(S.S.) wrote in message . com...
My 6.5 year old son has developed a habit of touching his penis area
through his pants or PJs. We've tried to explain to him that its not
polite behaviour and should be done in private. I'm concerned that he
is having a hard time breaking this habit and will be ridiculed at
school and in any case is indeed not polite... I've gotten him new
underware and talked to him about this but to no avail.

When asked he says it itches or just that he needs to. I have no
reason to believe he has a urinary tract infection or any other
medical problem.

Any ideas on how to get him to stop this habit ?

Thanks!

I agree with the other posts regarding bathing and having the child
checked by a doctor for jock itch or infection if it continues. An
uncircumsized boy has to pay careful attention to hygiene, so if he's
uncircumsized instruct him on how to clean himself properly and/or
remind him to do so.

Other things to also consider, new hair growth sometimes causes
itching. If he's wearing underwear of a combination of
polyester/cotten, try 100% cotten. If he's wearing underwear with
patterns/colors, try plain white.

Also, sensitivities/allegeries can develop over time. There might be
a sensitivity or allergy to chemicals/dyes in materials of
underwear/clothing, or the detergent used to launder clothes, or to
various things added to the laundry, such as softeners, things to
eliminate wrinkles,etc. or a sensitivity/allergy may be developing
toward soaps/shampoos etc used in bathing. When checking for
sensitivities/allergies, try eliminating one thing at a time to locate
the thing that's causing the problem.

christi
http://www.geocities.com/family_righ...l_inquiry.html