embarrased. please can anyone give suggestions

[kasef]

This is a very emabarrasing problem, but i'm at my wits end with this.

my 27month old dd2 has started what i can only describe as masturbating, she stiffens her upper thighs and is obviously getting a "kick" out of it. when i put her in the buggy she does it and i find it awckward especially while shopping which means that i generally go to the nearest supermarket and let her walk. pushing a buggy with her baby brother in it.

what especially bothers me is the fact that she occasionally does it infornt of other people at home and will also start to cry whilst doing it. i need to discourage it altogether. i have tried distraction when she starts and physically lifting her up from where ever she is but i can't seem to get her to stop. please help

bumping for you

Just wondering why you need to discourage it altogether?
Also not clear from your post what she is doing...is she just stiffening up or has she actually got her hands down her pants?

My DD used to be pretty interested in her 'winkle' at that age too (probably still is for all I know)..but I persuaded her that it was something to do in private

she doesn't have her hand down her nappy (yup still in nappies) but she is stiffening up, unfortunately being only 2yrs 3months old i can't seem to get her to unserstand that it's a private thing :(.

Are you sure she's 'masturbating' then? ...lots of toddlers stiffen up when they don't want go into their pushchair or car seat ..which is what it sounds like you are describing?

Oh this is dd ( or was up until about 3 months ago)

She has for as long as I can remember stiffened in her seatand wriggled and it was only when a family member asked her why she did it, and she told them it felt lovely that I clicked.

I've told her she'll get sore if she carries on doing it and she has gradually stopped it and no longer does it. It's a habit and a comfort thing...she'll grow out of it.

she doesn't have her hand down her nappy (yup still in nappies) but she is stiffening up, unfortunately being only 2yrs 3months old i can't seem to get her to unserstand that it's a private thing :(.

sorry for double post there.

sort of helps to know that other kids do it.

and i am sure she is masturbating as she does it everywhere.

DD1 used to do this all the time , at around the same age, regardless of where we were. I finally asked why she did it and she looked at me as if I was stupid and said "because its nice!!"

I replied that if it was that nice - perhaps should only do it when she was on her own, and she finally seemed to understand that - it was never a 'problem' again.