My 13 months old daughter is always grinding in her diaper. Is she masturbating? Is this common?

Question

My daughter, for along time now, grinds her diaper when I put her in her car seat or her highchair. Basically anything that she's strapped down in. I don't know if she's anxious or masturbating. She has been doing it since she was about 6 months old. It's embarrassing because it looks like she is humping her harness. She holds her breath while grinding, so to everyone it comes off like she masturbating. Rather than this she is perfectly normal.

What is she doing? I'm wondering if this is common?

Answer 1

she probably is masturbating...babies and young children soon figure out really quickly that if they rub their private parts in a certain way it brings them pleasure. When you see her doing it in public(in the car seat) gently tell her that what she is doing is ok, but it needs to be done in private(ex in her bedroom or in the bath. Please remember to not scold her, because then she will develop a bad body image and s*x will always seem like a "bad" thing. Good luck!!

Answer 2

You know this  is common. Alot of toddlers do this but they may be defferent thing going on with her like a bladder infection that occurs off and on.This may lead to itching down there alot ...Also Like my daughter I just found out she has a skin desease down there that makes her itch alot I really thought that too about her.Then i took her too she her doctor he ran a skin tab and it came back as a skin desease.He also told me it is common to toddlers to expore what feels good to them.She is to little to be masterbating he told me .And thats when he ran tests on her...So I am sure thats not whats going on with her...She may be itching...

Answer 3

Masturbating? Come on now.

I am sure she is just having fun.

Answer 4

Some little children do m********e and it's completely normal. My oldest niece used to straddle a big stuffed dog and grind on it. What feels good to us also feels good to them, and that's all they know. They're not having sexual fantasies or anything -- it's just like scratching an itch.

Try not to really pay any attention to it though. You wouldn't want her to develop a complex.

Answer 5

My dog humps our legs, if that helps...I think it's just instinct, I don't think it means anything.  She's normal it sounds like, she could be anxious...Idk, sorry:( xxxxx

Answer 6

m********e, I don't think so... she's an inocent child that doesn't know what that is. I think you are reading her actions a little too far!

Answer 7

It's nothing to be concerned about. She might just be doing that because anytime you sit her down somewhere her diaper gets tighter. My 10 month old daughter moves her butt while she sits down to loosen up her diaper. Maybe your daughter is just doing the same. Just to make sure though you should take her to see her pediatrician and bring up this up. If she is masturbating, which MANY kids do, on't worry, you're not doing anything wrong.

PS- don't let this people tell you you're sick, they obviously don't have any kids themselves!

Answer 8

HAHAHA. i think she is..you'd know if she does it when nothing exciting is happening around. haha. wow

Answer 9

Masturbating?  You have a sick mind!  She is probably just trying to get comfortable, the straps may be on too tight.

Answer 10

No I really doubt shes masturbating.

come on! shes a baby! your sick

Answer 11

like that girl said.

you ARE sick.

she is only a baby.

that's disgusting

Answer 12

Lets take the stigma out of it: you don't know if she is doing it because it feels good, or if she is doing it because she is uncomfortable or upset.

I would bet she is doing it because it feels good, however you are a better judge of that.  If she is doing it to feel good it is perfectly normal and healthy.

If she is doing it out of pain or fear then I would work on the problem.  I doubt its pain since it is more than one location.

http://www.drgreene.com/21_1135.html

What is it?

Babies will often tug on the genitals in much the same way they tug on the ears or toes. Toddlers will begin to recognize that the genitals are special. They are far more interesting and more fun than toes. For some children, playing with the genitals becomes a comforting behavior not unlike thumb sucking. For a few, this settles into a time-consuming habit that takes them away from other important play and development.

If we take a step back, we can see that it makes sense that kids would want to explore their own bodies. When toilet learning becomes a focus of interest, we might anticipate that kids would also be curious about those parts of the body that have in the past been largely hidden under the diapers. Many kids will reach down every chance they get. This exploration produces pleasurable feelings, as we are well aware.

This behavior is usually called early childhood masturbation, but the term is misleading. This is not genital stimulation accompanied by sexual fantasy – that will be another challenge to face years down the road.

Toddlers just do it because it feels good. Unselfconscious delight!

Who gets it?

Most children begin to explore their genitals at about the same time they begin to look more like little boys and girls than like babies.

Most, if not all, two-year-olds will engage in some degree of this behavior.

What are the symptoms?

Just when we are beginning to adjust to their not being babies anymore, we are confronted with the sight of our little boy fondling his erection or our little girl moving her hips up and down on top of her pillow.

Boys will play with their penises. Girls will finger their vaginas, and sometimes even try to insert objects.

Answer 13

It's very common and its not sick for you to think this.  She doesn't think of it sexually though, it just feels nice for her.  Gently tell her that its something only little girls do and now that she's a big girl she shouldnt. I don't think its the best idea to just let it go or tell her to do it somewhere else because they dont grow out of it because what feels good then doesnt change and in elementary school if someone found out what she was doing they'd think she was sick.  Treat it as if she were picking her nose.

Answer 14

I think this is just a baby thing, but take her to the doctor to be sure.

Answer 15

she probably has an itch or something take her to the docs thats not a normal baby thing

Answer 16

Well, people hate to use the term "masturbating" when talking about a toddler, but essentially that is what it is.  The difference is that since they have no concept of s*x, it's not sexual.  It's no different from liking to be tickled on the back of the neck or under the chin.  To her it just "feels good".  

My son has been doing this for years now.  To tell them "no, don't do that" or "that is bad" is REALLY not a good idea.  It can cause all sorts of problems later on.  This is how I handled it with my son.  

Until he was 2, I just ignored it at home as long as we were alone.  If we weren't at home or we weren't alone, I'd pick him up and try to distract him with other things.  After he was 2 (about the time I felt he could really grasp the concept enough) I told him that was something he had to go to his bedroom to do.  It's not that odd to him.  There are certain toys he can only play with in the playroom or bathroom or outside, etc.  He still does it sometimes (not as often now) but he is usually pretty good about just going to his room when he gets the urge.  I figure this is a good habit to get into!  

Of course, I'm not one of those people that thinks masturbation is morally wrong.  If it is against your religion and you feel very strongly about that, you may wish to discuss this problem with both your doctor and spiritual leader.  I'm not sure how to handle it in such a case.  Most children don't "grow out" of this, so it will be hard to pretend like it is ok one day, and not ok at some point down the road.  

Answer 17

Maybe she has thrush????