Sibling Sexual Behavior

[parent_of_3]

Today my four year old daughter complained that her "private" was irritated because her sister, who just turned 2, had been getting out of bed and touching her. This came as quite a shock as we expect two year olds to engage in some stimulatory sexual behaviors, but we didn't expect a two year old to explore sibling body parts. We have several concerns:

1. Is this normal behavior, and if so, what is the best way to address it?
2. Is this cause to be concerned about potential sexual abuse? (We haven't observed any indicators of abuse.)
3. Could our 4 year old have lied to us about the incident(s)? She understands that her "private" shouldn't be touched by anyone except her and her mommy and daddy. We just had another baby...perhaps this is a ploy for attention?
4. Should we talk to our pediatrician about this? We are worried someone might jump to conclusions and assume abuse has occurred. We have three girls and have always been very cautious about who they spend time with...we feel pretty confident that nobody has abused them.

Thanks,

[Carolina2806]

It seems unlikely that a 2 year old would do that.  Maybe the older girl is afraid of telling you that she has touched herself too much and has caused the irritation. Maybe you could try a different sleeping arrangement--in such a way that it does not make the older girl suspicious of why you are changing where they sleep. Changing the sleeping arrangment might give you a better understanding of what is and what is not happening.  Hope this helps some...