5 (nearly 6) year old won't keep his hands out of his pants...

[nldm1]

My son has always reached for his willy like it's some sort of comfort blanket, but recently, it's been getting ridiculously frequent. I have to tell him "hands out of your pants" every couple of minutes!
He says it doesn't hurt and it looks clean (...?) so I'm pretty sure it's just a fidget/comfort thing, but he has started doing it at school and while we're out and despite him understanding about appropriate places etc. He does it without thinking.
Any ideas on how to curb it a bit please?

Put a belt on his trousers.

Tried that. It takes him a bit more work, but he still manages somehow.
I've even tried putting him in a onesie once he gets in from school but he'll either unzip to get at it or wiggle his hand in through the popper gaps....
He's one determined little boy!

Marking place, 3.7 year old ds does this too....

We went through a phase where I was beginning to think "hands out of your pants" was DS' s name.
The phase did pass before I forgot his real name.

Marking place too, 5 yr old DSS does this too, tonight at bedtime DP got so fed up he put a nappy on him so he couldn't get to it. Can't do that in the day though so grateful for any more sensible suggestions!

It's fine. They all go through this phase. Lasts until they are about 30.

Put a nappy on him? Surely, in bed is the appropriate place for comfort willy handling.

Putting a nappy on is bloody awful of your DP. Could give the boy a terrible complex about something that's totally normal, if a bit inappropriate at times!

Also had a DS who could have been called Get Your Hands Out of Your Pants (HANDS! for short) at 5-6. Is now 8 and can't remember it being a issue for yonks. Frequent reminders and a sense of humour should do it.

Perfectly normak. Ds1 did the sane thing - interesting nativity play in reception...

He grew out of it. I'd forgotten all about it until just now.

Relax, it will pass.

mine does it through his trousers so a belt wouldnt help there im afraid he does it when he is uncomfortable or excited about something he has now rubbed callouses on his hands :-( no clue why but you are not alone

My ds is soooo much better now at 7.1.
We would constantly remind him to go to his room if he wanted his hands down his pants and got through huge amounts of hand sanitiser

I am and at putting a nappy on though.
Bed is exact the right place for fiddling imo.

Have to admit I was a bit surprised about the nappy thing but he's DPs son not mine so didn't feel it was my place to undermine him in front of the kids! Don't want to punish DSS for doing it as everyone has said it's perfectly normal, just need some tactics for helping him understand it's not appropriate behaviour at the park/supermarket/dinner table/school

I'm hoping that this phase passes fast!
A bit of it I can understand; weird dangly thing...must be for holiding on to!
But like a lot of you, I'm starting to feel like 'hands out of your pants' is his name!
At home is ok. Not ideal with the frequency, but...ok. I'm just hoping he stops doing it at school and while we're out soon.
Boys eh?!

I distinctly remember the time dp said to ds that he didn't need his hands down his pants all the time, and ds said "But daddy, you're always doing it"

@whereisegg - Do boys every grow up?!