Infants and Biting Revisited
From “Kazenoko Letter” No.462 - July 2016
| I spoke about the biting problems of infants aged 1-2 in a previous letter,
attributing the act of biting other children to a part of the growing process
for infants aged 1-2 who are in a major period of ego development. However,
I feel that this explanation is insufficient, and so I'd like to expand
on this. An infant causes trouble with their friends in order to live in a group environment during a period in which they become aware of the existence of their own selves and their levels of possessiveness become stronger. Behaviors such as being upset when another child desires and comes after their toys, or when another child sits in the chair they wanted ahead of them, or fighting over nursery staff in charge, happen only in a group environment, and rarely happen at home. There is one case in which child A often bites other children at our daycare center, but the guardian can't believe it as it seems she has never behaved in such a way at home. Like in this case, it occurs within group living, but not at home. The other thing is that the act of biting won't happen for every child of this age. Some children don't bite. We can distinguish between children who often bite, rarely bite, or are always bitten, etc. It's necessary to analyze the differences. When emotionally unstable or grumpy, a baby will cry whilst an infant aged 1-2 will throw things, etc. When they get a little bit older, they spit abuse. The act of biting is probably a different from of throwing things. Nevertheless, it can come across as emotional instability. When a child bites often, it's important for their guardian and nursery staff to discuss the issue thoroughly and figure out the causes. |
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