Evening star., 1939-01-20
HelpChildrer
Who Persist
In Biting
Several Reasons
May Be Blamed
For Condition
By ANGELO PATRI.

Little children, about 2 years Of
age, or less, are very likely to bite.
That frightens people. 1t hurts to
be bitten, and we have an instinc-
tive fear of it. That fear rises so
swiftly, and our gesture of defense
comes so smartly on its heels, that
the bitter is slapped hard on the
instant.
That is not good for the little one.
nor for the one who was frightened
and hurt. Better not get angry about
it at all. The baby did not know
he was doing anything so bad as all
that. His new teeth hurt him; he
wanted to ease the mean feeling
that was making his gums feel as
If they were being pressed in a vice;
he wanted relief from the pain in his
mouth that was making all his body
ache. That's all.
OF course it won't do. He will
have to find better way out of his
troubles. That is where you come
in. You know that he is having
trouble with his teeth; that they
hurt him. You probably know how
teeth can hurt. Maybe you've had
experience with wisdom tooth? In
stead of being hurt and angry now
you will feel sorry that you did not
do something to ease the pain in
the baby's mouth. You could have
put an ice cube in a bit of clean
rag and rubbed 1t on the feverish
gums. You could have given him
something to bite on, teething rings
have their use. And, if the gums
were infiamed, you could have called
in the doctor to help. That would
have saved everybody.
There is another cause for biting.
Sometimes child whose teeth are
all accounted for begins biting. He
will bite the side of his crib, chew
the edge of his chair, his toys, any,
thing that he can get his teeth into.
This means trip to the doctor who
has the child under his care. This
kind of biting usually means that
the childS diet is not right for his
needs. Something is lacking, or
something is in excess. After the
doctor examines him, studies him
for time, he will find what this
is and the child can be properly
fed, and the biting will be for
gotten.
We find a rare child who, hav-
Ing discovered that biting people
causes excitement, thinks it great
fun to bite his playmates. He steals
up on them and gives them an unex-
pected nip. The results are quite
up to his expectations. Now what?
Is he to be bitten in return?
Spanked? Scolded soundly and put
to bed?
Better be quiet about it. Assume
that this is conduct so dreadful that
it cannot be talked about. Isolate
him for a time long enough to let
his loneliness sink deep enough to
impress him with the idea that the
bitter Is an Outcast. Let your silence
be so weighty as to impress him
with the idea that biting is some
thing that is not done. That will
work when dramatics of any kind
Will only increase his desire for the
excitement.
The hygiene of a little child s
mouth is important to his present
health and behavior, and to his fu-
ture success as we'll. Keep the baby
teeth clean, rinse the childs mouth
after every meal. Accustom him to
having his teeth brushed, his mouth
swabbed if necessary. Take him
along with you to the dentist so he
learns early what to expect. Make
that trip as casual and as pleasant
as possible. Select the dentist who
wants to take care of children's
mouths. The earlier the doctor and
patient get acquainted the better.
The health of the teeth has an i'm
portant bearing on a childs growth
and behavior.
(Copyright, 1939)