drea*s rants

We’ve all heard it before; having a toddler in the house is a thankless job and can be tiresome to the point of exhaustion. What we rarely hear though, is that having this mini comedian in your home can also be extremely entertaining. Recently my two year old son has begun streaking around the house on a regular basis. While this may sound absolutely hilarious, it is also concerning for a parent. Is it normal for your toddler to strip down to his birthday suit every chance he gets just to run around the house? Is he just trying to get my attention? Is he done using diapers? The list of questions are never ending when you have a child, and even more so as in my case, when they are your first and only child.

As any constantly worried parent will tell you, the internet is your safe haven. If you research embarrassing toddler scenarios online you’ll not only find that there isn’t a topic that hasn’t been covered but more importantly, you’re not alone in having these issues. Having this knowledge assures you that you don’t have the weirdest toddler ever known to man after all. What a relief!

So why do toddlers streak? I consulted my best friend, the internet and a professional, my mother (she raised 4 children) to find out more information.

It may be time for potty training.

There comes a time when toddlers soil their diapers and it becomes uncomfortable for them. When toddlers disrobe, they don’t realize that they can simply just take off their pants and diaper. They feel if they are going to disrobe, they are going for the gusto by removing ALL articles of clothing.

It’s different when they’re naked.

Your toddler is still very much in his curiosity stage of life. He or she may know what it’s like to sit on tile floor with their clothes on, but what about naked? They know what it feels like to wrap themselves in their favorite blanket fully clothed but not what it feels like in their birthday suit. Not yet anyway! And that’s why they do it, to find out the answer to their curiosity.

Because it’s funny.

My son knows that seeing him enter a room sans clothes after I had just left him in the other room with clothes on, gets me laughing every single time. It has gotten to the point when I can tell he’s stripping down even if I can’t see him because I can hear him giggling from afar.

Ultimately, toddler streaking is a regular part of life and shouldn’t be read into too much by worrisome parents such as myself. Besides, who can’t use a good chuckle now and then? And who better to deliver that smile than an arm flailing, wildly running, naked toddler.