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Behaviour/development

Embarrassing Behaviour

4 replies

MummyJoD · 02/10/2006 10:14

Hi. I know there have been a few similar threads on this subject, but I was wondering if anyone can help me?

My daughter is almost 3 and is masturbating all the time. Now, I know this is normal behaviour and she'll eventually grow of out it (or at least start doing it in private) and I'm not particularly bothered that she's doing it, but it's at the expense of everything else. She doesn't play with her toys or read books. I try to distract her but she either ignores me or goes straight back to doing it within a minute. She lies on the floor or chair and rubs herself against it. She has even done it to the point of making herself sore down there, but it doesn't seem to stop her. It has even got to the point where she's waking up in the middle of the night and doing it.

Is it normal for her to be doing it so much or do you think I should have a word with the doctor about it?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

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crinklechunk · 02/10/2006 15:07

Are you sure this isn't a symptom of something else ? My daughter did this at 2 1/2 but she had thrush and was itchy. It was a bit of a viscious circle really as she scratched herself and made it worse.
Our GP gave us something similar to canesten which did the trick but she is still prone to it.
She needs to avoid things like bubble bath and coloured toilet tissue as they can make her worse.

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Elibean · 02/10/2006 15:35

Could be just a brand new discovery and, like all new things, very exciting. But...if she's waking up and rubbing herself at night, I'd also check out the health aspect.
My dd is nearly 3 (Xmas) and has occasionally been rubbing/itching at herself, and has said she is sore/itchy in the bath. The things I've been checking out are: thrush and threadworm, and more recently, eczema.
If your dd is waking at night, threadworms are a possibility..they can migrate to the vagina/urethra in little girls, and do tend to cause most discomfort at night.
Sorry if this is way out - just did cross my mind, probably because of checking my own dd out recently!

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Mum2Ela · 02/10/2006 15:43

Tee hee! Its a nightmare, isn't it? My DD was always at it - from the age of 10 months!! Rubbing herself against the trolley in Sainsburys, her pushchair, etc.

As she got a bit older I would either tell her that she was going to make herself sore (which sometimes she did and then it would hurt when she weed) or I would tell her that she if she was going to do it she would have to go to her bedroom.

She doesn't do it so much now - aged 4 - no where near as much as she did, but soemtimes I'll have to get her down from my exercise bike.

So, sympathiese from me.

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MummyJoD · 02/10/2006 16:29

Thanks for the advice - nice to know I'm not the only one!!

Someone did mention worms to me a while ago. I think I'll take her to the doctors just to her checked out.

Thanks.