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From: marks@yogi.DEC
Newsgroups: net.kids
Subject: 2-year old Biting
Message-ID: <726@decwrl.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 7-Oct-85 09:56:44 EDT
Article-I.D.: decwrl.726
Posted: Mon Oct  7 09:56:44 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 8-Oct-85 04:16:10 EDT
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<We're having some problems getting our
<2 year old daughter to stop biting.
    ......
<Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
 

Although I never had this particular problem with either of my kids,
some of my friends had exactly your problem when the kids were about 
the same age.  My suggestion is this:  a great many behaviorists
stress that positive reinforcement works a great deal better in
changing an unacceptable behavior than does negative reinforcement.
In other words, figure out what your 2-year-old really likes (she
seems to enjoy going to Chuck E. Cheeses, e.g.) and let her know
that if she goes for a certain amount of time without biting anyone
she will be rewarded by being taken out or being given something
she likes.

Experiments were done using candy.  I never wanted to give my kids
candy and you may agree with that.  Sometimes pennies did the trick.
Generally, there is something that is not too expensive and unwieldy
that will thrill the small child.  Remember that if you do this, you
must be extremely consistent about it.  The reward is given only if
the child keeps her end of the bargain.  Otherwise, no reward.  
Ideally, after the child is rewarded enough, the unacceptable behavior
ceases and no reward is required.

Good luck.  My friends who had this problem were extremely upset and
worried by it.  Eventually I think it goes away by itself, but at the
risk of many bruises and angry feelings on the part of the recipients
of the bites. 

R.M.