This is an English rendering of a Polish public-health reference. The care paths it names (112, night and holiday care NiŚOZ, primary care POZ) are Polish. This is not medical advice.

PL

This is not medical advice Life-threatening emergency (Poland): 112

Home › Emotions and toddler defiance

Why does my child bite clothes, objects, or their own hands and mouth?

Applies to age: 12–36 months

In short

Biting fingers, toys, and other objects is one of the signs of teething. Most young children occasionally bite, hit, or push another child.

Sources: NHS, Portal PacjentaChecked: Approved: October 14, 2026Report an error

What is normal

All claims: international norm

  • Biting and chewing on fingers, toys, and other objects is one of the signs of teething.
    Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)

    Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:

    One of the signs that your baby is teething is that they start to chew on their fingers, toys or other objects they get hold of.

    NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-14 · license [1]

  • Most children have all their baby teeth by the age of 2–3 years.
    Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)

    Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:

    Most children will have all their milk teeth by the time they are 2 to 3 years old.

    NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-14 · license [1]

  • One reason for tantrums in toddlers is that the child wants to express themselves but finds it difficult.
    Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)

    Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:

    One reason for this is toddlers want to express themselves, but find it difficult.

    NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-14 · license [1]

  • Tantrums usually start at around 18 months of age and are very common in toddlers.
    Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)

    Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:

    Temper tantrums usually start at around 18 months and are very common in toddlers.

    NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-14 · license [1]

  • Hitting and biting are also common in young children.
    Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)

    Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:

    Hitting and biting are common, too.

    NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-14 · license [1]

  • Most young children occasionally bite, hit, or push another child.
    Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)

    Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:

    Most young children occasionally bite, hit or push another child.

    NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-14 · license [1]

  • Toddlers are curious and may not understand that biting or pulling hair hurts.
    Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)

    Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:

    Toddlers are curious and may not understand that biting or pulling hair hurts.

    NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-14 · license [1]

  • Occasional biting does not mean that the child will grow up to be aggressive.
    Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)

    Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:

    This does not mean your child will grow up to be aggressive.

    NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-14 · license [1]

When to worry

Some claims: international norm

  • If your child develops differently from peers, it is worth discussing what worried you with a specialist and getting advice from a midwife, nurse, or pediatrician.
    Source: Portal Pacjenta – show the quote

    Verbatim quote from the source:

    Polish original

    Warto jednak skonsultować ze specjalistą to, co Cię zaniepokoiło i korzystać z rad położnej, pielęgniarki czy pediatry.

    Portal Pacjenta · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-14 · license [2]

Worth discussing with a doctor: international norm

  • When your child's behavior seriously worries you, it is worth seeing a doctor.
    Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)

    Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:

    If you're seriously concerned about your child's behaviour, talk to your health visitor or GP.

    NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-14 · license [1]

The sources in our registry do not say when to see a doctor.

international norm “International norm” next to a section heading means its claims come from a non-Polish source, because no Polish source in our registry covers this topic. When this applies to only some of the claims, the foreign ones carry the same label next to their source.

International norm

“International norm” next to a section heading means its claims come from a non-Polish source, because no Polish source in our registry covers this topic. When this applies to only some of the claims, the foreign ones carry the same label next to their source.

Sources

  1. NHS (nhs.uk, Anglia)
    License: Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: NHS (nhs.uk, Anglia). Content summarized and translated by the editors; changed relative to the original. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. The summary is ours and is not attributed to the NHS.
  2. Portal Pacjenta (pacjent.gov.pl)
    License: CC BY 3.0 PL. Source: Portal Pacjenta (pacjent.gov.pl). Content summarized and translated by the editors; changed relative to the original.

See an error or outdated information? Report an error in this answer. Answer checked against the sources on October 20, 2026.

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