3 year old son m-sturbating

amother

OP ↓

Yesterday at 7:27 pm

Reaching out to the experienced imas here for advice.
My almost 3 year old boy has lately started m-sturbating. Obviously not releasing anything, just laying on his stomach and touching down there and shaking his body..(he gets a little hard too I think)
I know, I know , I also thought it starts at age 8-10, not 3
But according to Google it's normal for young kids to do that here and there. It's not s-xual, just a normal part of body discovery. But lately he's been doing it non stop.
Every night in bed.
When he comes home from school he goes to bed and does it instead of playing with his siblings.
If I try to distract him he tells me to leave the room.
He's otherwise a healthy adjusted kid living in a healthy happy home, and he's happy in school.
How do I deal with this??

amother

Trillium

Yesterday at 7:31 pm

I wasn’t too alarmed until I read this “ But lately he's been doing it non stop.
Every night in bed. When he comes home from school he goes to bed and does it instead of playing with his siblings.
If I try to distract him he tells me to leave the room.”
This is next level. I would most definitely get to the bottom of it ASAP! (Not from imamother- from professionals in this field!) My main concern would be- Who brought this awareness to him?? Has someone been demonstrating it on him and he’s mimicking the action? It may be normal for a little kid to feel themselves but def not to that extent!

amother

↑ OP ↓

Yesterday at 7:46 pm

I know!
I was also worried it might be abuse, so I asked him earlier today in an offhand casual way if his rebbi in school ever touches him, or if any kids touch him, and he said no.
He’s too young to lie to me without me realizing, so I trust that answer.
And at home he definitely does not see this.
(I don’t have big kids, only 6 and under, and he’s my only boy)
I don’t even know who to reach out to, thats why I’m trying my luck here if anyone has experience with this

amother

Firethorn

Yesterday at 7:52 pm

My 18 month old does the same whenever I change his diaper he goes straight there and plays with himself and gets hard....no one touches him there and he didnt see it anywhere else. I'm guessing he discovered it feels good idk

amother

Chocolate

Yesterday at 7:54 pm

It’s normal to explore in the bath on the toilet or in bed while falling asleep. It is not normal to run to do it all day and not want to do anything else. I’d discuss with the pediatrician or a child psychologist.

amother

Honeydew

Yesterday at 7:54 pm

It's normal to an extent but the amount he is doing it is not normal. My son also rubbed there from infancy but never to the extent of doing it for a long period of time instead of playing.
I am not sure how to proceed, just sharing my thoughts.

amother

Wisteria

Yesterday at 7:55 pm

I had this with my daughter when she was younger. I think it just feels good and is comforting. After school he’s tired from a long day and it’s probably a comfort ritual. My daughter did this from ages 3-5 and then she completely stopped.

amother

↑ OP

Yesterday at 8:50 pm

amother Wisteria wrote:

That makes sense, that he needs a comfort after school. He comes home very tired.
I guess I’ll try to provide him with other comforts, and if he doesn’t stop doing it excessively in a few weeks I’ll reach out to a professional as the others said