It is really funny, but is it normal ( I know he's male) he will running (well trying) to run around the house then stop grab his penis, in the tub, he will take his diaper off, or just undo while his watching his movie, trying to change his diaper is a struggle just trying to keep his hands away for a second. My four year old was never like that ( not even close!!!) Is it just a phases?
2006-11-23 12:23:15 · 24 answers · asked by austring06 1 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Toddler & Preschooler
This is just something some babies do...girls and boys. Humans discover their sexuality at an incredibly early age. I do not mean that they turn into little horn-balls, just discover that they have "things" that feel different. They may not be getting "turned on" but they can feel sensation and since his penis is covered most of the time, he doesn't get a chance to explore it like he would with, say, his feet. Just think about how babies are when they realize they have feet....they can't get enough of them! They want to touch, taste, hold, play with them. Every part of their body is a new "toy" and they want to figure it out. This is perfectly natural and is not something you should worry about. One thing to consider: don't make it out to a bad thing. Babies are incredibly perseptive and you can actually damage him by telling him it's bad and he shouldn't do this. You should say, "Baby, not right now. Wait until later." I understand he's young, but if you start now, he'll begin to understand that it's not the right time to do something like, but it's not an awful thing.
2006-11-25 15:51:22 · answer #1 · answered by Hootie562 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well although at that age he is totally unaware of "how things work, why things happen" etc, the truth of the matter is that even before someone goes through puberty, there is an ENORMOUS number of nerve endings in the penis.
Simple answer is, it probably fascinates him AND he likes the feeling. Just like other parts of the body with lots of nerve endings - the mouth for example - where everything from a lego block to the cats tail end up being sampled.
Some boys go through this stage and I would be inclined to take note of other posters who say "try not to laugh" this will encourage him to keep doing it even when he gets bored of it himself.
Equally, please do not do the "Stop it, leave it alone, it's dirty" mistake that some parents do if embarassed by it - it lets the kid grow up thinking there is something to be ashamed of when playing with themselves / having sex. Great way to bring up a sexually dysfunctional kid!
Just react as you would if he did anything else slightly irritating but not deliberately naughty. "Come on, leave that alone for now there's a good boy" sort of thing.
2006-11-23 12:44:26 · answer #2 · answered by Mark T 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It's called baby masterbation. Kids at that age are discovering things daily and it's normal for them to play with themselves. My son was the same way and he'd make his thing hard all the time. He'd be sitting next to me watching a movie then I'd turn to him to see what he's doing and sure enough he's whipped it out and was playing with it. My husband would yell at him and tell him to put it back in but I told him not to do that. You don't want the boy to think that it's abnormal to touch yourself and then they'll have some kind of complex when they get older so what I would do is ask him "did you make it big" and he'd answer yes and then I'd tell him to put it away and he did. Now he's 31 months old now and he only does it once in a while compared to doing it all day long. Its a phase and he'll stop. Good luck!
2006-11-27 04:34:56 · answer #3 · answered by acehernandez2006 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is very normal. My son does this still and he is 18 months old. I thought it was wierd, but I just let it go. I do not want him to think his penis is a bad thing when he gets older. It is just a new part of his body that he has figured out he has. He has no idea what it is or what it can do. To him it is like his hands or toes, he is just exploring his body. Not in a bad way.
2006-11-23 12:29:36 · answer #4 · answered by sarahharris25 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
My 3 yr old son does exactly the same. I believe it is a phase he is going through. Leave him but do explain that he cannot do such things in company. Don't make an issue of it because them he will purposely do it company. I sometimes think that being male they are born with a gene that makes their penis's the focal point in their lives. Just relax and let him get through this with the min of fuss.
2006-11-23 18:45:06 · answer #5 · answered by CLEVER 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
my son just started doing that again too. He used to but we didn't make a big deal out of it. Maybe he keeps doing it because he gets a reaction out of it--try ignoring it and act like it is nothing and maybe he will stop. Also, I asked my husband why he thought he did it and he says that all boys probably do that and because it is new to him! When I wasn't married, I had a few guy friends that would put their hand down there sometimes, they even have names for them too! I say ignore it. I know my son has stopped for a couple of days now that we do not laugh at it anymore. Hey, it was funny because it was new, but we stopped thinking it was funny after one day becausew we did not want to egg it on. :)
2006-11-23 14:17:19 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Like you said, this is totally normal behavior of a young child. He is just exploring right now. He looks down and sees this thing sticking out of him and it is just the right size to grab on to. Of course he's going to grab it!! Now, to get him to stop, don't slap him or punish him or make him feel bad about himself in any way. If you don't like this behavior, tell him in a firm voice, "No, that's not ok" or "No, don't touch your penis, it will put germs on your hands." Then remove his hand from his penis. He will eventually get that you don't want him to do it anymore and he'll stop. HTH!
2006-11-23 13:54:48 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Your 14 mth old son is obsessed with his penis for probably the same reason that my 14 mth old daughter is obsessed with her private part...they are curious about their body parts. Its exploration to them. I heard it is a phase, but i guess we'll have to see!
2006-11-23 16:03:34 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
my friends 4 year old does this constantly cause she never stoped him when he was your sons age. she would always laugh at him and say stop touching your self so he thought it was always a game and that it was funny to do
it irrates me so when he is constanly touching himself
and he never washes his hands so he is touching his thing and then touching every thing else around her house and i think it is just nasty and he still thinks it is funny cause she still dont make him stop
i dont know what you should do to stop you son and yes it is normal for boys and girls to go exploring but please dont laugh and make him think it is funny cause my friends problem might happen to you
good luck
2006-11-23 12:29:15 · answer #9 · answered by blackhairedbaby 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
my son is 19 months old and does the same thing, every time I take off his diaper he goes and grabs it, I think it is normal and they will grow out of it
2006-11-23 12:30:28 · answer #10 · answered by angeleyes42o2001 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋