She Keeps on Rubbing Her Diaper

I think it's important that everyone realize that this has nothing to with sexual stimulation. My pediatrician explained that it is a highly sensitive area but when they are rubbing that area they are not feeling what we think they are.
Imagine it this way, do you like it when someone tickles your arm or your back, or rubs your shoulders? Children discover a highly sensitive area that they can "feel" and react accordingly. It feels good but not in a sexual way, they don't even have the hormones for that feeling yet. This really helped me to deal with this.
I noticed that my little girl usually did this when she was bored or tired but then I connected it to a bowel movement. Whenever I saw her doing that I told her to run in and go to the bathroom and it turns out she was trying to hold her bowel movement.
The best advice is to not make a big deal out of it and distract them whenever they are doing it. My daughter is 4 and has pretty much stopped doing this. We tried not to react strongly and I always used the example of rubbing your arm if someone was at our home and saw her doing it. As adults we tend to think it is all linked sexually because they are sexual parts, if you alter your thinking it will be less offensive to you and your toddler will adjust easier.

My daughter is 5 years old now but when she was 2 1/2 this was a major concern of mine. It was really embarassing to me and her day care at the time asked me if she had been molested. Being a first time mom I was freaked! A few months later I pulled her out of that day care and put her in another one, thank goodness, because it got shut down 6 months later. Once she got to be about 3 years old it wasn't too bad and she would only do it when she was really tired. Now at 5 even though she does still do it's rare and seems to happen out of stress. Another mom once told me it has more to do with security than pleasuring. All I know is she is out growing it and I deal with it much better now than I did back then.

My little girl, 3-1/2, also has a fasination with her "girly parts". When we see her rubbing down there and tell her that is not appropriate nice girl behavor. I don't know if this is the right thing to do or not. Sometimes she will just laugh and say she likes it. I'm caught in a spot where I don't want her to think sexual pleasure is dirty, but I do want her to grow up thinking it is for married people. Of course she is too young to understand any of this. I think she just needs to know for now that some things you just don't do in front of people!

I probably would be freaking out a whole lot more with the issue if I hadn't heard before from our Daycare director that she has had children do this before. She told me about one little girl who came from the nicest family (dad was was a pastor) and she would go to town at nap time. I guess it is normal. She told me is all they know is that it feels good. I didn't even know toddlers had those kinds of feelings!

Hang in there. For now we just tell her to stop when we see it. We don't make a huge deal about it. It is just like when we tell her to get her finger out of her nose :)

I just wanted to throw out the idea, she isnt itchy down there is she? I know when I was little, if I wasnt cleaned enough and got like a diaper rash or yeast infection, I'd rub to itch, Just a thought. GL.

It is normal. Your toddler is exploring her own body. She has found a new part of her body and wants to know what it feels like. It isn't a sexual feeling, by any means. Be patient with it. Once she "figures it out", it will stop. You may be able to let her do it only it home being she is over 2. She probably will understand. My daughter, now 15, did the same thing. She finally did stop. Hang in there.

R.

D.,
My daughter is 1.5 years old and she has just started doing the same thing. Unfortunatly I have no answer to this, but I did want you to know you were not alone! She typically does this rubbing just before bedtime as well.

I am interested to know of any other responses you may receive to this, it's defentily something that bothers me as well.

Thanks!