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| |    Masturbation: Infancy through Preschool Age by Dr. Benjamin Spock reviewed and revised by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P. All babies take great, uninhibited pleasure in their bodies, especially in certain areas like the mouth and genitals. They eat with gusto, smacking their lips when sated, raising a ruckus when hungry. It is with unabashed pleasure that they delight in the pleasures of their body--being held, stroked, kissed, tickled, massaged. The pleasure principle reigns unapologetically supreme. Masturbation is part of the normal development of sexuality in children. Of course, sexual feelings are different in young children than in adults. The difference is that adults tend to focus more on their genitals. Adults also attach a great deal of psychological meaning to things sexual. You could say that infants have sensual feelings rather than sexual feelings, because infant sexuality is not focused on the genitals. The beginnings of masturbation Sometime after age six months, infants discover how to create pleasant sensations by touching parts of their bodies, including earlobes, hair, feet, and genitals. Self-stimulation (including stimulation of the genitals) occurs in normal infants. There are no negative effects of masturbation from a medical point of view. At times, however, a child who is masturbating can look uncomfortable or ill. Some infants become flushed in the face or sweaty, or they cry. Masturbation can sometimes be mistaken for a seizure. It may take a skilled observer to really tell the difference. One helpful approach, if you are concerned, is to give your child's physician a videotape showing the child's behavior. Over time the infant begins to associate certain emotions and ideas with pleasurable sensations. If an infant who is rubbing her genitals is told "No! Don't do that! That's nasty!" she begins to associate that sensation with disapproval. She may stop masturbating, although the physical urge will continue. It is not clear what the long-term effects are of punishing masturbation at this early stage. I would be concerned that harsh punishments during infancy could cause difficulties in adult sexual function later on. Masturbation in preschool children By age three, children who haven't been forbidden and prevented from masturbating will do it from time to time. In addition to stroking their genitals with their hands, they may rub their thighs together, or rhythmically rock back and forth, or make pelvic thrusting motions while sitting on the arm of a couch or chair or lying on a favorite stuffed animal. Parents can teach children that this activity is OK in the bedroom or bathroom, but not in the living room or out on the street. In this sense, masturbation is like nose-picking or scratching various parts of the body. It takes several years for children to grasp the difference between public and private activities. By age six, most children have developed a sense of modesty in keeping with their family standards. Children at this age will also stroke their genitals to comfort themselves when they're tense or frightened or fear that something bad will happen to the genitals. A child who masturbates so much that it gets in the way of other activities, like playing or listening to stories, may be showing signs of significant emotional upset. A child health professional (doctor or psychologist) can help you to understand and deal with the problem. It is not normal for young children to engage in adultlike sexual activity. This is usually a sign that the child has witnessed adult sexual behavior, often on videotape. Less commonly, it is a sign of sexual abuse. Such behavior should be assessed professionally.
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