Oh lordy lordy, what do we do about his willy???

[MrsMerryHenry]

DS is potty trained. Huzzah!!!

Now that he's in pants he's discovered the joys of fooling around with his willy. Which is fine. But having turned a blind eye to his fooling and feeling for the past 2 months or so we now feel it's time to set some boundaries, such as:

• pulling your willy up out of your jeans and leaving it poking above your waistband is simply not socially acceptable, darling

• keeping your hand down your pants 50% of the time is welllllll a bit too often

Heeeeelp! Do they grow out of this level of initial fascination of their own accord? Have any of you had success stories with setting 'guidelines for the handling of a toddler's todger'?

ds1 in shower wails; 'Mooooommmmmmmmeeeeeeeeee, something's happening to my penis'

me; 'Well stop fiddling with it then'

ds1, still wailing; 'But i like something happening to my penis!'

Oh my ds is obsessed with his. He run up to the Altar at my niece's christening...got his willy out and started to sing Bob the Builder! I have tried all tactics but boys will boys and they just love their willies!

Oh god, my 4yo DS is a terrible willy-fiddler and this is something NO ONE ever told me about having DC! I innocently thought the fiddling and erections would start around 12!

We tell him it is OK but other people don't like to see it and getting your willy out in front of people is rude, so he can only do it when he's by himself. He has understood that but now we get a lot of "I want to watch telly by myself mum, will you go away?"

DS (just 3) has even attempted to get it in his mouth.

My 5 yr old is def fascinated by his tackle every oppurtunity to fiddle with it is too good to be missed apparently! We have suggested that it is only for private times but with his 8 yr old brother giggling each time we have this chat there seems to be little we can do to discourage him...

My DS (just turned 2) got his trapped in the waistband of his jeans a few days ago. I saw him rummaging but ignored it until he shuffled up to me crying "wee wee mummy, wee wee uh-oh"

at this thread. Ds1 (nearly 4) is an obsessive fiddler. I generally ignore it, though I was somewhat rattled when he turned to me on the sofa a couple of weeks ago and said 'Look mummy, it's all big and hard!'. Erk. It sounds obvious, but I think that if it bothers you, make sure he's wearing at least pants, and probably trousers most of the time.

DS2, who is 2.8 and recently potty trained, seems remarkably uninterested in his, thus far. I think he is still too thrilled by his pants.

Generally though, I think it's not something to worry about at that age. I guess before they start school it's good to get the private/public message across, but I'm not going to worry about it until then. Though admittedly my two are not prone to whipping theirs out at bus stops.

Mind you, I realised a while ago that (having lived alone for about 15 years) I sometimes fiddle about with myself when slumped in front of the computer or in the bath (though not, I hasten to add, at the tram stop). Not in any actual mastorbatory way, just one of those habits... But now DS is big enough to notice I don't do it when he's home...

Can't you just enforce a rule that you need to wash your hands after touching yourself down below - tis simple hygiene, surely, and given that most small children don't much like washing may at least keep the fiddling within bounds?

Pinktulips, did you have an answer for that?

We had ds1 to the urologist over a year ago - he was having some problems with his - but teh urologist said to me that aout 5% of boys are what they call 'fiddlers'. I have a fiddler. I think a few of you have too!

DS is fascinated when his "Willy Bone" comes out (i have NO idea where he got the phrase from).

Twice a day minimum i get a "mummy, mummy, look willy bone has come out".

At a friends party the other day when they were face painting he asked the mother who was doing the face painting if they had any willy paints to do his willy .

It didnt occur to me until I was walking down the road afterwards that the parents may have thought that willy painting was common practice in our household .

It is not, I must add.

my DS 2yrs 9mo is potty training so has also discovered his willy....yesterday he called out to me in dismay, with a little erection..'mummy! there's a STONE in my willy!
He also calls it his froggy.

My ds is 7 and hasn't really fiddled that much in ages. I suppose bath time is prime fiddling time now. He naturally grew out of it.
I never made an issue out of it either, though if he stretched it beyond imagination or wrapped it around pencils () I did used to say something, but only because it looked so painful (but clearly wasn't).

This thread cheered me up no end - at least I know what to look out for

FindsFartingFunnyHasNoIdeaWhatShe'llDoToCopeWithThisTiggaxx

COMPLETELY DELIGHTED THAT IM NOT GOING MAD AND THAT MY BOY AGED 8 IS NOT THE ONLY ONE TO FIDDLE WITH HIS PEEPEE! WHAT A RELIEF WAS TRYING TO IGNORE HIM WHICH WAS VERY HARD AT TIMES ESPECIALLY WHEN HE TOOK IT OUT IN FRONT OF HIS TWO SISTERS AGES 2 & 4 years. AT LAST I KNOW WHAT TO SAY AND DO!!! VERY HAPPY. (SMILE)NEW TO MUMSNET...

Picture. You left your caps lock on or did you really want to shout about your delight of finding MN?

oh this is making me feel betetr.

What about humping though? My 4 year old has taken to humping furniture, pillows, ride on toys etc, esp while watching tv. Cant believe it all starts so early!

My 10 MONTH old has just discovered his...I don't know which is worse...the cheeky giggling and grin of delight as his nappy comes off and he finds it...or the soulful, eyes glazed over, gazing into the middle distance with loving bliss.

Of course getting it to ahem 'deflate' when I am doing up his nappy is a challenge. I tell him to think about Ann Widdecombe. Strangely this works.

I went to dinner with a family a couple of months ago and they have 2 boys aged 3 and 4. Halfway through the evening the boys both got up, pulled their trousers down and got their willies out and ran about.

Ah, humping. My DS1 used to hump himself to sleep from the age of about six months - whenever he was capable of independent movement.

Also had the dinner-party scenario when he appeared at the door showing off his "big willy".

Hmmm...

DD1 lurves to strip.. "Look I'm NAKED!"

Will lie there watching TV with hand caressing bits - obviously the nerve endings are all there.

Have made some comments about it - but don't want to engender guilty feels or misconception that it's 'dirty' or 'naughty'.

Don't want her to have the same hangups her mother seems to have!

oh jesus
till reading this thread i had no idea that boys could get an erection before puberty
or the fasination with willys that all boys apparently have
damn
ds1 due 22nd december
so ive got this to look forward to?
arghhhh

I also worry about making him think it's naughty or dirty, but I think "rude" is a good word to use. After all, wapping your willy out is rude, whoever does it, and they do need to learn that.

DD aged just three is vagina-obsessed. She shoves her hands down her pants at every opportunity and fiddles about, occasionally informing me 'Mummy, it's all tickly' with whoops of glee. I suppose I should be glad that it's all in working order but it is very wearing. I have no idea how to stop them, btw, just another person reassuring you that you are not alone. I tell her it's private and not to do it in the supermarket etc which seems to be slowly sinking in. A bit.

grimma.... i was too busy doubled over laughing to respond

ds2 is onlt 7 months and already shoves his hand south every time he escapes his nappy and gropes around with a look of bliss on his face.... can only imagine what he's going to put me through when he's older!

ds (3) used to do what he called aeroplane with his, which consisted of pulling out winkie and testicles and pulling the testicles hard to form 'wings' either side of his winkie. luckily he has now stopped this, i did say to him "darling that looks painful, please dont do aeroplane." he never does it when out tho but did do it with guests about.