Teeth Are Not for Biting (Board Book)

My son began biting at daycare beginning around 18-ish months of age. This was really distressing for me because our daycare has VERY strict rules around biting, and of course I didn't want him to hurt any other children there. He had never bitten me or his dad at home, so it was just an overwhelming time trying to navigate how to help him when this started out of the blue. I know that it is a totally normal part of development for toddlers at this age - but I was just nervous about the reprecussions of the daycare rules and what if I couldn't help him learn to break this behavior quickly. I hope this review will help other people who are struggling the same way!! We started by talking to our son the first day this happened. Daycare sent me a picture of the bite mark on the child he had bitten and I asked what the circumstances were surrounding the incident (was it provoked or was it totally unprovoked) and how they handled it - I wanted to make sure that everyone was on the same page with what was going on and that things would be consistent as far as discipline and language etc between home and daycare. The first bite was provoked - but the bites that occurred in the days that followed were seemingly unprovoked and would happen whether he was upset or happy. My husband and I would talk to him at night after daycare about biting, using language such as "No Biting", "Biting hurts", "We Don't Bite Our Friends", etc. Short and to the point. We would talk to him again in the morning before we took him to daycare. After the first bite at daycare, they put him in his first ever timeout. I didn't think that would work great for him at that age because he didn't seem to understand what was going on, and you obviously cannot punish a child at that age when they get home from daycare because again, they would not understand. So this was definitely a learning experience for me as a mom. After a few days, I was becoming really anxious and worried - again, due to the strict no biting policy at daycare, and the fact that I was having a complicated pregnancy and was about to deliver a premature baby any day - so the fear of me having to leave to go into the hospital at any point in time and the possibility that we could get kicked out of daycare was A LOT. Thankfully, daycare was great and calmed my fears about him being removed because that would only happen as a last resort if he was biting all day, everyday, and nothing was working. We weren't there yet - he was only biting once per day (twice on one day). So, after the first week being unsuccessful - I really wanted to try and get this under control over the weekend, hoping he would return to daycare Monday and everything would be back to normal. Daycare warned me that a biting behavior can stick around for weeks and weeks and is one of the hardest behaviors to break. That Friday afternoon, I began searching for a good book. Our son loves books and I wanted something that was age appropriate. The book arrived the next day - and we immediately began reading it. He LOVED it!!! It quickly became his favorite book - and would bring it back and forth between me and my husband so we could take turns reading it over and over to him - he was obsessed with it and began memorizing it and the gestures that we would make as we read (like after the line that says to try a hug instead, we would hug, or at the end when it says "teeth are for smiling", we would all smile and say "cheeeese"). I even put the book in his daycare bag, and the daycare teacher for his age happily read that book during their book/reading time to everyone. When we brought him back on Monday, he had a BITE FREE day. Daycare was being very diligent as well at keeping a worker who he really loves and trusts close by - and she would try to intervene if she saw a bite coming or about to happen which also helped a lot. Unfortunately, that Tuesday, he bit someone again. That night, we read the book again and reitterated we don't bite, etc. Later, he was playing and getting pretty hyper with my husband - and he bit him. My husband is a little stricter on the discipline side - and he bit my son back (not hard, not out of anger, etc - and I know this is controversial) and it shocked our son! It wasn't until then that he actually understood or realized that biting really hurts and is scary. After that, he never bit at daycare again. So, the biting behavior for us lasted just over a week. I can't say biting your child back is the best thing to do - maybe as a last resort - but I can say that this book made a MASSIVE difference for us in combination with everything. It really taught him new language and was perfectly age appropriate!! This remained is all time favorite book for a while after that - in fact, he would bring it back and forth to us to read over and over and over again all-day-every-day that my husband ended up hiding the book so we could take a break hahaha! SO - if you are entering into the biting phase or are in the thick of it, feeling overwhelmed or not sure where to start or how to help - this is a GREAT place to start!!! I would recommend this book for parents, daycares/preschools etc, or anyone that is trying to help a child stop biting. The book details what biting and teeth are NOT for and gives a handful of other things for kids to try instead when they feel like biting during certain scenarios. The illistrations are simple, colorful, etc. I also really enjoyed in the back of the book, there are further resources and tips for combating biting!!! The book is also a boardbook, making it yet another great choice for young children. THANK YOU for this book. If/when my youngest starts any negative behaviors like biting, hitting, etc - I will come right back here and order the appropriate book for her, too.

This is a book I bought to start reading to our son, who has some specialized needs. He had a dental procedure a few months ago that seems to have set off some of his sensory issues and changed the way things feel in his mouth in ways he's been struggling a little to adapt to. Totally not the fault of his dentist, it's one of those things that can be hard to avoid and difficult to always predict when you have a child with a sensory processing disorder. Anyways, we had a couple of books from this series that we used with our daughter when she was little, though not this one, so I was familiar enough with the series to have a general idea of what I was getting. I really like how this book opens by talking about how strong and sharp teeth are, mentions the approved of use, and then goes right into biting hurts. I like that the expression on the injured child's face is clear enough that my son can interpret her as both crying and clearly in distress. He has Autism as well, so sometimes it can be pretty hard for him to pick up on those types of cues unless they are very dramatic or emphasized. Because our son is 5, some of the sections of the book don't apply to him as much, because it spends a couple of pages talking about how many teeth a child will have when they grow in and that biting isn't an appropriate response to teething pain. I kind of adlibbed in this section and added how dental work can also cause discomfort that can make you want to bite. And you totally can't bite the dentist ;) I really like that this book gives strategies for replacing chewing, most of which are things he's willing to do -except rest... we don't really do resting in this house ;) I like that this book then goes on to explain how emotional things can cause a person to want to bite, because sometimes for him, he gets overloaded and tries to bite because the compression on those joints helps to calm him down, and then emphasizes that we don't bite for those reasons because it hurts others. I am a super big fan of the fact that this book drums in the "why" over and over again, because for our little man, he may understand what you want him to do, but unless you can get him to understand the "why," he's less likely to cooperate with you. This section is again followed by some strategies that he can again use, although for him it's via his speech computer when it comes to that whole "use your words" thing. Then the book talks about how it feels like if someone bites you and goes on to coach that we do not bite back even if we are bitten, we get help from a grown up, and then ends on a final reminder about teeth not being for biting and a final positive use (smiling). I feel like even though this book has a few areas that aren't as applicable to us at this time (teeth coming in), they may be as he gets old enough to loose teeth in the next couple of years. I like how thorough and repetitive this book is, and think it's a great social story resource for a kiddo who may be going through a biting phase. I don't anticipate that this alone will entirely solve our problem, it's part of a more comprehensive approach that involves the Wilbarger oral protocol, subbing in vibrating teethers when he leans in to try and bite me, and redirecting him frequently to appropriate chewers. I'm also trying to teach him how to chew gum, but that's going to be a longer process because currently, he doesn't want to touch that. But I think this will be a helpful support to us, he's already been looking at it as I read it to him, and I believe it could be a helpful support for your kiddo as well.

The Best Behavior series is a total parenting hack, and this book is no exception. It’s simple, easy to read, and somehow keeps my toddler’s attention—probably because the pictures are straightforward and the words aren’t trying too hard. The whole "teeth are for eating and chewing, not biting people" message? Genius. It’s like the book is speaking directly to my little mischief-maker. We’ve made this format our go-to parenting script: "What is this for? Okay, now what is it NOT for?" It’s now ingrained into our lives like a catchphrase from a sitcom. And when a behavior flare-up happens at home? Boom, book time. It’s like having a referee who calmly explains the rules of the toddler game. We also own the kicking, hitting, and tail-pulling books (pets, I’m so sorry), and honestly, they’re all MVPs. Since we started using them, the chaos has decreased, and my blood pressure has stabilized. If you’re raising a tiny tornado with teeth, this series is a must-have. Buy it, use it, and maybe frame it as a reminder that you’re doing great.

文章は短いですが、大切な事が凄い伝わってくる絵本です。

It's a really effective book. It doesn't have some great story with a moral or something. It's just a simple book with a clear message for young toddlers that biting is not okay. Message is repeated enough times with simple illustrations. It teaches babies alternatives to biting as well. Adults may feel the book is not engaging enough but my baby of under 2 years of age actually stopped biting after repeated readings of this book. So definitely the book got something right!

This book is exactly as described and exceeded my expectations. It’s well-made, easy to use, and arrived quickly. I’ve been reading it regularly to my grandchildren and it’s made a noticeable difference. Great quality for the price—would definitely recommend!

Mon fils adore ce livre qui lui permet de développer son vocabulaire en anglais et ça l’a aussi sensibilisé sur le fait de ne pas mordre ses copains de la crèche.

Love this book, and so does our 18 month grandson. He's bit mummy a couple of times, so I thought I'd give a book a try. Good tone. Explains how one may want to bite, but why one shouldn't. Its simple message of, 'ouch, biting hurts' is repeated throughout. I think books are a great way to send a message because there can be no hint of a power play. Introduced this book last week at our house, and he wanted it read to him again and again! Zero biting afterwards! It obviously left an impression on his little mind!