Son hand down pants. Any advice?

[thecatsarecrazy]

Posting for traffic hope this is ok..
My 4 year old in the last week or so keeps putting his hand in his pants. I don't want him to be embarrassed or feel he's naughty or whatever but obviously he can't keep doing it either. He was doing it at nursery today and it was brought up at pick up. I'm currently just pulling his hand out and saying hand out of pants. He's a bit behind with speech so it's hard to get the point across sometimes.

I don’t think it’s particularly unusual behaviour and from my limited experience it’s nothing to be concerned about. They often just like the sensation. I would just keep reminding him to remove his hand when you see it’s down there and get nursery to do the same, without making any kind of a big deal about it.

Dungarees for a day or two ?

I would say oops let’s take your arm out as your trousers / shorts will stretch and get too baggy to stay up (as if he was stretching say the neck of his T-shirt’s) That shifts any ‘ooh it’s forbidden’ message, keep it practical.

Just say, don’t do that in public please, it’s private. Fine to do in your room on your own, but not in front of others.

I used to say it is not going to fall off it is ok to let it go.

Yes i agree with the last poster. Emphasis to him that it is okay to do but only in private. I tell my dc that private parts are for private not for public/not infront of others.

In my admittedly limited experience, this is something all boys do. I told mine that hands in pants/touching your privates wasn't polite and not something you do in front of other people. Its fine to touch your body but that was something you should do in private. Just remind each and every time you see it. I just used to say hand out of pants! I absolutely would not say about stretching clothes, that seems ridiculous. Just tell the truth and keep reminding them. Ask nursery to do the same, they must have dealt with this before.

Stop messing with your bits is what I say

Sorry, complete derail, but if only John Barrowman's Mum had been like @Popcornbetty

As a mum of three boys, they all do this!

I would just say that, depending on his understanding, we don't do that in front of people as it's a bit rude.

They allllll do it. Just keep saying hands out of pants

Mine sleeps with hands down his pants! Can't really stop him once asleep!
Agree with others about reminding that it's OK but private.

Yes my DS’ had a stage of doing this when they were little, just a quick ‘get your hands out of there / off that in public’ and making them wash them was ok for a reminder.

This is really common when boys potty train.

You just have to keep on reminding him that it's not ok in front of people

@2bazookas

Dungarees for a day or two ?

This was our solution.

Vest with poppers underneath. M and s do a range of special needs clothing up to big sizes

Some Mum's, especially those with children who have delayed development/speech etc put them back into popper vests. M&D sell big sizes, so do Amazon. That's if you can't get the message across that we don't do that. In no time at all the habit is broken and the vests aren't needed for long.

I have 2 other boys and I don't remember them doing it 🙈. He wakes up with his hand in his pants too. I have been saying things like not when we are outside it's not polite. He's only done it once since he's been home. It was all day yesterday.

@igivein 😂 he obviously didn't get the memo as a child!

Thank you I will look into the vests now

Just say to him if you want to do that you have to go somewhere where there aren't any other people.
Don't make a big deal out of it.

What's John barrowman been up to ? 👀

I always tell mine that its still there and they don't need to keep checking. Seems to work... Now if I could just get DH to stop checking (joke)

OMG, my 2 year old has started recently trying to put his hands down his nappy, and yestersay had to have a bath at nursery as he’d apparently done a poo and decided to smear it all over himself. I’ll try the hands out of pants in public it’s rude response. Nice to know this is considered normal though!

All my three used to do this! They have stopped

I just used to say get your hands out. I don't think it needs a reason.