discovering "privates"

exhausted8

Hi there! I think I have posted an introduction on this board before but I never came back

Anywho, While I was on maternity leave I decided it was a great time to potty train DS1. He did wonderfully and has only had a handful of accidents in the past several weeks. In the beginning I left him naked from the waist down all day long until he was consistently going on his potty. Now, he takes his pants off and goes to the potty as needed.

That sounds great and all, but he has become obsessed with being naked and exploring his genitals. I know that this is normal behavior and it was to be expected, but to this extent? 

He is using "potty" as an excuse to take his pants off all the time. And as soon as I try to put his pants back on, he will cry "potty" again knowing that I won't deprive him of going to the bathroom. I must put his pants back on him 20 times a day (He is NOT going to the bathroom this often, just taking off his pants)

If his pants are off, he is touching his penis. Always. He takes his toys and put his penis on things, like his little toy trucks or anything else.

I have even caught him taking anything that is cup shaped and peeing in it!! (yesterday, it was a plastic scoop thing) Why is he even thinking to do these things? I can't understand it! I keep explaining to him that his peepee is for going potty only and that it is not a toy and he needs to keep his pants on like a big boy but I get no where.

I understand that boys discover themselves and this is a natural thing, but I rarely see him without his hands on his penis anymore, and I have a 7 week old to care for while trying to deal with this..

Please if anyone has any experience with this, or advice to give I am all ears!!

 

ETA: Wow, this got long. I apologize for that!

XCrissCrossX

I wouldn't worry about trying to "deal" with it. It's a phase. He's a boy. It's natural. All I would do is to have lots of talks about being at home and being in public and how it isn't okay to touch yourself in public but it's okay at home. And then, unless there's a weather issue or a skin issue or some other reason he shouldn't be naked, I'd let him run around without pants on all day if he wants to because it's easier than putting his pants back on him all the time and you have an infant.

The peeing in things is kind of weird though. I would tell him no and that we only pee in the potty (or in the grass if we're somewhere with no potty available)

exhausted8

XcrisscrossX:

I wouldn't worry about trying to "deal" with it. It's a phase. He's a boy. It's natural. All I would do is to have lots of talks about being at home and being in public and how it isn't okay to touch yourself in public but it's okay at home. And then, unless there's a weather issue or a skin issue or some other reason he shouldn't be naked, I'd let him run around without pants on all day if he wants to because it's easier than putting his pants back on him all the time and you have an infant.

The peeing in things is kind of weird though. I would tell him no and that we only pee in the potty (or in the grass if we're somewhere with no potty available)

 That's good to know. I knew that this phase was coming and was a totally normal part of development, I just didn't realize it would be to this extent.

The peeing thing has only happened maybe twice and I was definitely stern with telling him "No. Pee goes in the potty only, not on toys, and I made him go sit on the potty right afterward. Hopefully that was just him being weird and he'll get over that quickly. 

wedsept

If I left my DD alone, she would run around naked all day.  She is also exploring her body.  I have explained the difference between touching yourself in your private home vs. no touching yourself when out in public.  One of the ways we have dealt with this newfound discovery is to let her run around naked in our home for about 30 minutes before bath time.  That usually is enough to satisfy her need to be naked.  It is normal (and healthy) behavior.

The only issue I see is the whole peeing in a cup thing.  That would not be ok with me.