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One way to get an immediate reaction from adults is for the child to bite a playmate. What triggers the biting incident? The toddler may be at the stage of development when everything within their reach is "theirs" and theirs alone. Remember that toddlers have not developed the concept of "sharing" toys. Most play is solitary and objects are used for very short periods of time, quickly explored and then the child moves on to another toy. If another child tries to play with the same object the first toddler thinks of as their own, the first child may try to grab the toy away, scream, cry, and/or eventually lean over and bite. The bitten child will quickly release the toy and cry out in pain. The biter will confiscate the article, but also monitor the response of any adult in the room.

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Biting is one of the most common ways for children to express themselves at a certain time of their lives, usually between the ages of 1 to 3 years. It can be a painful experience for everyone involved, the biter's parents, the bitten child's parents and any staff in a kindergarten, nursery or day care center where the incident occurs. So, why do these young children bite?

Prior to birth, infants are in the safest and most secure environment they will ever know: the womb of the mother. They have everything they could ever want or need and the mother's body provides the fetus constant attention. After birth, the infant is given constant attention and the attention is "one-on one" as far as the infant knows. Something happens soon after the infant begins to toddle and explore the environment. They discover that they can exercise a degree of control of the environment and that they can act in a manner that requires a parent's attention when the toddler demands it. The problem is that toddlers do not have the ability to express themselves verbally. They quickly learn that certain forms of behavior create immediate responses from adults.