Is Masturbation in Young Childhood Common?

Masturbation in general is widely considered a taboo topic making the topic of masturbation in young childhood even more misunderstood.

Did you know - Early childhood masturbation was often misdiagnosed as seizures or neurological movement disorders due to a lack of understanding of childhood masturbation. Many parents actually felt relief to receive these diagnoses instead of confronting their own discomfort around masturbation.

Overall, this discomfort to talk about masturbation has created a gap in the medical and academic research on masturbation in early childhood. This gap continues to contribute to the shock, shame, and embarrassment many parents feel when they notice their young child masturbating. Many doctors and pediatricians are not well-informed about the behavior and don’t know how to support their patient’s parents who are distressed when observing their child’s behavior.

This leaves parents trying to figure out how to manage their own discomfort while dealing with their child’s behavior without informed guidance. 

I have polled parents on my IG stories & have spoken with many parents about this topic and here’s what ya’ll are curious to know about when it comes to masturbation in young childhood:

• How common is masturbation in early childhood?

• What’s the difference between Childhood Masturbation and Childhood Gratification Syndrome?

• Why do young children masturbate?

• When is masturbation in young childhood a concern?

• What should you say and do when you notice your young child masturbating?

• Will children grow out of it?

• Will masturbating in young childhood impact their sex life when they become an adult?

• How do I incorporate the early masturbation talk into the early sex talks?

These questions, using the latest research and statistics, will be answered in a **NEW** video lesson that’s being added to The Complete Guide to the Early Talks.

Who’s the Complete Guide to the Early Talks for?

The Early Talks Guide assists parents in developing the 5 parenting habits that make it easy to answer a child’s sex question now as well as in the future.

The guide gives you the exact script I used to explain Where Babies Come From to my own kids without saying the word sex. It also gives you the script for when (not if) your kid asks, “How does the sperm meet the egg?”

Learn how to easily answer 25 common sex questions kids in the Primary age ask using the formula for answering sex questions.

Primary Topics in a Jar is 30 Q&A’s (for kids aged 5-7) to learn age-appropriate information about reproduction, gender, body parts, and social & emotional skill-building. (My 6 year-old loved this activity and wanted to do ALL 30 questions that night!)

⬇️ Lessons Available in September 2026 ⬇️

1️⃣ Have you noticed your young child (aged 0-7) masturbating? Are you unsure how to move forward without creating feelings of shame or embarrassment? Would you like to be prepared with what to say and how to react in case you notice your young child masturbating one day?

2️⃣ Do you want to lay a solid foundation for Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) prevention using a simple and straightforward method that gives your child time to process the information? Do you want to establish your young child’s body boundaries before they’re fully potty-trained?

These 2 NEW video lessons will answer these questions while giving you the scripts to say!

When is the UPDATE happening for the Early Talks Guide?

These lessons will drop in September 2026. If you are already enrolled in The Complete Guide to the Early Talks ($50) you will automatically receive the new lessons in your dashboard without having to pay anything additional. (Once the new lessons are added, there will be an overall price increase for the Complete Guide to the Early Talks.)

1. The Body Boundaries & Bodily Autonomy for CSA Prevention Talk (ages 4,5,6)

2. The (early) Masturbation Talk for kids under 7 years-old

Here’s what parents have to say about the Early Talks Guide:

My goal is to help you where you’re at!!

If your goal is to start having the sex talks today, this week, or this month, I’m ready to help you!!

I’ve designed all my resources to make it easy for you to start having Top Talks!

Don’t wait until your kid asks you a sex question to start learning how to answer it! The time to get prepared is today - or at least this week! 

💕Kathleen