Where do babies come from?

[fxmummyduck]

We’re telling our ds he’ll be having a sibling when dh is home from work. I’m really not sure how he’s going to react but I’m trying to prepare myself for questions. He’s 4 so he may or may not be inquisitive, it depends if it sparks his interest or not. I’m half expecting him to be satisfied with a fairly simple explanation but I want to have an idea of what to say if he presses for more information!

Any ideas? Thanks ladies!

 

[Zephram]

My DS1 was still 4 (though an older 4) when we told him about having our third baby. I was really nervous about telling him as he was only 2 when DS2 was born and he wasn’t overjoyed about having a little brother at the time! But there is a huge different between the understanding of a 4 year old and a 2 year old, so it’s much easier to explain.

Basically we told him and he said (I picked this prior to it, should have bet on it! ), “Why?”. Fair question, haha. So we said that we wanted to give him another playmate to have at home and he was satisfied with this answer. He didn’t ask how the baby got in there for about another two months! So it wasn’t top of his mind when we told him.

When he did ask, I gave him the scientific facts: Mummy and Daddy had sex, daddy put sperm from his penis in mummy’s vagina, the sperm swam up to meet an egg in my uterus and voila - baby.

He accepted this, didn’t ask further questions, and TBH has shown much less interest in the whole thing than I thought he would. I just gave him the facts briefly and I don’t know how much he was actually listening, so who knows if he even remembers the conversation.

My advice is simply stick to the facts. Don’t tell him the stork brought it, don’t use silly words to replace penis, vagina, sex, etc. Kids are very matter of fact if you give them the chance to learn through simple facts, not euphemisms and made up stories.

 

[WackyMumof2]

I told my 9 year old when I was pregnant with DS2 (he was 21 months) that they unscrewed by belly button. He seemed happy at that.

 

[Teri7489]

I've just told my 4 year old my sister is having a baby and she asked if the doctor has to cut it out (like her brother was - a section) I said no auntie weez has to push the baby out her hoo ha when it's ready which is why only big girls have babies. She asked how the baby got in her tummy and I simply said that weez and gege (her aunt and uncle) had special cuddles that mummy's and daddy's do to have babies. She was happy with that and no more questions x

 

[ClairAye]

My advice is simply stick to the facts. Don’t tell him the stork brought it, don’t use silly words to replace penis, vagina, sex, etc. Kids are very matter of fact if you give them the chance to learn through simple facts, not euphemisms and made up stories.

This! I've not had to give full specifics yet but my kids know and have known for a while that babies 'grow' in their mum and come out of her vagina or sometimes are taken out through her abdomen. I think it's really important from a young age to be open about bodies etc.

 

[fxmummyduck]

Thanks everyone! It went pretty well, he said ok good! He was more concerned about how he wasn’t a big brother just a boy ???!! And how the baby eats and where it will sleep. I expect there will be more questions as time goes on so we’ll see!

 

[_Meep_]

I just told the truth when my 3 year old asked. Not the ins and outs of sex (every pun intended) as such, but that an egg from mummy and a seed from daddy join together inside a nest in mummy's tummy and make a baby that grows until it is big enough to come out. She really enjoyed watching some videos of vaginal childbirth and only really had questions about why they sometimes had to pull on the baby's head a bit to help him or her out.

 

[MindUtopia]

Mine is 4 as well. We talked about it probably about a year ago. She asked and I explained that mummy has an egg in her belly and then daddy has sperm in his belly and daddy's sperm goes into my belly and goes inside the egg and that grows into a baby. I showed her a picture of what sperm looks like and then also what an embryo looks like after it's starting to grow. Then we talked about what happens when babies are born and that they come out of the vagina. She was satisfied with that and didn't ask anything more probing.

Though she did go in to nursery that week and must have been talking with one of the teachers about babies and came home and told us that her teacher said that when babies are born, they come out of the belly (which is sometimes true, that prompted a talk about c-sections too), but she said she told the teacher and all the other children, "no, babies come out of their mummy's vaginas!"

 

[Bevziibubble]

I told my daughter that they come from the tummy. She came to her own conclusion that the doctor takes the baby out of the tummy when the lady goes into hospital! I'm surprised she hasn't asked for more details yet but I'm sure in time she will start questioning further!

 

[adrie]

My thoughts are that when my children start asking these more complex questions, I provide the correct answers. I would explain the basics with correct terminology (sperm and egg, and a brief description of conception within the womb).

 

[laura109]

I keep it simple he's in mummys tummy and when he's big enough he will come out. X

 

[Twinkl3]

My daughter has always been quite inquisitive and started asking questions about how the baby grows etc.

I've just bought her a book called "what's in your tummy mummy" and it gives her an idea of everything that happens month by month but in child form. It's a great book for those who show a keen interest.

We read it 4 times in the first day! Haha.

 

[Perplexed]

My daughter pretty much knows that baby grows in mommy's tummy but she hasn't asked any other questions. She was really little when I was pregnant with her brother and I used to tell her that we have to be gentle with mommy's tummy because there's a little baby inside it and she would hug and kiss my tummy. It seems she retained that information but she still hasn't asked further. I reckon it'll probably come up if we ever have baby # 3.

 

[SarahBear]

Violet was two years two months when Leo was born. We told her that babies grow inside their mummy's belly until they're big enough to come out. We explained about labor and child birth and even showed her birthing videos. She was very interested and asked fairly frequently to watch the videos. She was also present for the birth and was very excited when Leo emerged. Don't be afraid of the truth. There's nothing wrong with kids knowing the details. If he asks how it got in there, you don't have to explain sex, but simple details that are truthful will likely work. For example, men make sperm and women make eggs. When they come together, a baby grows. How do they come together? The man puts the sperm in the woman.