My 6 year old daughter masturbates! Guess she discovered it by accident. Is this normal? What can I do?

Question

My 6 year old daughter masturbates! Guess she discovered it by accident. Is this normal? What can I do?

Answer 1

Not make such a fuss about it. I was like that when I was five.

It's all part of normal growng up and discovering things about the world around them as well as themselves.

Just be prepared if it triggers bed wetting.

Answer 2

Your 6 yro probably doesn't even think of it as a sexual act.  You being older think of things like that.  Don't over react....it's normal.

Answer 3

Many young girls discover it by accident. It's nothing to worry about and she might grow out of it. I distinctly remember my mom talking to my younger sister about it. Talk to her at a young age so she won't be emberassed later and her siblings (If their young) won't know what you're talking about. Trust me, it's completely normal but you do need to encourage her to stop because she will be very emberassed later in life when she figures out what she was doing.

Answer 4

Hi! A while back i watched a documentary about children and found out that it's pretty common.

During masturbation, a child often appears dazed, flushed, and preoccupied. The frequency of this behavior may range from once per week to several times per day. It occurs more commonly when a child is sleepy, bored, watching T.V., or under stress.

Occasional masturbation is a normal behavior of many infants and preschoolers. Up to one-third of children in this age group discovers masturbation while exploring their bodies. Just as they explore their toes and knees, children find all their parts of their bodies eventually.

They find it feels good to touch themselves in this way and continue to do so.

Most children do this as a comfort measure much like a pacifier is for infants.

Be certain if it's not irritation or infection. If so the child may scratch the area and this should be distinguished from masturbation.

Once masturbation begins, it seldom stops completely. However, by age five or six, most children learn some discretion and m********e only in private. Masturbation becomes almost universal at puberty with normal surges in hormones and sexual drive.

So how do you come to terms with a behavior that is normal but concerning especially when company is over at the house? I suggest the following:

It is impossible to eliminate masturbation. Accept the fact that she has learned it and enjoys it. Therefore, a reasonable goal is to control where it occurs. Perhaps limiting it to the bathroom or bedroom. Tell your child it's okay, but it is a private thing that should only be done in her bedroom. Don't ignore it completely, or she may think it is okay to do it freely in any setting leading to criticism by adults and chiding by other children.

Ignore masturbation at naptime and bedtime. Try to avoid checking up on them. Remember, this is often a comfort measure to the child.

When masturbation occurs outside of her bedroom, first try distracting her. Try distracting her with an activity preferably requiring the use of her hands. If this fails, discipline her reminding her that you know it feels good, but she can't do that in front of other people. Before the age of four or five she may need to be sent to her room.

Discuss how you are handling this with all her caretakers. Consistency is key to success.

Call your physician if you suspect that your child has been taught masturbation by someone else, your child tries to m********e others, your child continues to m********e in front of others.

Remember, masturbation does not cause physical injury or harm to the body, promiscuity, or sexual deviance. Your child is normal. Masturbation is not abnormal or excessive unless it is deliberately done in public places after the age of 5 or 6. Masturbation can cause emotional harm (guilt or sexual hangups) only if adults overreact to it and make it seem dirty or wicked.

Hope i helped.

Best wishes

Answer 5

Probably will grow up to be a porno actress.

Sorry....

Answer 6

Of course its normal. Make sure she knows its a private thing and an all-alone thing. And knock before you enter her room. <teehee> sorry

Answer 7

that's normal and good for her just as long as she doesn't do it at the wrong place and wrong time stupid people would report you for something is perfectly normal.

Answer 8

Thats not normal

give her the parent talk...

how did she find out?

Answer 9

i dont know whether or not it's normal but my little sister did it when we were younger

Answer 10

wow...this was something mention on House!!    Well, she's 6. Don't worry.  She may forget about it.  Let her do it if she does it. It's a natural thing.

Answer 11

well I heard it can be normal in alot of cases sometimes children could have seen someone do it maybe you should talk to her and ask her where she learned that behavior if you didnt teach her that behavior

Answer 12

Well, it depends on how she learned to do it.  If she was sexually molested, its best to take her to a doctor and determine if she needs psychological treatment and whether she was abused and if the abuse has stopped.  

However, if she discovered it all on her own, and it feels good to her, then I dont see any harm in it.  Most everyone is a sexual being and sexuality is nothing to be ashamed of.  You may want to make some "rules" about where and when it is OK to do it (i.e. not in public, etc.)

If you are very concerned about her behavior you can ask your family physician about it and see a child behavioral psychologist to determine if your daughter is healthy and normal.  But I think she probably is and that its a natural thing to be a sexual being, that it does not require suppression of the behavior as long as no one is getting hurt.

Answer 13

no way!

Answer 14

Dont make provision for kids to remain naked, especially when they are left to themselves. It is there, all these problems begin. Dress them properly.

Another point, give them something to spend time on. Loneliness at a very young age can lead to kids to something of this kind. When they are left naked, they have a tendency to experiment on their genitals. It is more seen in boys rather than girls.

You have to be careful. If she starts to do this on a regular basis, it shall become a habit. Then, it would be very hard to recover, since she is a very little child, ignorant of what actually she is doing and what actually she is living. There is no need to take her to a doctor because there is nothing more a doctor can do regarding this matter. The one who can act here is her mother, that is you.

Dress her properly. Provide her something to spend time on like toys, paint brushes, pencils, drawing and so on.

Read small tales to her that she would love and divert her to such activities. Mind that you should not leave her naked to herself while you take over this process for atleast some three months. A child's pyschology is that, they will forget things they dont do repeatedly. Later in her life, when grown up, when the actual thoughts of s*x and related things affect her, she may remember what she was doing, or atleast will get a notion that 'I had done it some time before, I can't figure out exactly'.

Now provide her, as I said, good foods like sweets that she may think about and engage her consciousness, read tales and books and bring her to a world of imagination and new structure, provide her drawing books and pencils, tom and jerry and related cartoons, movies that show animals like dogs, lions, cats....etc...like Beethoven, Narnia, Chesnut etc

You can introduce her Harry Potter...and so on.

This will help for sure. I guarantee.

Answer 15

sure it's normal just tell her it's a private thing to do and she should be doing it in her room with the door shut

Answer 16

Yes, it is normal.  You can talk to the child specialist and ask for her advice what step to take.  Dont worry.  I`ve read many children do that.

Answer 17

Nothing to do, just be sure she knows to do it in private.  Kids can m********e from birth, just as soon as they discover that it feels good.  There's no drive behind it until they reach puberty, but it still feels good.  At puberty their hormones lead them to the discovery.  Before then it's either by accident or a playmate shows them.  All normal and healthy.

Answer 18

YES, she is fine my 7 year old sister does it too....they are learning about their bodies and they find out it feels good so they continue to do so....Just tell her that it is something she needs to do in private. That she cant do when company is over .... If she starts to touch her self in the living room just simply tell her she needs to go to her room and do that or she needs to wash her hand and sit back down with everyone else....If you tell her no she will just do it more ...