Your baby now realises that teeth can be used for biting. They may start to give a small bite or nip now and then, which can be quite startling! While this is innocent behaviour and your baby doesn’t mean to cause discomfort to anyone or express anger by biting, not everyone understands this, especially if you have a sibling around.
Mind you, those tiny ridged teeth can be as sharp as an alligator’s!
What you need to know
A nip can catch anyone by surprise and the usual reaction is an unpleasant one. Just because your baby doesn’t really mean to hurt you, it doesn’t mean that that your baby cannot be guided – gently.
Next time you feel your baby nipping your shoulder or wanting to nibble at your arm, just be firm. Stop doing whatever you were doing. Set your baby down and in a firm tone just say, ‘No biting.’ Wag your finger and keep your face expression unsmiling.
Just like any other thing that you want your baby to learn, be consistent and repetitive. Request all other ‘victims’ of your nippy-biting baby to mimic your style of letting your baby know that this behaviour is not acceptable.
