Smitten about being bitten?

So my child is a biter. He bites when he is upset or frustrated and even when he gets excited. It's his way of expressing himself. Of course I discourage it by saying, "no biting," and then naming his emotion, so he learns what he is feeling. (Yes, I know he is sometimes just teething and doesn't mean harm. It is believed that infants/toddlers explore with their mouths, so biting is a very natural, but obviously should not be encouraged and children should be taught that it effects someone else.)

I heard from someone that a way to help him stop biting and help him realize that it hurts, is to bite him back. Not super hard but enough that he realizes how it feels to be bit. So I decided to try it. He bit me today. I said, "no biting Keane. That hurts," and gently bit his finger.

So what is his reaction? He laughed at me. Now of course, I didn't really want to hurt him, so maybe I could have bitten him harder. But he looked up at me and laughed. Futhermore, he continued to giggle and stick his fingers in my mouth. Lesson learned? I think not. Not sure I'll try that again. I don't want to make biting a game.

I will admit that I thought it was silly anyway. I mean, if you are telling your child not to bite someone, then why are you biting them?


A helpful website on children biting, in case you have a biter as well.  (It says not to bit back in case you were wondering. oops!)