[Mild] daycare concern, and I don't think I'm quite ready for toddlerhood...

[Kaylee31]

DS is 21 months and a handful. Very funny, happy, and charming most of the time and stubborn, defiant, and/or whiny the rest. I guess I'm just playing it by ear and trying to parent the best I can (and loving it the majority of the time). Parenting is mostly common sense, right? ;)
Well, earlier while giving DS a bath, my shirt was soaked from his splashing so I was just wearing a bra when I dressed him. Out of nowhere, he grabs my chest and says "booby". Umm, this is not something we've ever said in front of him, so I was kind of shocked. I physically couldn't nurse, so I've never even referenced this part of my anatomy to him. I asked who told him that word, and he named a 3 yr. old boy from his in-home daycare. But I don't understand how a little boy could show him to associate the word with the body part?
I love his daycare-- great DCP, had fantastic references, there's 6 other seemingly well-behaved kids between 1 and 4, and he's learning soo much there (vocab, counting). But is being around older children possibly a negative influence? I plan on bringing the incident up in conversation with the DCP tomorrow, to see what she says. Would you be concerned or am I making something out of nothing?

[traciann]

To me its something out of nothing. You can't control what other parents call body parts and neither can your daycare provider.

[fedoragirl]

Also, you'll be "shocked" at a lot of things he'll learn at school as he grows older. We just can't control everything in our child's environment.

[truly scrumptious]

To me its something out of nothing. You can't control what other parents call body parts and neither can your daycare provider.

:yeahthat:

If you don't like a word or term he uses, you can try teaching him another one for it. As in, when he says "booby" you respond,"Booby? Oh, you mean BREAST. Yes, that is mama's BREAST."
This has been very successful with DS.
With older kids I'm actually more concerned about him learning bad behavior rather than words. But that happens in every daycare including DS's where all the kids in his class are the same age.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

To me its something out of nothing. You can't control what other parents call body parts and neither can your daycare provider.

:yeahthat:

i don't think you can really control what other toddlers say around him...it seems normal for kids that age to mention anatomical parts. my DS at 14 mos already says "diaper" and points to his crotch area, so i'm sure words like "pee-pee" or "penis" are right around the corner. i guess when he gets older i would teach him to be discreet about those words but at 2-3yo it seems that would be hard to do still.

and i agree with trulyscrumptious, i guess what you could do is next time he says "booby", teach him to say "breast" instead.

[Kaylee31]

Thanks ladies. I guess I just needed a reality check that this type of stuff is normal. I just feel like I'm inexperienced and sometimes don't know how to react when DS exhibits new behavior. He's growing up too fast! I know I will be caught off guard like that a LOT in the future, so I gotta learn to be on my toes! :rotflmao:

[amldaley]

It's totally on track with his age and with daycare.

At 21 months, she was saying, "heeeyy".

I almost lost it when DD came home at age 24 months and shouted at me on the changing table, demanding, "Wipe my butt!"

This week, she keeps flipping me the bird and telling me it's naughty.

Yesterday, I caught her staring at the boys going pee pee...she is nosey & curious and a busy body by nature, but this time it was clear that she was checking out the differences.

But the same thing that brings "booby" & "wipe my butt" also brings wonderful learning opportunities, too. They challenge each other. DD has learned so many fun things at daycare from her friends. And that drive to point things out and give it a label is so age appropriate.

I had to have a talk with the teachers about race a few months ago b/c DD was suddenly identifying all her "brown" friends. I guess they were playing a game where the teacher would play music then stop it and say "Show me somthing {insert color}" and they all had to point to something that color. They all pointed to her for "brown", so we got to have a great talk about having friends of all colors.

And one little friend taught her to say "Deeeee-licious!" when she is eating. DD has taught her friend the hand sign for "rock on".

Have the talk with the daycare provider but realize, too, they can't monitor everything all the time. I just follow up with DD and say, "We don't say X, we say Y or Z".

Good luck and have fun :)

[twowhat?]

To me its something out of nothing. You can't control what other parents call body parts and neither can your daycare provider.

:yeahthat: but I feel your pain. I was upset when DDs started calling me "Mom" instead of "Mommy" (and they must have gotten that from daycare!)

I guess this never occurred to me but I hope the other parents in our girls' daycare don't mind that our girls know "penis", "furry penis" (the dog's) and "vagina" and will not hesitate to point those things out...:bag

[lmr1101]

I'm right there with you... my dd is 25 months old and loves to show me her nipples every time we take her shirt off. When we clean her in the bathtub I ask her to scrub her knees, arms, elbows, etc and she always says she needs to scrub her nipples.
It's a word she picked up at dc and I've just let it go for now (it's not a word or body part I've taught her). I figure at this age they're still learning.

[Pear]

Booby is a regular word around here. When you have a nursing toddler the topic of breasts comes up a lot. It's one of the few more slang type terms we use for body parts. Saying breast to my newborn just didn't come naturally.

Actually DD is obsessed with body parts. Ankle, knee, finger, she names them all. She also knows the correct terminology for more intimate parts.

I guess I'm not sure what the dcp would or could do in this circumstance. It's not like the kids are saying something bad. Do you want the teacher to just direct them to more clinical terminology?

[wellyes]

I am nursing DS - my 3 year old calls my breasts "baby food." and occasionally makes observations like 'hey grandma has baby food too mama!' I am become immune to embarrassment.

[YouAreTheFocus]

I am nursing DS - my 3 year old calls my breasts "baby food." and occasionally makes observations like 'hey grandma has baby food too mama!' I am become immune to embarrassment.

:hysterical: OMG, hilarious!

[georgiegirl]

Just wait until he's 4 and comes home singing Katy Perry and Justin bieber songs. The other day. 5 year old DD came home singing"don't you wish you were hot like me."

[BabyBearsMom]

There is a boy like that in our daycare (do all daycares have a "bad boy" in them? I am picturing him coming to class in a leather jacket with the collar flipped up as I type this). He says things like "booby" "booty" etc. (things that we consider naughty words but in some families might be normal). DD isn't speaking yet, so it isn't an issue. When it does become an issue, I just plan to say "That isn't what we call that, that is a breast/tushie etc." Rinse and repeat as necessary.

I don't think it is anything that the DCP can really help. They do tell him when he is using inappropriate words and the kid spends a lot of time in time out (our daycare uses time out sparingly, but for that kid the naughty language is the least of his problems). I never really thought I could dislike a 3 year old, but I really do in this case.