Why does ds always ask dreadfully long / involved / fearsome questions at BEDTIME <aaargh>

[FrannyandZooey]

and "I will tell you tomorrow" just NOT going to work....

Tonight I had to explain the mystery of childbirth after he had been reading a book about birds hatching

"How does a baby person get to be born, Mummy? Does it peck a hole in your tummy?"



"No..."

"Well how DOES it come out?"



"HOW??? HOW does it do that? How does it stretch? Does it come out sideways Mummy, how how how how how.....?"

Cue demonstration with a plastic baby and the sleeve of my t-shirt. Boy oh boy I have never needed a knitted uterus before now but I did tonight...

Oh yes I had a question, as well - I have a fab book with full on pictures of foetus in utero etc plus very graphic birth pictures - quite powerful ones - would you show these to a nearly 4 year old who was interested, or if not, at what age would you think it was a good idea?

[AitchYouBerk]

35

[FrannyandZooey]

Well avert your eyes then Aitch

[AitchYouBerk]

what are you talking about? dd just stuck her head out of the sleeve of my t-shirt, didn't she? [hazy]

[Hulababy]

Glad DD was born my c section - made explaining far easier

No, seriously DD saw it all happening on those baby programmes, etc. and I explained it all when she asked. But TBH next day she'd moved on for a while and didn't ask again for a while - then added more clarity andother aspects since when asked.

DD has seen scan pictures and pictures of foetus in utero, but not images of actual birth as yet.

[FrannyandZooey]

Well, I am glad this prompted such an interesting discussion, thanks everyone for your contributions

[Upsadaisy]

Avoiding bedtime! My ds saves his questions to bedtime drives me insane

[FrannyandZooey]

oops unfortunate cross posts there

[FrannyandZooey]

Yes good point he probably will not ask again for a while

but with other subjects I would use a passing interest to explore a subject that I think will be fruitful for him - hence the book on eggs hatching, as we have been playing birds nests this week. I am just hesitant to use this book as it is so graphic - am not sure what I am worried about, but feel unsure

[MrsApron]

hmmmm not sure on the showing him graphic pics is it the aaargh brainfreeze some well known womans one aimed at children, poss kitzinger? I debated that one with my dd1 when i was preg and decided against it.

I got the home birthone instead welcome with love

it has a side on pic of mum standing with the head out. DD1 loved it you could see the light going on as she cried "that's how the baby gets out" she then proudly announced to all visitors people in shops etc "the baby is going to come out of my mummy's girl bits not her bum, it's called a vulva" .

hats off to the sleeve and baby thing!

I suppose you know your own child dd1 was only 2.3 and probably couldn't have verbalised what may or may not have troubled her about any of the images but your ds might be fine.

we just had a long bedtime discussion about things that lay eggs versus things that lay things..so i know how you feel.

[Greensleeves]

Aaaw, Franny, that's so sweet

I had to do the "mummy and daddy do a very special cuddle", eggs/sperm/baby in tummy/Big Squeeze thing in the veg aisle in Sainsburys with ds2 screaming with rage in the trolley, I was selecting peppers with one hand and wiping snot with the other when ds1 decided to unburden himself. Brilliant timing.

Where can I get a knitted uterus? ds1 would love that!

[Greensleeves]

We have "The Body Book" by Claire Rayner, I nkow she's awful, but the book is really quite good, ds1 carries it around everywhere with him at the moment (and I mean everywhere, shopping and everything)

[Greensleeves]

this one

[AitchYouBerk]

knit yer own

[Greensleeves]

it looks like an angry boiled sweet

[FrannyandZooey]

Oh thanks chaps - the Welcome with love book looks beautiful in particular

It is the Nilsson photo book with loads of pics of foetuses etc that we have, really breathtaking

[FrannyandZooey]

I was thinking of one like this

did you not go to antenatal classes, Greeny? I thought a knitted uterus and a tiny tears were pretty much de rigeur

[rowan1971]

lol greensleeves. I just got tutted at on another thread for saying that my four-year-old ds knows that babies come out of vulvas (well, not vulvas themselves, but y'know).

[Greensleeves]

I didn't go to antenatal classes, or aquanatal classes, or pregnanacy yoga or anything.

[AitchYouBerk]

pppft. franny's fanny is a mitten.

[Greensleeves]

I didi have a beautiful week-by-week pregnancy book with stunning in utero photography and diagrams and stuff though, I should dig it out for ds1 I suppose.

[Greensleeves]

a fish mitten

[FrannyandZooey]

LOL I knew that was going to elicit some sort of proud and bolshy statement, Greeny

Rowan, now ds knows, he is going to mention it

A LOT

how popular do you think I will be at parent and toddler groups??

[FrannyandZooey]

It isn't a fanny it is a WOOOOOOOMB

with attached birth canal

[rowan1971]

I seem to be a bit Scandinavian about this. I mean, why can't we just call things by their proper names?

Believe me, I would love to start a little controversy at our local parent and toddler groups.

[FrannyandZooey]

We know a LOT of pregnant women

and a LOT of newborn babies

all of whom are going to get treated to the "babies come out of your vulva, did you know? It stretches and stretches and stretches and stretches and then the baby just FALLS OUT" talk (the last bit was ds's own addition )