Discovering Their Body
Babies discover their bodies in all sorts of ways; sucking their fingers, tugging their ears, prodding their bellybuttons, playing with their feet. They will also at some point, discover that they have genitalia, and start touching themselves there, often to the surprise of their bewildered parents! Rest assured however that this is completely normal. To your baby, their genitalia is just another part of their body that they want to explore.
Is It Normal For My Baby To Touch His/Her Penis/Vagina?
Both girl and boy babies touch their genitalia. Most babies discover their genitalia around the 5-7 month mark, but some discover it sooner and others when they are toddlers. Babies touching themselves isn't bad for their health, and it won't turn them into sex fiends! This behaviour isn't sexual, babies and children are naturally curious about their body and due to the nerve endings there, it feels good. Your baby may only occasionally touch their genitals, or may do it constantly; both are normal and nothing to be alarmed about! During nappy changes and at bath time are the most common times for babies to touch themselves down there because the feeling of air or water on their genitals draws their hands to that area.
Your baby's innocent playing with their genitals can make nappy changes more challenging however, as many parents have discovered when faced with the combination of a dirty nappy and genital area and a curious baby! If your baby tries to put their hands on their genitals during a dirty nappy change, always have an interesting toy handy to distract your baby with. Give them the toy to hold to occupy their hands until the genital area is clean.
What Should I Do?
Never tell your baby off for touching themselves or slap your baby's hands away from their genitalia. This will send a message to them that it is naughty and wrong, a message which may give them negative body issues that stay with them for life. Children who are told that touching themselves is wrong often grow up associating their body and natural sexual feelings with shame. Be calm and accepting of your baby's touching of his genitals. If your baby does it in front of other people, try to ignore it. If you feel embarrassed, or if your baby does it in the company of people who feel uncomfortable with it, put a nappy on your baby and give your baby a toy to distract them with. As your baby gets older, you can start to tell them that touching genitalia is fine, but it is something that should be done in private, just like going to the toilet is done in private. Children can't understand the concept of privacy until they are 4 years old, so don't expect them to understand until then! Until your child is able to understand, just try to ignore the touching. Don't react in a negative way. Most children give up touching themselves in public by the time they start school.
