Mumsnet Talk

I am wondering what term to use with my daughter, when referring to her lady parts. When I was growing up with 2 older brothers, my Mum and Nan called their tackle 'tiddlers' so it followed that girls had 'tiddies'. As I have no older sons, asking my daughter to wipe her tiddy after a wee seems a bit random and meaningless. What terms do the rest of you use?

Vulva. That's what it is do that's what we call it.

I'd always understood vulva to refer more to the sex organ than the urethra/labia that would need wiping after a wee...? I have considered just using 'vagina' but it's quite a difficult word for a little one to use so was wondering if anyone uses anything more 'fluffy' (no pun intended).

I have thought about this A LOT. I just wish there was the female equivalent of willy. Harmless, not too sexual and easy to say in front of relatives (put your willy away Harry - for example!) . Unfortunately us ladies have had to put up with lots of sexist repression when it comes to talking about our sexual organs hence most of the words have negative connotations. This is in complete contrast to the rather jovial selection available for boys. Makes me rather cross sometimes. When I was little i called it a fairy! Friends have suggested foof! I am tempted to go with fanny. My other half not too keen and indeed I've tried it out a few times but it feels strange! If only there was someway to make fanny like willy! Time is ticking for us. DD is almost 1! Dilemmas!

Germaine: I think you have mixed up the terms vulva and vagina

The vulva refers to the external parts of female genitalia. It does have a sexual function but so does the penis and no one worries about little boys being confused about its two functions.

Mini?

Front bottom? Pom Pom?

we call it a chuff here

Pom Pom!! Haha, love it! Could be confusing on craft day at nursery though...

I totally agree with clabsyqueen re negative connotations and sexist repression - it makes something which should be easy very difficult. My sister-in-law tried fanny but every time her daughter said it outside of the home (at nursery, etc) it was met with total horror!

Re. vulva vs. vagina, OED defines them as follows: vulva - The external organ of generation in the female; esp. the opening or orifice of that organ; vagina - The membranous canal leading from the vulva to the uterus in women and female mammals. So neither seem quite right :s

Marking my place as I want some ideas too

We use bits short for private bits for girls and winkle ans peanuts (ugh Dhs choice) for boys
We are happy to call them their proper names too but like a lot of things we don't always use the proper name

Meant to say we call the winkle and peanuts together, privates.

We settled on "lady bits" for DD. Seems harmless yet descriptive!

I'm currently in this dilemma -DD 9.5 months.

Dh says that it should just be girlie bits and boy bits (he hates the word willy), but I'm not sure. I don't anything too "medical" eg vagina/vulva. On a similar thread someone said they use the words "winkle" for boys and "twinkle" for girls which i thought was sweet, but didn't want the nursery rhyme "twinkle twinkle little star" to be taken wrongly!!

I'm hoping DD will come up with a suitable word herself!

Vagina is the internal bit though. Vulva is the external bit. That's the OED definition.

We use "bits" - for males or females, front and/or back. You go to the loo, you wipe your bits.

Would you consider fanjo? (That's a joke, by the way).

Oh my gosh, laughing so much at the suggest of fanny! Thats quite a rude word where im from and I would be shocked to hear a child say it. Its lady bits in my house.

Nuni.

My mum used 'tail' with me. Never seemed odd

When I was a child I learned that I had a wee er and so did my dbs, just theirs was a different shape.

When my dc were small I told them they had a willy/penis but a girl had a hole. No name other than mummy's hole. Only when they started talking about babies and giving birth did I mention that I actually had 2 holes.

we use the term 'girly bits' at the moment, but will teach dd the proper names when she is talking more etc, another mnetter said they use the word 'yoni' which is sanskrit? i think she said, anyway that seems quite nice so that is another name i am using as well

my friend uses 'mini' but to the 4 boys that is a car!

DD1 is 3 and has shortened vulva to vulvie which I like. I hated not having a 'proper' word as a child.

"Bits" here. Girl bits and boy bits, with full technical terms if we need to be more specific.