Biting Policy

Biting Policy

At Pitter Patter Play Ltd we follow a positive behaviour policy to promote positive behaviour at all times. However, we understand that children may use certain behaviours, such as biting to communicate their feelings and needs. Biting is a common behaviour that some young children use to help them make sense of the world around them, and to manage interactions with others. It can be triggered when they do not yet have the words to communicate their anger, frustration or need. It can also be used to fulfil an oral stimulation need, such as during periods of teething, or developmental exploration. At times biting can be due to a Special Educational Need and/or Disability.

Our procedures

The nursery uses the following strategies to help prevent biting including individual one to one and small group times so that each child is receiving positive attention, areas for children who are feeling overwhelmed to go to including stories to talk about emotions. We also support social and emotional development by providing activities and stories that help children to recognise feelings and empathise with characters and events

For children who have oral stimulation needs, resources will be provided to fulfil this requirement including sensory activities such as, biting rings. Staff will be vigilant to identify when children need more stimulation or quiet times. Adequate resources will be provided and when possible, more than one to minimise conflicts.

At Hafan Hael Bettws every child is treated as an individual and we work with families to support all children’s individual needs. With this in mind, it will be necessary to implement different strategies depending on the needs of the child carrying out the biting.

However, in the event of a child being bitten we use the following procedures.

The most relevant staff member(s) will:

• Comfort any child who has been bitten and check for any visual injury. Administer any first aid where necessary. Complete an accident report via the Famly App and inform the parents via telephone if deemed appropriate. Continue to observe the bitten area for signs of infection. For confidentiality purposes and possible conflict, we do not disclose the name of the child who has caused the bite to the parents
• Tell the child who has caused the bite in terms that they understand that biting (the behaviour and not the child) is unkind and show the child that it makes staff and the child who has been bitten sad. The child will be asked to say sorry if developmentally appropriate or helped to develop their empathy skills by giving the child who has been bitten a favourite book or comforter.
• Complete an incident report via the Famly app to share with the parents and be ready to speak to the parents in private at pick up.
• If a child continues to bite, carry out observations to try to distinguish a cause, e.g. tiredness or frustration
• Arrange for a meeting with the child’s parents to develop strategies to prevent the biting behaviour. Parents will be reassured that it is part of a child’s development and not made to feel that it is their fault.
• In the event of a bite breaking the skin and to reduce the risk of infection from bacteria, give prompt treatment to both the child who has bitten and the child who had been bitten by following our accident and incident procedure
• If a child or member of staff sustains a bite wound where the skin has been severely broken arrange for urgent medical attention after initial first aid has been carried out. In cases where a child may repeatedly bite and/or if they have a particular special educational need or disability that lends itself to increased biting, e.g. in some cases of autism where a child doesn’t have the communication skills, the nursery manager will carry out a risk assessment and may recommend immunisation with hepatitis B vaccine for all staff and children.