5 yr old masterbation

[myfault]

I need help.  I cam completely sickened by the fact that my five year old daughter is rubbing herself (masterbating) on the chair in school in the classroom, in the cafeteria on the bench in the car seat while I am driving, on the couch.  It's always in a sitting position.  She works herself into a sweat, her face is all red.  It started in her infant car seat when the straps where between her legs, we moved to a larger car seat, than a larger one, until finally in the booster seat with no straps, but the straps were the problem because she is still doing it.  IT MAKES ME ILL!  I walked into the cafeteria at school one day and saw her humping the bench, red in the face and sweating.  I was completely and uterally embarrassed.  I keep telling her and telling her not to do this this.  I AM JUST SICK OVER IT!  My husband keeps telling her, but she does it any way.  If she does it at home privately, I could probably deal better, but she does it in school.  Just the other day she came off the bus and again red and sweaty and I said what were you doing and she said you know.  I think I will just die if her teacher says something.  PLEASE HELP ME!  How do I handle this situation.  I actually, thought she stopped for a while, until I had my son (she was 4 1/2 and than she started again, do you think this has something to do with it?).  Can it be my fault - hereditary.  Because after reading some listings on this site, I can tell you that I was the child who rocked in the crib, than the bed, etc. etc.  How do I stop this from progressing into something that I can't control?

[catlovermom]

The first and most important thin you need to do is CALM DOWN over this.  Why on earth does it "make you ill?"  It's normal.  The first and ONLY things you need to do are to make sure there isn't a medical reason why she's doing this (UTI, yeast infection, skin allergy) and then make sure she does it in private.  Treat it like any other behavior.  Reward her for what you want her to do and institute reasonable consequences when she misbehaves.    

5 years old is not a good time to start instilling in a young girl that her body is shameful.  

[Michele, Katy, TX]

I would talk to your pediatrican or family doctor (whichever doctor you take her to).  That is where I would start.