Hi mom's
I have a 2 yr old son who will not stop putting his hands down his pants. I am still putting onesies on him. I think it's gross, and I have a newborn, and I don't want him putting his dirty hand on her. How can I stop him from this. I would love some advice. I also want to start him potty training, he will sit on the potty but he wont take his pants off. I don;t push him, but I would love for him to start now. Any suggestions?
The most important thing you can do is talk to him!Tell him what you have said here .Show him how to clean his hands.If he can wash them, then have him do that or give him a baby wipe.
When my son was about that age he would do that all the time, too. I know it's normal but it's still annoying like you say. I know that touching and playing is normal so I tried to give my son the lesson that it's not really a bad thing, just sometimes it's inappropriate behavior. Finally, after telling him over and over again not to do it, I started making him go wash his hands every time I caught him. Soon he got bored of having to wash his hands ever few minutes so the interest in his privates diminished.
Its actually just some extra part that the boy thinks its ok to play with. He doesn't know what he's doing is wrong and to him it isn't. My two year old does the same thing and eventually they grow out of it. So when he's 10 and still doing it then its probably a problem but for now I am quite sure that its normal and his hands aren't filthy just because he touches his junk and if it makes you that uncomfortable then carry around some hand sanitizer so he can touch his sister.
You don't say which way he's putting his hands in his pants. If he's scratching and picking at his bum the issue is different than if he's exploring his private parts. The private parts exploration is age-appropriate and will be made worse by having people commenting and noticing it, particularly if 'there is something wrong with you' comes through. Like thumb-sucking, behaviour that is to allay anxiety will increase under pressure to stop, and abate when everyone learns to ignore it (and help the child feel less anxious).
When you said you are concerned about his dirty hands touching his sister, I wondered if it's his bottom he's involved with, which makes me wonder if he's been checked for pinworms. It creates near-insanity-causing itchiness and discomfort and is probably endemic in children under 8. It would be worth investigating, just in case the solution is as simple as having him dewormed.
