Is biting a normal behavior for toddlers in social situations? If your young child was recently bitten while at their daycare center, take a look at what you need to know about this common issue and how the preschool director or educator can help.

Why Do Children Bite?

Your child was bitten—and you want to know why. Chances are this wasn't a vicious attack against your toddler. Instead, your toddler was on the receiving end of another child's frustration.

Toddlers aren't masters of their emotions. They also don't have extensive vocabularies to express themselves. Combined, these two elements can result in biting. Even though it's not socially acceptable to bite, this behavior is common when young children can't find the words to say what they're feeling in a specific situation, are overwhelmed, are over-tired, or are angry.

Some toddlers also bite as a way to explore their environment. This sensory-seeking behavior is also normal during the toddler years.

Why Was Your Child Bitten?

This type of seemingly aggressive behavior may seem like a calculated attack to an adult. If the bite was from one adult to another or an older child to another older child, you would consider it an unacceptable assault or retaliation against an insult/attack. But with toddlers, a bite isn't necessarily meant to hurt someone else or fight back against them.

It's likely the bite was not a personal attack against your child. Instead, your child may have been in the wrong place at the wrong time or was part of a social situation neither toddler could solve on their own. It's possible both children wanted to play with the same toy or the other child want the teacher's attention.

What Should You Do About a Bite?

How will you know if your child was bitten at daycare? The teacher, director, or other early childhood staff member should notify you about the bite. When the educator tells you about this incident, you'll have the opportunity to ask questions. If this is the first time your child was bitten or you want to know more about what happened before or after the bite, ask the teacher for details.

The early childhood educator or early preschool director can also provide tips to help your child understand or emotionally cope with the bite. Again, toddlers don't always have the words to express their feelings. If your child is sad, mad, frustrated, or confused about the bite, their teacher can help them (and you) through this situation. To learn more information about child care, reach out to a company such as A Mother's Touch Child Development Center.