How are babies made??!

[ItsThisOneThing]

I'm clueless with this stuff...how do you answer this question from 3-year old DS? I'm pregnant with our 2nd which has triggered the questions but really didn't expect to have to be faced with these when he was so young! He's bright & curious so I'm used to this to some extent - he already asks questions about why he has a 'wee man' and I don't, and boobs etc but this is more of a head scratcher

He asked why are we getting a girl baby and I said that sometimes you get a boy baby and sometimes a girl baby - you don't get to choose, just depends what is made in mummy's tummy. Then it was 'How are they made?'

Help!

[Gallavich]

The mummy has an egg and the daddy has a seed and when the seed meets the egg it turns into a tiny tiny baby that grows in mummy's tummy
Just hope he doesn't ask how the seed gets to the egg yet!

[befuddledgardener]

Just be honest. Dad has seeds in his testicals and mummy has an egg released each month from overies. When daddy's seed meets mummy's egg, a baby grows.

[befuddledgardener]

If he Asks more, tell him daddy's penis delivers the seed to mummy's egg.

[oleoleoleole]

He has a penis, not a wee man!! Start by answering his questions honestly but without massive detail, if that satisfies his curiosity job done, if he asks another question, answer honestly and so on. Please don't use made up names, his nose is his nose, his penis is his penis!

[Openmindedmonkey]

I went for 'special naked cuddle' for my 6yo. Then more on seed / egg as she grew older.

[lorisparkle]

There are some great books - ds1 was fascinated by some of them and asked to see where he came out. Luckily he was born by c-section so I was happy to show him!

[ItsThisOneThing]

Thanks all. Was just thrown by how early I was being asked this question! I know a lot of people use the official names but rightly or wrongly I'm more comfortable with 'wee man' at this age. I'll have a look at the books available too, thank you I totally body swerved the question when he asked it so will need to be better prepared for next time

[Astro55]

Ask your father?

Unusually turn it round - mmm what do you think!?

[ItsThisOneThing]

Ooh Astro - both suggestions are genius!

[floraeasy]

Sex education:-

Sorry!!!

[BrucesTooth]

Mummy and Daddy had a special cuddle and Daddy's seed met mummy's special egg and that grew into a baby in mummy's tummy (age 3 explanation) and then in answer to "can I grow a baby in my tummy?" (age 4) No you can't because the baby grows in a special part of mummy's tummy called a womb and boys don't have those. He was happy with that as he gets that boys have willys and girls have "nunnies"and that babies come out of your nunny.

[sarahmum27]

My dd2 was 2 when I was pregnant with dd3, she asked and I just told her that god decided to put another baby in my belly "oh ok" and then she carried on playing.
My dd1 was 6 at the time and never even bothered asking.

I don't think it matters what you tell them at 3, they'll either forget or find out you were lying later on (assuming you don't tell them the absolute truth.)

[BeyondUser24601]

I told mine the "absolute truth" at 2. It's only biology

[maggiethemagpie]

I found showing the you tube video of the moment of conception quite good with mine. Cue lots of 'I won the race!'

[Gallavich]

god decided to put another baby in my belly
for goodness sake. Why don't parents give their children basic factual explanations? That sort of crap is the way to teach your children to be embarrassed to ask.

[Somerville]

'We're all made of cells. To make a baby, some cells from the dad and cells from the mum are mixed together. Then they grow into a baby inside the mum.'

That's what I told my 2 YO when I was pregnant, as best I recall. I didn't want to go on about eggs and seeds, because I remember getting confused as a young child and thinking farming was involved in the process.

[pieceofpurplesky]

I did the seed, egg, special cuddle thing with DS.

[BertrandRussell]

Why are people so reluctant to tell their children about sex?

[corythatwas]

We had a very good book- back in the 1970 or thereabouts- which showed colour photographs of sperms meeting eggs and tiny foetuses waving their flippers about.

[isthistoonosy]

We've two toddlers and have a book that shows sperm meets egg, mummy's are tired when pregnant, feeding (breast and bottle, growing up) etc for both humans and animals. Its much easier than answering all the questions.

[BeyondUser24601]

I thought it was best not to comment on the god bit...

[CrowOnTheBroom]

What's the book Isthistoonosy?

[pieceofpurplesky]

I am not afraid Bertrand and all but use the actually word sex DS got all the facts. DS was one of those children who liked to share - could just imagine him at PIL's saying 'my mummy and daddy had sex'. At 3.

[ItsThisOneThing]

I think everyone has different beliefs and levels of comforts around this stuff so will approach it differently. My DS repeats everything he hears and I'm not hugely comfortable about going into too much graphic detail while he's just turned 3

Lots of good suggestions here though so will try those - thanks again!

[isthistoonosy]

Varifrån kommer bebisar? / where do babies come from?

Its a lift the flaps book which is quite appropriate