My 13 month old daughter has started touching herself. She does it when i'm changing her diaper and today she was touching it in the tub. Everything i've read says it's normal, so, do i let her do it or do i discretly push her hand away? I don't want her to be ashamed of it but i don't want her going around playing with it all the time either. I also want her to know that it belongs to her and no one else can play with it.
It's totally normal, I wouldn't worry about it. She's just learning what she has since it's been in a diaper for so long. It's not sexual at that age. She'll grow out of it.
My mother had four children and she claims we all did plenty of that in the crib. She did not push our hands away. Not one of us is a deviant adult! I say leave her alone and be happy she is curious and normal.
Leave it alone. It's not a problem, it's perfectly normal. If you make an issue of it, she may do it more often. She needs to know those parts just as much as she knows her eyes, ears, and nose. When my baby touches, I name the part and just continue with our activity, changing, bath time, whatever.
ours did it also. It is very normal. they are just discovering their body. i would push her hand away and say no-no. it does'nt really work, but they stop after a while. also try putting a toy in her hands when she starts touching, it takes her mind off of it.
I agree to leave it alone. The last thing you want to do is draw attention to it and leave the impression that it is "bad", "wrong", "dirty". It isn't sexual at 13 months old.
Leave her alone, it's normal, there's no sexual feelings tied to it and she's not old enough to understand about appropriateness or private space.
They can keep doing it for a long time... pre-school age even... but usually by kindergarten they have stopped, because at the pre-school age when/if she's still doing it, you can start explaining to her about appropriateness and that she needs to do some things in private.
Little boys are worse, or maybe it just seems that way to moms....
Leave it alone. She's too young to understand that it's for "private time" anyway. Just feels good and she doesn't carry the baggage we adults do where sexual body parts are concerned. It's not sexual for her, just feels good. My son does the same thing. :)
This is normal, it is no different that her playing with her ear. And at that age especially. If it becomes an all the time thing, you might say, please stop that, or we don't do that when there is company over. Making it something "wrong" now is not the way to go. My son used to grab himself all the time when I would change his diaper. but he grew out of it on his own.
My DD started that a few months ago. It drives me crazy and I tell her no touch the Nani...but she has now found it funny to touch because she knows it drives me crazy.
This started due to Potty Training and has started learning about her body and what comes out of it.
I say ignore it the best you can unless she is digging and going to hurt herself than I say just move her hand and distract her with something else.
Good luck.
Count your blessings that she only does it during bathtime or diaper changing time! My daughter is almost 16months and has figured out that when she is in her highchair, stroller and car seat that pressure is being applied to that area and she rubs herself very determinedly against the restraints! Very disconcerting!! We've been ignoring it and/or distracting her but yes it is embarassing and totally normal. Good luck! Just keep a sense of humor about it!
