Embarrassing Question

My three year old daughter, likes to play with herself for lack of a better description. She started last summer and it seems to be getting worse. She stops as soon as I see her. I know some kids do this, but am afraid of her doing it in public. She will be starting preschool in the Fall and I don't want other kids to tease her as she is a very sensitive kid. Anyone else go through this?

 

I'm not, but my best friend went through it with her daughter. She just sat her down and explained that yes, it feels good and it is perfectly okay. She then explained that her girl parts are private and that she should excuse herself to her bedroom for private time. She also had to explain safety (don't put anything in there!) and hygiene (wash your hands before and after!). At the next doctor's appointment she also had the female PA at the practice touch on the same topics.

I really respected the way she handled it. You don't want to create any shame or fear of talking about it, but it's important to teach her what's appropriate and what isn't. Her daughter is almost five now and will get up and announce that she needs Private Time and go to her bedroom. It's funny to those of us who understand the meaning, and to other guests it just means that she's overwhelmed and wants to go to her bedroom to play alone.

 

My girls did this, Allison inparticular. I did the same thing as pp mentioned. We just talked about how I know it feels good to touch, but we can't do it in public. If they felt the need they needed to go to their room and do so. I then talked about their parts being theirs only and they are private. No one needed to see them or touch them and we need to make sure to not touch ourselves out in public. Whenever I saw them doing it, I simply said, "you need to go to your room to do that". It will eventually stop.

 

My oldest son did this and I also used the same approach as Rachel and Stephanie's friend did. It stopped.

 

Alice has taken to a vibrating toy. Oh boy, she has a better vibrator than I do!! :lol:

Same thing, we tell her it's okay to do, but do it in your bedroom.

 

Yup- we have private time around here too. Its totally normal.

 

I didn't even consider vibrating toys! Ha!!

 

That is exactly the right way to handle things, DS2 (nearly 5) does it a bit bit too, much less so now, i think he's grown out of it. I think when they first "discover it" they do it a lot, but then, it's just like everything else, the excitement goes away somewhat. I was worried too at first, but i spoke to my pedi, and it is perfectly normal behaviour.

 

You are hilarious Bex!!

 

Oh believe me, if I kept a baby book, this would go in it. Oh the "toy"

 

Oh my gosh I have that toy somewhere. I need to hide it now!