When will the 'touching herself' phase end?

stgn01 · December 2012

My DD is 2.5yo and constantly has her hand down her diaper. She touches herself constantly. I tried to explain that it's ok to touch herself, but we do it at home, not when we are out. Also, she has to wash her hands afterwards. She plays with herself all bath and whenever she's in the crib. I know she's exploring and I tell her it's normal, but a private thing.

When will this pass? I'm tired of telling her to take her hands out of her pants in public.

pitterpatter129 · December 2012

LOL, my kid does it too. I still have first graders in my class that constantly have their hands down their pants or, sigh, just spread it all out there if they wear a dress. It might be a conversation you have for many years down the road. It's just a kid thing. If it makes you feel better, everyone else's kid does it too.

saturdaynightdoubletree · December 2012

Unfortunately I think every kid is different, so there isn't really a true end in sight. With that said, I was concerned with DD's exploration at 2.5 because it was ALL the time. I asked my mom about it and she said of her three kids, none of us ever explored in front of her so she didn't know what was "normal". It's all okay and normal, but I understand your frustration. If it's any help, DD stopped sometime before her third birthday, and I can honestly say I haven't seen her touch herself since turning 3. I think a big part of the initial curiosity came with potty training, then the excitement died off, lol. GL!

acaudill75 · December 2012

I doubt many of the women on here have stopped, although hopefully they have curbed the urge in public. DD1 is obssessed with anything that is covered, so I just have to grin and bear it. She will actually try to pull my bra off to see me "boobies" and she pinches DH's tush all the time. I don't want to make an issue of it, because she has no malice or bad thoughts. It is just an almost three year exploring the world around her. We are the ones who have been taught to be ashamed. I don't want to pass that on to her.