Dr Catherine
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Girl
2-4 years

He has been cross cutting his teeth has 3 top front Teeth and has 2 bottom front teeth now he has cut 4teeth top and bottom they are the ones after your eye teeth is this whyb he is biting all of us he is still yet to cut eye

Hi Jackie, Biting is a normal phase for babies and toddlers, however, biting in older children may indicate other behavioural issues especially if is quite frequent. For infants and toddlers biting is a form of exploration. Infants use their mouths to explore because sensory wise, their mouths are the most developed parts of their bodies. Many infants bite when they are excited and over stimulated or experimenting with cause and effect. Biting is also common when your child is teething. If linked directly to teething it is often helpful to provide your child with something that they can bight down on like a soft toy. You need to make sure that it is safe and has no small parts that can break off or be swallowed. Amongst toddlers biting can be a form of communication but it can also be a form of frustration if there are too many challenges or demands put on the child. Many toddlers do not understand that biting can hurt other children. Children need to be told that biting is unacceptable and that it hurts others (you should do this through explanation – never bite a child for biting someone else). Frequent biters need to be monitored closely and removed from the situation when the behaviour occurs, especially if in a childcare or playgroup situation. Regards, Dr Cathrine