Very Concerned! My One Year Old Is Doing a Humping Thing.

I wouldn't worry about this much. I know it's very disconcerting to see, but I'd trust the pediatrician. If you read up on this at all, you'll see that even the old Dr. Spock books from a million years ago say this is no big deal. The only thing you'd want to do is tell her that it's something she should do in private, though she won't understand that until she's older. If it freaks you out, you can just redirect her to another activity, like you would for anything else you don't want her to do, especially if she only does it when she's tired. Just be matter-of-fact about it and don't act upset or mad, and she'll probably become interested in the new activity and forget about it. Good luck!

My friend has a daughter who did the same thing around 1 year old. We don't know where she picked it up, but she is 3 yrs. old now and has outgrown it.

HA HA I love it!! another humper! My daughter is 2 and she still humps sometimes! She does it to me when I pick her up and she's so excited to see me. :) It is totally bizarre, but funny. One day I tell her about that habit! :)

It's totally normal, she may even start putting toys there when you take her diaper off. It's not a sexual manner it just is a different feeling then usual. It will stop for a little while but it will start up again.

Completely normal. It's probably soothing and that's why she does it when she's tired.

Hi.. just wanted to say that my daughter did the same thing. She is 5 yrs old now and has just stopped doing that. I also asked my daughter's pediatrician and he said it was normal. I was pretty concerned. He kept assuring me it was ok and something along the lines like sucking her thumb. Anyway, she has finally stopped. I just ignored it most of the time.

Good Luck.

C.

She is self-gratifying. It is relatively normal. My daughter figured this out in her carseat when she was about 18 months old. I have other mom friends that their kids have done this also. Just explain the best way possible that she can't do this in public, that it is a private matter. She will outgrow some of it. Good luck!

it is normal and if you dont pay any attention to it she will stop. i have 3 girls and they did the same thing. so dont worry.

my son is 2 nd 1/2 and do the same thing only its more of a rubbing up against things. for the most part i believe itscuriosity and doing what may feel good. one of the women in the nursery at church said that one child would slide across the floor in their diaper because it felt good. they dont know sexual things yet so im sure its a stage.

You can never hump too much. One wonders how kids in the developing nations get by, esp. when many folk have barely have enough to eat; perhaps they hump to forget their problems. Am glad my daughters are past this and I never went thru it.

Oh T.! I can understand. Both of my kids did the very same thing. They like rocking and rhythmic movement. As someone else said, it's soothing to them. The next time she does it, just know it's like she's her own little rocking chair!

Warmly,
C.

Hi T.,

Unfortunately I am unable to shed any light on the situation but I can tell you that your daughter is not alone. I recently took temporary custody of my 1 yr old nephew. My kids are 3 and 11 and I never experience this with them, however, my nephew does the same thing everytime I lay him down for a nap or if we snuggle on the couch. I'm unfortable when we snuggle but let him do whatever when I lay him in the crib. I'm not sure why they do this or where it came from.

L.

My son, 14 months old now - did that between 9-12 months alot. Just crawl a bit, then drop to the floor and do a humping motion - though I think it was just excitement and a new talent he learned. It passed, and he no longer does it :)

Good luck!

its normal my 6 year old son did and he still does I think they sre just trying to rock and thats what it looks like.

Hi, I have seen this! There was an article about it in one of my parenting magazines. Your daughter is still learning things about how to move her body and she's learning how to use her body weight. It's like how babies will "Rock" when they are first learning how to rest on their knees, only she is learning how to adjust her body weight on things and how to learn to become stable. It is normal and like everything else that is weird that babies do, it is just a phase and she will grow out of it.

Good luck and congrats on your new little one.

It sounds like a type of rocking motion, which is normal. Kind of like when you hold your child you automatically sway, it's all relative! She'll be fine.

I guess my thing is ... why don't you trust the pediatrician that you've selected for your child?

At that age, kids are WAY TO YOUNG to know that there is something behind that motion. All 3 of my kids did the same thing. I don't think there's anything at ll you should worry about! It's a power of motion thing!!!

I think it is normal for them to do that. I don't recall my daughter doing that but my 10 month old son does and has for about a month or so now. I think it is a way they strengthen their tummy and lower back muscles. Think about it, lay flat on the floor face down and try to lift your middle up and down like that. Trust me, I tried and it took some effort!! hehe And at her age, she doesn't know what it means. Even if she saw something on TV, she wouldn't remember it long enough to imatate it. If it makes you feel better, my son laughs every time I take a baby wipe to his boy parts!! Talk about getting a complex when you are the mommy changing your son's diaper!! Just don't draw attention to it and I'm sure she will faze out of it and move on to something bigger and better!!

S.

Like everyone said before me, it is soothing to her. My niece did it up until the age of 4. As long as she doesn't complain of that area hurting and your peditrician said it was normal, I wouldn't worry about it.

hey there T. my name is C. and i have 3 children and their ages are 13,6 and 2 1/2... i must say with my 2 1/2 i have experienced the same thing you are.
My other children never have done this so i am new to this as well. Ever since i can remember Collin would literally lay on his sippy cup and rock himself, he would ever get on the edge of the couch, his bed, my bed, or anywhere that would have a edge so he could lay on his cup and rock.
My husband flipped at first...... but i think as long as you do not make a big deal out of it they do not know that it is a bad thing.
the sippy cup is not right on his privates its like right above it and under his belly.
alot of the times i have notice him doing it is in the am, night, nap, or just laying on the floor watching tv or trying to get comfy to go to sleep.
i also asked my doctor cause my husband was like what the hell is he doing and is that normal... and my doctor said the same thing as you have already heard 20 times that its normal
hope this smooths your thoughts.....

I aint a parent yet and wont be one for few years till i get married and done with school, but when i was younger i know i did it, I still do it sometimes.

I have never had anyone mention their child doing that. Is this something she could have seen or learned from another child or even an adult? Maybe you should try to find out if she could have picked it up from outside sources. I would be freaked out somewhat also. I hope no one is doing anything to her. Good luck, W.

Hi T.,
Humping is a child's only way to express "domination" and control over his/her environment. Everything around the child has control and authority over them. Adults are bigger, able to put the child wherever they want without question, etc. The only thing that the child feels she can dominate or have the least bit of control over are the small, inanimate objects around her. The act of humping is a definite show of forced submission/domination. This is only her way of expressing her need for control. It will pass soon, but it would be a good idea to distract her from her toy when this occurs and move her to something else that interests her. This way she will learn that she can control her environment in other ways (give her a toy she can control with her hands, for example). She will learn that she can use different expressions of control.

I hope this helps!

L.

Hey ive seen my month youngest do something like that i just told her no and she stopped but she did it too. But she just did it on the floor not with anything. I wouldnt worry too much kids are strange! ive got two that does some weird things

T.,

Don't worry! It is a normal thing. My baby sister did this same thing for a while and eventually she grew out of it. I'd have to double check with my mother about how long she did it. They do grow out of it. I'm not sure if there is anything you can do to help her not do it and its terribly embarrassing when there is company around. Hope this helps!

T.,
I'm a 16 year old mother of 4. My Son, who is now 2 1/2 did that when he was between 9-12 months. I was scared half to death at first. I was only 13 years old & I didn't know what was going on. But it passed. So I'm sure that it's completely normal. My little girl is 12 months old now and has not started doing this yet, but I won't be surprised if she does. I also have twin boys who are 38 days old. If you would like to talk to me, my email address is ____@____.com

A.

mine waited a little longer to try that but it is normal...shes found herself...lol. i had five and all of them did it with no encouragement and so did my granddaughter. it might be shes just rocking herself to sleep too. does she always straddle a toy? if so id say it was the first.

Both my children did that around the same age. I was a little concerned at first. I was having babies slightly later in life, so that was a little alarming. Once the second child started doing it, I too asked the pediatrician. For the life of me, I can't remember what exactly was said, but I do remember her saying that it was perfectly normal. On a side note, it is very important that you research medical issues as well. The internet is a powerful tool. I work in the healthcare field, so I know that the physicians are not always exactly correct or forthcoming when it comes to keeping the patient informed on health issues. If you don't feel comfortable with what the pediatrician is telling you, always follow up with your own research. Excellent websites are WebMD, MSN Health, and IVilliage.com. Hope this helps.