Need a little help here, my friend has nearly 2 yr old twins, boy and girl, and she's having quite the problem with the girl. About a month ago she walked in on mom using the bathroom, right as she was inserting a tampon. Now the girl keeps trying to do the same thing to herself, using various objects, toys, cups, bottles, etc... and she can't get her to stop. She's NOT hurting herself and she's NOT naked when she's doing this, she's still in her diaper. I told her to try to not to make a huge screaming deal out of it as her daughter is quite the attention seeker, but to CALMLY take the object away and explain to her that her pee pee (vagina, wee wee or whatever she calls it) is special and she isn't allowed to do that to it or to touch it with things. That seemed to work on my 2 yr old when she "discovered" herself. Any suggestions?

In my experience with my girls, it's just a phase. She'll find something more interesting soon enough. She must have discovered it gets her mom's attention.

This reminds me...one of my girls saw me in the bathroom with a tampon when she was about that same age. A few days later she asked if I was going to have another baby, and I said no, and she said, "That's right. You're using those mommy things to plug it up so the baby can't get out." It was so hard not to laugh out loud.

But seriously, it soon passed and she was on to something bigger and better

And I thought having a boy was difficult.

i_love_icing.....plugged it up???? Thats hilarious!! I told her she'd probably outgrow it soon too.

That is so funny plug it up...no baby

On the serious side, she has discovered something new and will continue to do this until something else grabs her attention.

She said vagina...

Heehee...

I wouldn't make a big deal out of it. I have three daughters (and one son), and it is about this age that they discover that they can make their bodies feel good. If they are doing it in an inappropriate place (ie, in front of other people) I try to either distract them or calmly tell them, "That feels good, huh? But your ____ is private; can you go in your room?"

Incidentally, I am into teaching them correct terms...my 3 year old couldn't say "labia" at first and pronounced it "Ladybug". That term has remained...it cracks me up. She calls the boy part a "peanut"...close enough! My folks were over last month, and she came running out with her new bikini..."LOOK!", she tells them, "THIS part covers your boobies, and THIS part covers your labia"! I about died laughing...so did they!

Thank god for locks!
And thankfully my little boy never walked in on me when I was doing feminine things!

When I was really little, I remember by little brother and I finding the applicators in the bathroom garbage can. We thought they looked like syringes, so we spent a while playing doctor-giving each other shots in the arms with them. Until my mother found us and was mortified! We looked for those "shot things" almost everyday after that for awile, but they were never in there again. (I know- GROSS!, sorry!)

It will pass. Once she realized she was getting mom's attention with this, she probably found more reason to continue with it. I agree that it's nothing to worry about. This almost happened to me with my own daughter recently.

The biggest concern I'd have is people assuming her behavior had something to do with having been molested. Children act things out and sometimes well intentioned adults think they've connected the dots so to speak, so I'd just maybe keep her home until the behavior passes.

Tell her not to worry too much!

Oh my GOSH! I was laughing so much when I read some of these!! My husband - regrets he even told me - but when he was little, his brother and he found a box of his mom's tampons in the bathroom and went through the entire box trying to light off the "firecrackers" in the yard before deciding they were duds.

Oh the age of discovery and exploration- that's really all it is I think.

I am cracking up at some of these stories!! It is all innocent discovery but it can be so funny at times.

LOL@ duds!

This reminds me of my youngest sister when she was about 4-5. My mom caught her with a pantyliner on and my mom asked what in the world she was doing with that or what she thought it was for. She said "to keep your panties out of your butt."

We still tease her about that one.

Tampon talk on Cake Central...

I got nothin'...

My dh would kill me if he knew I was telling this, but he got a bad bloody nose once and walked out of the bathroom with a tampon hanging out of his nose. I lost it!

Great for bloody noses. When you go to the doc and get one shoved up your nose, they charge you $150 for it and call it a "Nasal Rocket."

OMG this is so funny!!! Thanks for the giggle.

My mom told me that one time she walked in on me sticking her sanitary napkins to the wall of the bathroom (when I was much younger than I am now of course). She took them from me and explained to me that they were sanitary napkins and were only for "special occasions". So come next Thanksgiving guess what was beside everyone's dinner plate!! I don't remember doing this so who's to say it's true.

(Actually I'm sure it is true.)

bakingupastorm

LMAO at some of these stories!

My daughter was in the bathroom with me at a gas station and I was changing tampons. She asked, "When I start my period, then can I wear makeup?" She was about 7. Needless to say, when the day finally happened, I said nothing to my better half but, "Well, she can start wearing makeup," and he knew what had happened. We had alot of laughs over her wearing makeup.

My granddaughter started for the first time while they were on vacation last week. She wore a pad for 30 minutes and asked if she could take it off now. I told my daughter she should have told her, "Not for the next 30-40 years." She finds it all very disgusting as she couldn't go swimming on vacation.

Kids see and realize so much more than we think. I agree that as soon as something new gets her attention, this phase will be over.

diane

When I worked at the daycare this is the age that I taught. This is the age for discovery and this is something that she has discovered. How mom handles this will play an important role later on about how she responds to certain things. What I was taught in the classes that we had to go through was to redirect and explain that mommies have to do this when we become mommies. Then tell her that she can't do that yet because she could get a big ____(whatever you use for sore ie. owie, booboo whatever). Don't worry too much about someone thinking molestation because if they have ever been around kids this age, they know that this isn't a good way to tell. They mainly use behavor, repeated actions like role playing improper situations, and signs of physical abuse such as bruising. If mom makes a big deal, it will last longer. It will pass until she discovers another hole to put things in like her ears or nose, then the fun really starts.

Well, I told my friend that I had posted her predicament and she said OH NOOO, then I told her a couple of the stories, she of course is now very glad her daughter's not trying to serve them up at the dinner table. Those are great stories, it reminds me of when my little sister discovered them around 4-5 and decided they were really neat cigarettes and was constantly trying to smoke them (not lit of course-phew!). Or when my other sister handed them out after dinner one night as "dental floss". Personally, I wouldn't recomend them for either use!

Oh my god..this made me laugh and then it made me remember a disgusting joke regarding "jelly filled doughnuts"...maybe not appropriate to tell here unless someone REALLY wants to know the joke, then PM me for me to tell you it...but you have to promise NOT to be offended.

My son loves stickers, and he discovered the maxi pads one day. Do the math....he covered himself with them. At least his excuse is, he's only 4.
My husband just about peed his pants with laughter.