Toddler boy
 

I have a 5 yr. old nephew whom I babysit. Lately, he's been playing with his little wee wee often. And sometimes he would be touching his testicles. Is this normal? I don't know if it's itching or irritating him and he doesn't really answer when we ask him. He's not circumcised so I'm worried that it could be urinary tract infection. What do you think? I tried to do a search but got no idea how about in doing it. I typed in "why do toddler boys touch their wee wee" and didn't get any answers from that search question. :lol:

of course it's normal. They just get worse as they get older :lol: Unless he seems pained or irritated, just ignore it, or send him to the bathroom to do it, explaining that it's not OK to do it in front of other people/something you should only do in private. Or you could try telling him not to do it at all. Good luck with that.

5year-olds would not be considered toddlers, btw.

Yeah, the best you can do is explain to him that touching himself is not something you do in front of other people. None of them ever actually stop doing it.

I'm touching mine right now!

Don't you always when clodfobble posts?

I know I do.

we all know you do....

Back to the topic of Tulip's nephew, I have been corrected by Mr. Clodfobble: apparently, most little boys touch themselves at this age out of mere curiosity, and then they soon get over it and stop, and don't pick up the practice again until puberty when the benefits are far more significant. So you might not even have to tell him to stop if you're feeling uncomfortable about it. But I would, myself. It's never too early to start (gently) explaining socially unacceptable behaviors.

Just tell him it isn't a handle so he should keep his little perverted hands off it.

You too, LJ.

I dunno, ours showed no signs of stopping until we told them they shouldn't do it in public

My bro touched his until school (5 at that time).
Despite being told no, not to, not in public, naughty and all that, it was a comfort thing he wasn't willing to change. He stopped immediately when told to, but his hand crept back down his trousers afterwards.

I doubt he stopped the day he started school. I just remember that it was not an issue on our next summer holiday.

I'd draw attention to it as something wrong to do, like picking your nose and eating it. Peer pressure (esp from little girls) will do the rest sooner or later.

Oh and FTR - the vast majority of boys in this country are uncircumcised. I doubt that is a factor.

How does one know this?

and btw, HI SUNDAE!

I've experienced the majority of men in this country ;)
But seriously, it's a proper statistic (don't make me find it!) backed up by personal experience (only 2 circumcised English men, one of whom was my first BF and not a sexual partner)
Hey chick!
I still have that book to send you. I blew it off this month in favour of a ticket to see JB speak at the National Theatre. Ticket only £3.50 but train fare is horrid. Think of me on the 24th, enjoying myself by denying you :p

She's right, you know. We barbarians prefer them as nature intended ;)

Who is JB? (I'm hopeless, aren't I?)

Ok, if you AND monnie say the English lads are as the Goddess made them, I'll have to accept it. :)

You know how you can call someone ugly or fat unless they actually ARE, and then if you do, you're the jerk?

well, I'm not saying JB is actually insane..... but I'm still a jerk.

Not at all, it just means I do not mention the goodness that is John Barrowman enough on this board!

He's giving a talk at the National. I won't be sitting there drooling like a fangurl. I will simply be listening intelligently. Oh, and basking in the light that comes from being in the presence of male beauty...

lol - I was thinking Jim Beam or James Brown

He'll be moving to Starz next year.

I reference that in the RFN picture thread.
I'm SO happy.

Tulip, if the tip of his foreskin is red and inflamed then it might be infected, but most likely, as everyone has pointed out, the behaviour is recreational.

The more cool and casual you are when talking to him about it the more forthcoming he will be.

E.g. "That feels good, doesn't it?" VS "What are you doing?"
The first can segue into "IT's fine to do in private, but most people aren't that keen on watching you do it. Oh and by the way, have you tried this new hand soap with the dinosaur on it?"

The second approach will lead to a stone wall.

Just tell him jebus kills a kitten every time he touches it. He won't quit touching himself but it'll get the guilt and self loathing up to appropriate levels.

As a female non-parental relative, I'd avoid the "That feels good, doesn't it?" part of that....

just go for the "honey, it's ok for you to play with that if you really want to, but this is not a good time for sharing, so please take it to the bathrom" :lol:

Good point, Monster.

yay!

I finally broke my good point cherry!

:lol:

Well, that's a first for me too.

Thanks everyone for your input! :) I never knew a toddler is from age 1-3. I thought a toddler is from age 2-5. :p: My nephew usually just touches his wee wee when he's naked, as in the bath or right afterwards when he hasn't worn any clothes yet. But as soon as his pants are on, he doesn't really reach for it. He wasn't doing it in public so that wasn't a concern for me. I will keep in mind what y'all said so in case it starts becoming an issue.

toddler refers to that wobbly walk they do at that age. But toddler clothes go from 1-5

And yet "boy" clothes start at size XS (4-5.) It's all screwed up.

I agree with SN and Monster but lets not forget the dinosaur soap.
I chuckled. I got a great image of SN being one heck of a cool grampa one day. :)

You mean he's not? ;)

By all rights I oughta be. I started late.

Better than starting early...