoying the attention/power when she makes her sister cry. There is also a slight possiblity that the older sister is letting her bite her so she can get the little one in trouble. I don't know your kids so I can say if that is true but it is possible.
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My oldest was a biter - and not when he was mad - just whenever. At 18 months they can be extremely jealous, at that age they think that no one else should matter. I eventually trained my son not to put anything (even food) in his mouth without asking by putting that bad tasting anti-thumb sucking gel onto my arm where he really liked to bite. You could put that on your daughter's arm (or back, or wherever your 18 month old is biting) and see if that helps. The urge to bite is a very strong and deeply rooted primal instinct, and never really goes away. Some have a stronger instinct than others, just like some people are naturally more competitive. My son is 13 and still chews or bites anything he can (ice, pen lids, pencils, cell phone antennae...you name it). Try to tell your older daughter to try to ignore it if she is old enough, even if it hurts, so that there will be no reaction for the biting. Hope it helps
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Try having the biter care for the wounds she has left such as placing an ice back over the bite or kissing it better. Really seeing the pain you have caused a loved one can help a lot. However, at 18 months old, she is more likely just acting out her aggression and this is VERY normal. 1-2 yo's bite often and the most loving child can become a biter when frustrated. You may just need to continue redirecting her "Biting hurts. I need you to walk away" and supervising her play with other children until you feel the situation in under control. I would say that anything over 3 bites/week would be considered cause for close supervision (yes, even in your own home).
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My daughter bit me, bit her, that was that
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It's a sign of frustration, and a way of communicating. it's a hard one, but i know some who have bitten the child back so they know how it hurts, and they really haven't bitten back. But time will help as they get older.
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have the sister bite back i know it sounds bad but it worked on my cuzin
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I hate to admit this but I agree with the biting back, and then completely ignoring them for a short time. When they come looking for your company, ask them if they are sorry for biting. Let them know you don't like to see that. I would wait for a sorry and then give them a hug.
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The biting back answer is actually the best from a psychological point of view. She will the associate her biting with being bitten and thus stop that behavior.
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A little bite back by the older sister. Not to big of a bite, but hard enough where the baby will remember that it does hurt.
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Bite her back.
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make her eat/drink a spoonfull of vinegar immediatly after she bites. It has worked for all my kids!
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My daughter bit me for the first and last time at around that age. I bit her back just hard enough to let her know it hurt. She pouted a bit and hasn't done it since.
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I have a friend that had the same problem with her twins. Her solution was to grab the biter and put him or her in another room for a few minutes. They didn't like being isolated and quickly learned not to do it. The message they got from this was not that they should expect to be hurt if they hurt someone, but that they didn't deserve the company of their sibling if they hurt them.
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why would her older sis be scared of her?????? i agree that maybe her older sissy should bite her to show her what it feels like......take care....Brian.....
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I have a 4 month old and I JUST read an article in American Baby about this very thing. The reason the baby does this is because they have discovered they can elicit a reaction from you by something THEY do. You should say something like, "Biting hurts mommy" and then put the baby down and don't pay attention to her for a few minutes. That way she doesn't get the "payoff" or "reward" for biting you, which is your reaction.
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Turn about is fair play for a learning process at that age.
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