My 2 Year Old Apparently Has a New Habit

No, it doesn't mean she's ready to potty train. It means she has discovered that touching herself feels good. I would DEFINITELY not try to potty train right now! She'll be walking all over the house with her fingers down in her panties...

I would quickly find some onesies that will fit her (if they make them big enough) and some little overalls. Criss-cross them in the back so that she can't pull them down over her shoulders to get them off. She will get out of the habit once she can't get to her diaper anymore.

I agree with the ped to wait for a good while. By then, she will have forgotten all about this.

I don't know if the pink eye was because of contaminating her fingers, but she can get REALLY sick from it if she puts her fingers in her mouth or touches her food.

Btw, popping her hands or fussing at her is NOT the way to break this habit. You don't want to shame her for touching herself. You just prevent it in the first place and don't talk about it with her.

Good luck!
Dawn

If you can, put her in one piece outfits.... she has just discovered a new part of her body.

Whether her hands are at the front of her body, or the back, it doesn't make that much difference.... however, if she is constantly itching or picking at her bottom, you might want to have her checked for pinworms.... they are very common at that age, especially if they are in a daycare situation. (They spread easily amongst the little ones!)

Some kids like the squishy feel of feces.... think how much we all enjoyed playing with playdoh? There is something soothing about playdoh....

When she does it at home, take her in to go wash her hands, and calmly say.. "It doesn't look pretty to see you with your hands in your diaper..."

It isn't a big deal... wait until you have a little boy! They quickly discover the new "toy" they have there, and their hands are at their genitals constantly, it seem.s.

No, she's not ready to potty train. She's very young to be trying that with her. I would wait until she's 3 or moves up to the 3 year old classroom where they do that in child care. If they are doing it in the 2 yr. old classroom then it won't hurt but she still may just not be interested. It is way easier to start potty training when they're ready.

As for the hands in the pants issue. This is why they still make onsie's in toddler sizes. She needs to have her access to her diaper restricted. She has discovered some new areas that are fun to play with. It's part of being a child. Put a onsie style top on her and maybe some overalls.

i agree with Dawn. also it's a totally normal phase. it means she figured out she has something going on down there. correct, correct, correct. we don't put our hands there honey. go wash your hands.

at least she's a girl. my son is 6 and still does it, no matter what i do - AND i don't see any end in sight. i just continually try to tell him that (at LEAST) don't do it when you are around people. no one wants to see that. he also does it, i have noticed, as a nervous/bored thing. it's like fidgeting. anyway.

it definitely does not mean she's ready to pt. i mean she could be but it's totally not related. it definitely could have had something to do with the pink eye, but maybe not, and what difference does it make anyway? you really just have to keep correcting her and telling her it's not okay.

Completely normal, nothing like them pulling there hand out with a little chocolate colored surprise.

My last one was the worst about it and all we did when we saw her doing it was ask her to take her hand out..over and over again.

Pink eye is usually caused by a virus, but obviously those bacteria can certainly make her sick in other ways. Putting her hands in her diaper isn't any indication that she's ready to potty train at all. She's just exploring her parts. I don't even buy it when people say she does it because "it feels good". She's just trying to figure out what's there and what it does. Same reason babies play with their feet, or pull on their ears. It's self discovery. She'll do it for a while. My oldest daughter used to love to run around naked all the time, and I remember a few times we were watching TV and I looked over at her and she had her fingers all up in places... freaked my husband right out. LOL! It's normal. Just gently remind her to save it for the bath tub so she doesn't get germs on her hands. It will pass.

I think it's just a weird habit that she'll grow out of soon. DD is 6 and she did the same thing after being potty trained, when she was like 4 or 5. I don't think it's an indicator of being ready for potty training.

She's not too young to potty train. My daughter was trained at exactly 26 months with no pressure from me, or any help from her daycare provider. But, this behavior is not a sign that your daughter is ready for potty training. I would be looking for signs of that, though.