Teeth Are Not for Biting (Board Book) (Best Behavior Series) Board book – April 15, 2003

The Best Behavior series is a total parenting hack, and this book is no exception. It’s simple, easy to read, and somehow keeps my toddler’s attention—probably because the pictures are straightforward and the words aren’t trying too hard. The whole "teeth are for eating and chewing, not biting people" message? Genius. It’s like the book is speaking directly to my little mischief-maker.We’ve made this format our go-to parenting script: "What is this for? Okay, now what is it NOT for?" It’s now ingrained into our lives like a catchphrase from a sitcom. And when a behavior flare-up happens at home? Boom, book time. It’s like having a referee who calmly explains the rules of the toddler game.We also own the kicking, hitting, and tail-pulling books (pets, I’m so sorry), and honestly, they’re all MVPs. Since we started using them, the chaos has decreased, and my blood pressure has stabilized. If you’re raising a tiny tornado with teeth, this series is a must-have. Buy it, use it, and maybe frame it as a reminder that you’re doing great.

This is a book I bought to start reading to our son, who has some specialized needs. He had a dental procedure a few months ago that seems to have set off some of his sensory issues and changed the way things feel in his mouth in ways he's been struggling a little to adapt to. Totally not the fault of his dentist, it's one of those things that can be hard to avoid and difficult to always predict when you have a child with a sensory processing disorder. Anyways, we had a couple of books from this series that we used with our daughter when she was little, though not this one, so I was familiar enough with the series to have a general idea of what I was getting.I really like how this book opens by talking about how strong and sharp teeth are, mentions the approved of use, and then goes right into biting hurts. I like that the expression on the injured child's face is clear enough that my son can interpret her as both crying and clearly in distress. He has Autism as well, so sometimes it can be pretty hard for him to pick up on those types of cues unless they are very dramatic or emphasized. Because our son is 5, some of the sections of the book don't apply to him as much, because it spends a couple of pages talking about how many teeth a child will have when they grow in and that biting isn't an appropriate response to teething pain. I kind of adlibbed in this section and added how dental work can also cause discomfort that can make you want to bite. And you totally can't bite the dentist ;)I really like that this book gives strategies for replacing chewing, most of which are things he's willing to do -except rest... we don't really do resting in this house ;) I like that this book then goes on to explain how emotional things can cause a person to want to bite, because sometimes for him, he gets overloaded and tries to bite because the compression on those joints helps to calm him down, and then emphasizes that we don't bite for those reasons because it hurts others. I am a super big fan of the fact that this book drums in the "why" over and over again, because for our little man, he may understand what you want him to do, but unless you can get him to understand the "why," he's less likely to cooperate with you. This section is again followed by some strategies that he can again use, although for him it's via his speech computer when it comes to that whole "use your words" thing.Then the book talks about how it feels like if someone bites you and goes on to coach that we do not bite back even if we are bitten, we get help from a grown up, and then ends on a final reminder about teeth not being for biting and a final positive use (smiling). I feel like even though this book has a few areas that aren't as applicable to us at this time (teeth coming in), they may be as he gets old enough to loose teeth in the next couple of years. I like how thorough and repetitive this book is, and think it's a great social story resource for a kiddo who may be going through a biting phase. I don't anticipate that this alone will entirely solve our problem, it's part of a more comprehensive approach that involves the Wilbarger oral protocol, subbing in vibrating teethers when he leans in to try and bite me, and redirecting him frequently to appropriate chewers. I'm also trying to teach him how to chew gum, but that's going to be a longer process because currently, he doesn't want to touch that. But I think this will be a helpful support to us, he's already been looking at it as I read it to him, and I believe it could be a helpful support for your kiddo as well.

Biting toddler likes and requests this book. Has made a real difference. Works especially great on the days they’re most frustrated. It’s helps to provide alternative ways of dealing with frustration instead of biting. Choose hugs!

This is a good book for toddlers that bite others. I have also read it to older students with special needs such as Autism that have bitten other children in my classroom

We have many in this series between 2 kids. We enjoy them. I don’t know how well they work but they are fun to read.My book did come damaged so that is disappointing and the reason for 4 stars.

Between the ages of 15 months and 20 months, my daughter was a biter. She bit her little friends at school and us. I was very distraught over this and desperate for a way to help her to understand that biting hurts people and that it's not appropriate behavior. One day I noticed this book at her daycare (Montessori)--and thought it would be helpful for us to have the book at home to help promote the concept that biting people wasn't a good thing to do. Well it worked--the book is superb in delivering this message to a very young toddler!The book illustrations are wonderful and the words are simple and easily understandable for very small toddlers. I liked how the book examples completed the circle of understanding for toddlers--that yes, your teeth hurt and yes you may be frustrated by something--but there are other ways of expressing those feelings besides biting. I also liked that the book illustrates compassion for the people who are being bitten in the examples by emphasizing that biting hurts other people.This book was an excellent tool for us as parents. If she bit us--we would tell her that it hurt, say "teeth are not for biting" (the phrase from the book) and then read this book to her. It really helped her to get over biting--and quickly too!! She improved right away and had completely stopped biting about 2 months after we started this routine. I credit this book with helping her to stop biting people and to understand that "teeth are not for biting".We also have two other books in the series--"Hands are Not for Hitting" and "Feet are Not for Kicking". These books were also equally superb as parenting tools for us to help us quell undesired, but natural, toddler behavior.

Wonderful book that we are using because my 3-year old grandson is having a small biting problem. The message is clear and helps him understand that he should not use his mouth for biting. Thank you!

Lindos gráficos, mi hija dejó de morder en días después de leerlo. Le encantó y pidió leerlo varias veces. Aún lo leo de vez en cuando como refuerzo. La versión para celular se adapta bien a la pantalla